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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Hand Armor

No, not armor for hands; armor made of hands. Think of a suit of armor made of multiple Things (of Addams Family fame) imitating Janet Jackson's 1993 Rolling Stone cover, except over the entire body.

Yes, the image in your mind is both kinky and disturbing. At least the hands aren't skeletal or otherwise undead. No, these hands are Constructs, closer to homunculi or golems than undead, and they are joined at the wrist in pairs. When the command word is spoken, the hands -- one hundred in all -- climb over the speaker's body before locking into place though interlaced fingers or grasped wrists. Certain critical areas, like the head and torso, are doubly covered. If the speaker is wearing clothing when this happens, the hands will either tear it away or crawl under it, depending upon its tightness. Whatever the circumstance, Hand Armor needs skin-to-skin contact in order to function.

In addition to looking exceedingly creepy, Hand Armor has several unique abilities:
  • The wearer can command a single pair of hands to detach and operate remotely, as if a Mage Hand spell. 
  • A number of hands equal to the wearer's Wisdom Bonus (minimum of 1) may be commanded to hold objects, such as a rope or a torch. These hands hold objects with a Strength of 10 and cannot be used to fight.
  • The wearer gains a +3 Competence Bonus to the following skills while wearing Hand Armor: Climb, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Intimidate, Sleight of Hand, Swim.
  • If another command word is spoken, all hands (except for those serving as "underwear") disengage from the wearer, clasps each other by the wrists, and form a 50' piece of "rope". While this is in effect, all of the previous abilities listed cease to function, and the wearer loses all Armor Class bonuses.  Another command word causes the hands to return to the wearer.
Armor Bonus: +4
Max Dex Bonus: +5
Armor Check Penalty: 0
Arcane Spell Failure Chance: 10%
Speed: 30ft/20ft
Weight: 15 lbs.

Construction Requirements: Craft Construct feat; Animate Rope; Mage Hand; Caster level 12th; Craft (armor) 17
Cost: 20,000 gp


This freaky piece of magic was inspired by a truly weird dream I had last night. 


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5 comments:

  1. Seems like it takes Power Perversion Potential up to Eleven.

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  2. *cough*
    Interesting. Very creepy visual. More like this please. :)

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  3. Heh very cool. It sure would be memorable to encounter someone with that on!

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  4. Yes, that would indeed freak my players out. A lot.

    I might use something like that in some writing 'though. Possibly for a follower of a deity of lust or sensual excess.

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  5. Y'know, a necromancer actually COULD have a set of armor like this made out of skeletal or undead hands.

    Amp up the creep factor by a power of ten, IMHO.

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