Spellsoul ArmorIn the same way that arcane spellcasters can imbue items with their spells, some spellshapers possess the ability to infuse items and equipment with spellshape attacks and arcane formulae. Weapons and armor enchanted in this way, known as spellheart items, contain arcane formulae that can be shaped at a moment's notice. In attempting to create more powerful spellshaping equipment, some master spellshapers found themselves creating living weapons and armor: spellsoul items.
While spellsoul weapons are often wielded by spellshape champions, suits of spellsoul armor cannot be worn. Animated and sentient, these living constructs possess an innate connection to spellshaping magic. Suits of spellsoul armor are renowned for their wisdom and their combat prowess, and they excel at wielding spellshaping magic offensively.
Personality: The personality of a suit of spellsoul armor depends heavily on the circle of formulae used in its creation. For example, those crafted from the powers of the Devouring Shadow circle tend to be more solemn and grave, while those crafted from the Astral Essence circle tend to be philosophical and thoughtful.
Physical Description: A suit of spellsoul armor is formed from the upper half of a suit of full plate armor, floating roughly two feet above the ground. The individual appearance of the armor varies from individual to individual, with some having been made from more ornate suits of armor.
The process that animates a suit of spellsoul armor does not extend to the armor's greaves, leaving them legless. The armor floats through the air, close to the ground. Faint amounts of magical energy flow from the bottom of the armor's cuirass, making it appear as though the armor is supported by smoke or magical fire.
Much like the armor's personality, the exact physical appearance of a suit of spellsoul armor varies depending on the circle of formulae used to craft it. A suit of spellsoul armor created from the powers of the Searing Flame circle might appear to be made of brass, with burning runes etched into the metal and flame erupting from the bottom of the cuirass. By contrast, armor crafted from the Perfect Freeze circle might be rimed with frost, with chilling fog emanating from the cuirass.
Relations: As suits of spellsoul armor are few and far between, each individual pursues relations with other inhabitants of the world on an individual basis. Though suits of spellsoul armor tend to form close bonds when they meet other members of their race, such bonds rarely evolve into large communities.
Alignment: Suits of spellsoul armor tend towards neutrality, as the magic that gives them life is not linked to any single world-view. However, spellsoul armor of all alignments can be found, as different experiences and personalities can lead individuals to radically different ideals.
Spellsoul Armor Lands: As suits of spellsoul armor are far from common, they have no homeland. An individual suit of spellsoul armor often feels loyalty to the region or nation in which it was created, but this is not always the case.
Religion: Few suits of spellsoul armor bother with religion. They know who created them, and they often know the purpose for their existence. Of course, those individuals who seek more answers sometimes find them by taking up the cause of one religion or another, but these remain a minority among their kind.
Language: Suits of spellsoul armor speak Common, a language that they share with their creators.
Names: As they have no unifying culture, suits of spellsoul armor do not follow any specific naming convention. However, because they understand the need for names, suits of spellsoul armor often adopt a name related to their creators, the region in which they were created, or some important event.
Some suits of spellsoul armor view having a name as an important aspect of their existence--a way of defining their lives in terms of their own experience. Such individuals search long and hard for the perfect name to attach to themselves. In the meantime, they answer to nicknames, often supplied by their companions.
Adventurers: All suits of spellsoul armor feel an innate desire to explore the world and accumulate experience. By adventuring, these individuals seek to gain a greater understanding of existence and their place in it.
Spellsoul Armor Racial Traits
- Living Construct Subtype (Ex): A suit of spellsoul armor is a construct with the living construct subtype. A living construct is a created being that possesses sentience and free will. A suit of spellsoul armor is a living construct that combines aspects of both constructs and living creatures, as detailed below.
Features: As a living construct, a suit of spellsoul armor has the following features.
— A suit of spellsoul armor derives its Hit Dice, base attack bonus progression, saving throws, and skill points from the class it selects.
Traits: A suit of spellsoul armor possesses the following traits.
— Unlike other constructs, a suit of spellsoul armor has a Constitution score.
— Unlike other constructs, a suit of spellsoul armor does not have low-light vision or darkvision.
— Unlike other constructs, a suit of spellsoul armor is not immune to mind-affecting spells and abilities.
— Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, effects that cause the sickened condition, and energy drain.
— A suit of spellsoul armor cannot heal damage naturally.
— Unlike other constructs, a suit of spellsoul armor is subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.
— As a living construct, a suit of spellsoul armor can be affected by spells that target living creatures as well as by those that target constructs. Damage dealt to a suit of spellsoul armor can be healed by a cure light wounds spell or a repair light damage spell, for example, and a suit of spellsoul armor is vulnerable to disable construct and harm. However, spells from the healing subschool and supernatural abilities that cure hit point damage or ability damage provide only half their normal effect to a suit of spellsoul armor.
— The unusual physical construction of a suit of spellsoul armor makes it vulnerable to certain spells and effects that normally don't affect living creatures. A suit of spellsoul armor takes damage from heat metal and chill metal as if it were wearing metal armor. Likewise, a suit of spellsoul armor is affected by repel metal or stone as if it were wearing metal armor. The metal in the body of a suit of spellsoul armor makes it vulnerable to rusting grasp. The creature takes 2d6 points of damage from the spell (Reflex half; save DC 14 + caster's ability modifier). A suit of spellsoul armor takes the same damage from a rust monster's touch (Reflex DC 17 half).
— A suit of spellsoul armor responds slightly differently from other living creatures when reduced to 0 hit points. A suit of spellsoul armor with 0 hit points is disable, just like a living creature. It can only take a single move action or standard action in a round, but strenuous activity does not risk further injury. When its hit points are less than 0 and greater than -10, a suit of spellsoul armor is inert. It is unconscious and helpless, and it cannot perform any actions. However, an inert suit of spellsoul armor does not lose additional hit points unless more damage is dealt to it, as with a living creature that is stable.
— As a living construct, a suit of spellsoul armor can be raised or resurrected.
— A suit of spellsoul armor does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, but it can still benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items such as heroes' feast and potions.
— Although living constructs do not need to sleep, a spellsoul armor wizard must rest for 8 hours before preparing spells. - +2 Wisdom, -2 Dexterity: The power that gives them life provides spellsoul armor with an innate connection to the spiritual aspects of magic. However, their heavy bodies lack fine control, and they find it difficult to move with precision.
- Medium: As Medium creatures, suits of spellsoul armor have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Spellsoul armor base land speed is 15 feet.
- Levitation (Su): A suit of spellsoul armor floats roughly two feet above the ground. Instead of walking, it glides along, unconcerned with the hard earth or difficult terrain. This levitation also prevents a suit of spellsoul armor from being tripped, and it does not set off traps that are triggered by weight.
The armor can take normal actions and make normal attacks, and can move at its normal speed (it can even "run" at four times its normal speed). A suit of spellsoul armor that loses access to this ability falls to the ground and can perform only a single action each round. A suit of spellsoul armor also falls to the ground when knocked unconscious.
Starting at 10 HD, a suit of spellsoul armor moves as though under a constant air walk effect. - Living Armor: The armor used to create a suit of spellsoul armor provides a +8 armor bonus. This armor is not natural armor and does not stack with other effects that give an armor bonus (other than natural armor). The armor occupies the same space on the body as a suit of armor or a robe, and thus a suit of spellsoul armor cannot wear armor or magic robes. A suit of spellsoul armor can be enchanted just as armor can be. The character must be present for the entire time it takes to enchant it.
A suit of spellsoul armor is always considered to be wearing heavy armor. It has a +1 maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, a -5 penalty on all skill checks that armor check penalties apply to (Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, Swim, and Tumble), and an arcane spell failure chance of 35%. Any class ability that allows a suit of spellsoul armor to ignore the arcane spell failure chance for heavy armor lets it ignore this penalty as well. A suit of spellsoul armor does not gain the benefits of any class feature prohibited to a character wearing heavy armor. - Spellsoul Attunement: The magic used to create a suit of spellsoul armor provides it with a natural attunement to spellshaping. A suit of spellsoul armor can make spellshape attacks and shape arcane formulae without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance from its living armor ability.
- Assume Items (Su): Due to its unique construction, a suit of spellsoul armor finds it difficult to wear magic items on its body. However, the magic that animates spellsoul armor also allows it to integrate other magical items into its body, allowing it to benefit from their effects.
As a standard action, a suit of spellsoul armor can assume a magical item that would normally be worn on the body, causing the object to meld into its form. The armor must be holding the item in order to assume it. Magical items assumed in this way are considered to be occupying their normal body slots, granting their usual benefits and preventing the spellsoul armor from benefitting from other magical items that occupy that slot. A suit of spellsoul armor can only have assumed a single item that occupies a given body slot at one time.
A suit of spellsoul armor can remove an assumed item from its body as a standard action, causing it to appear in the armor's hand. When a suit of spellsoul armor falls inert, all assumed magical items are expelled from its body, falling to the ground in its space. - Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: None.
- Favored Class: Spellshape Champion. A multiclass spellsoul armor's spellshape champion class does not count when determining whether it takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
