I Am Iron Artificer: Optimizing Power Armor

[midnight_v]

Okay...I'm still not getting it.  I mean, I know what Thrallherd does, I just don't get where it's supposed to be taken in this particular case.  If I decide to take Thrallherd and can convince a DM to allow me to have a Ragamoffyn, I can...what?  Order it to take control of me, but only give me orders I want it to give me?

Little too weird for my tastes...and I'd rather not allow the armor to completely rewrite the character.

LOL, I don't know what the hell talking about either I was just clarifying thrallherd.
Looking at what they suggest... I think that IS what they're suggesting.
Some kind of sybiosis between you and your ragomuffin.
Can't you make an effigy of your ragomuffin though? I'm afb right now but maybe that will work.
In either way you're ultimately just giving your armor the orders you want it to do. I think it'd be very much like an onboard smart computer.

[caelic]

Nah.  Couple of problems:

1. The Ragamoffyn's already a construct--can't make an Effigy out of a construct. 

2. Even if you could, it wouldn't retain its special qualities. 

The tentacle whip works as an Effigy because most of its goodies are classified as non-Con-based special attacks, which DO carry over.

[McPoyo]

There's a symbiotic template somewhere that may work if you can change the type from construct. Soul-fused raggamofyn?

Also, that has more of a venom feel than a powersuit feel.

[radionausea]

Iron Kingdoms has Power (Steam) Armour and the Arcane Mechanik class. The steam armour doesn't necessarily need to run on steam either - they have Arcane Capacitors and the Arcane Mechanik has the ability to charge them built into it.

[Prime32]

Okay...I'm still not getting it.  I mean, I know what Thrallherd does, I just don't get where it's supposed to be taken in this particular case.  If I decide to take Thrallherd and can convince a DM to allow me to have a Ragamoffyn, I can...what?  Order it to take control of me, but only give me orders I want it to give me?

Little too weird for my tastes...and I'd rather not allow the armor to completely rewrite the character.

Well I'm not sure it gives you orders so much as jerks your body around.

[caelic]

Well I'm not sure it gives you orders so much as jerks your body around.

Still not something I can see a raging egomaniac like Doom finding acceptable.  Besides, there have to be other ways to get the same benefits, no?  Wandering around with a rag draped over your head just isn't very regal.

[veekie]

Theres got to be some way to replace the thing's mind...

[Havok4]

Perhaps use a sort of psion sandwich method with permanent mind switch, you would become the armor. Use polymorph other to get the creature into a state where you can actually use mind affecting powers.

[caelic]

An Icy Assassin, maybe.  'Course, that's an awfully high level solution, and I'm still trying to think of WHAT creature would work best.  A Zodar?

[Bastian]

You mentioned you were considering a Legendary Item but didn't want to sink class levels into it. Well Legendary Items are invincible (except against damage by other Legendary Items) even if you don't take levels in their prestige class (since even though the wielder can't get any of its powers, it is still a legendary item). So if you were to have a Clockwork Armor that was also a Legendary Item that would remove the biggest weakness of Clockwork Armor.

[McPoyo]

For reference, you don't need levels in Legacy Champion in order to get the full benefit of a Legacy item, and you get the feats for free by performing the rituals. LC just gives you extra uses of the Legacy Item's abilities.

[SorO_Lost]

Legacy rules also could care less about the number of specific cost enhancements applied to your armor too.

Also, this list may help.

(click to show/hide)

Suits
Power Suit: +5 Mechanus Gear, 26,650gp.
With Varia Upgrade: Adamantine (+14,850gp) & Protection from Fire (+18,000gp), gain DR 3/- & Fire Resist 10.
With Gravity Upgrade: Plate Armor of the Deep (+14,000), gain waterbreathing, immunity to water pressure and no penalties to swim (FoM is overkill).
Phazon: ? Health^SS, +11,250gp, immunity to disease.
Dark: ?
Light: Planar Tolerance^PH, +25,000gp.
PED: ?
Zero: Run around semi naked.
Fusion: As whatever armor, but cloth instead of full plate.

Arm Cannon (using a longbow)
Power: +X Longbow.
Long: Long Range^D358, +100gp, adds +20ft to range.
Charge: Hank's Bow instead of a Longbow.
Ice: Frost, +1, +1d6 cold damage.
Wave: Brilliant Energy, +4, passes though walls and such, pretty expansive so just buy arrows with this.
Spazer: Splitting^CoR, +3, each attack splits into two separate shots.
Plasma: Exit Wound^CW, +2, +1d6 damage and can hit everything in a line but a cumulative +4 bonus to AC applies.
Others: To many to care or afford, get creative with enchanted arrows.
Grapple: Rod of Ropes^CS, 4,000gp, shoot retractable grapple hooks.

Missiles
Missile: +Seeking Explosive, add a 1d6 fire damage 10ft burst effect and ignores concealment/cover.
Super: +Starburst, arrows become 20ft burst effects, to a fine creature a medium weapon is a siege weapon...
Seeker: +Splitting, either on the bow or the arrow.
Ice: Sudden Stunning^DMGII Blunt^MotW, adds Stun, fort negs DC 10+ChaMod.

Morph Ball
Ball Mode: ?
Boost: Land speed enhancements.
Spring: Most creatures kinda have the option to jump...
Spider: Slippers of Spider Climbing, 4,800gp, stick to walls Metroid II style.
Bombs: ?
Power Bomb: ?

Movement
Speed Booster: Boots of Striding and Springing, 5,500gp, +10 to land speed & Crystal Of Alacrity, 3,500gp, +5 moral to speed.
High Jump: Boots of Striding and Springing, 5,500gp, +5 competence & +4 speed to jump checks.
Space Jump: Winged Mask^MiC, 13,000gp, At-will Fly, CL 5.
Screw Attack: +1 Valorous Armor Spikes, +4,350gp, 1d6+1+(str) x 2 damage on a charge, hit them with your body indeed.
Sense Move: Armor of Mobility, +15,000gp?, gain Mobility (+4 vs AoOs from moving).

Sight
X-Ray: Ring of X-Ray Vision, 25,000gp, X-ray sight.
Thermal: ?
Echo: Blindfold of True Darkness^MiC, 9,000gp, 30ft. blindsight (not that you could see a damn thing).
Dark: Close your eyes *drums*.

Other
Suit Activation: Ring of Arming^MiC, 5,000gp, calls your arm and weapons.

[Bastian]

For reference, you don't need levels in Legacy Champion in order to get the full benefit of a Legacy item, and you get the feats for free by performing the rituals. LC just gives you extra uses of the Legacy Item's abilities.

Legendary Item, not Legacy Item. The two should not be confused.

[McPoyo]

For reference, you don't need levels in Legacy Champion in order to get the full benefit of a Legacy item, and you get the feats for free by performing the rituals. LC just gives you extra uses of the Legacy Item's abilities.

Legendary Item, not Legacy Item. The two should not be confused.

True, I misread. My apologies.

[Bastian]

For reference, you don't need levels in Legacy Champion in order to get the full benefit of a Legacy item, and you get the feats for free by performing the rituals. LC just gives you extra uses of the Legacy Item's abilities.

Legendary Item, not Legacy Item. The two should not be confused.

True, I misread. My apologies.

No problem, I was just clarifying.

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

I approve of the Metroid fluff soro. Don't forget shrink item+graft weapon. It gives me the urge to run a game where everyone has to play a nintendo character.

Also if you want to go overkill with the blasters, you could get a bundle of wands (or other items) of Magic Missile and activate them with a item of Chained Ocular Alaunghaer's Triptych.

It seems this spell trades a (standard) action for 3 wand activations, which also eats up your quickened spell use. So RAW could still use a swift action casting wand, but many DMs might not like it. So it's basically a full round action for 3 spells. It's decent, but you're blowing a 5th level spell for that effect.

[Keldar]

What's with the Animate Dead Thread?

[Nytemare3701]

Thread Necromancy is totally normal here 

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

What's with the Animate Dead Thread?

A) Good threads never really die. They live on...

B) We (okay, most me) love to beat dead horses.