Protection Trifecta
The problem with going on the defensive is that when you’re protecting something, you have to be prepared for all kinds of different threats, whereas when you’re on the offensive, you only have to worry about making sure your attack works out. It’s easy for adventurers to focus on protecting their bodies, and that’s certainly an important thing to keep safe, but you don’t want to overlook your mind or your soul, either.
Today, I have a trio of magic items (which can conveniently all be worn together), which each focus on protecting a different aspect: a suit of armor that protects the body from disease and poison, a shield that protects the mind (and which clever wielders will also get more use out of), and a ring that protects the soul.
LEECHMAIL PRICE 14,165 gp
Slot armor; CL 5th; Weight 25 lbs.
Aura faint conjuration
This suit of +2 slick shadow hide armor is dark and rubbery, and somehow always faintly damp and greasy, no matter what steps are taken to clean it. Many have difficulty identifying the type of animal that the hide came from, and in fact, the armor is made from the hide of a giant leech, or, more commonly, from several. Horrifyingly, the leech’s giant sucker mouth remains intact, and is actually on the inside of the armor, positioned over the wearer’s stomach. When the armor is donned, the mouth attaches to the wearer and slowly begins to drain his blood.
Each hour that the armor is worn, it inflicts 1d8 points of damage. This damage is spread out over the course of the hour, and does not interfere with spellcasting, concentration, or even the wearer’s ability to sleep, should he attempt to do so while wearing the armor. This draining process helps protect the wearer against diseases and poisons, and the wearer gains a circumstance bonus equal to twice the armor’s enhancement bonus on saving throws made to resist diseases and poisons.
Some of a suit of leechmail’s unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a +3-equivalent weapon for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, bleed, neutralize poison, remove disease
RING OF SURE FAITH PRICE 10,000 gp
Slot ring; CL 8th; Weight —
Aura moderate abjuration
These rings can be made of either gold or silver, and bear a single, large gem, often a ruby or emerald. In addition to its other properties, the ring’s gem glows brightly whenever its wearer is about to take an action that is at odds with his current alignment, allowing the wearer to reconsider his chosen course of action. Unlike a phylactery of faithfulness, this happens automatically, without the wearer needing to stop and consider.
Additionally, the wearer is immune to any effect that would directly alter his alignment through magical or supernatural means, and if he would be forced to perform an act that runs counter to his alignment because of a charm or compulsion effect, he is entitled to a new saving throw to resist that effect, with a +4 bonus (even if the effect did not offer an initial saving throw). Finally, the DC of any Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check made to convince the wearer to act in a way that is at odds with his current alignment is increased by +4.
Forge Ring, light, protection from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good, protection from law
SHIELD OF ILLUMINATION PRICE 16,170 gp
Slot shield; CL 9th; Weight 15 lbs.
Aura moderate divination
These +1 heavy steel shields not only protect their wielders by allowing them to detect hidden threats in their midst, but can also shield them from mental harm. At its bearer’s command, a shield of illumination can be made to create a beam of normal light in a 60-foot line. By speaking alternate command words, the shield’s bearer can cause this light to reveal hidden things, functioning as any of the following spells, except with an area of a 60-foot line, and a duration of 5 minutes: detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, detect magic, detect mindscapeOA, detect poison, detect psychic significanceOA, detect secret doors, detect snares and pits, detect undead, or see invisibility. The shield’s bearer does not need to concentrate on this effect to maintain it, but in the case of effects that require multiple rounds of concentration to reveal information, the shield’s light must remain on the creature or object in question for that many consecutive rounds. Creatures or objects “detected” by such an effect glow with a faint silvery light, and this is visible to anyone observing them, not just the shield’s bearer. In the case of see invisibility, invisible creatures or objects in the area become visible as silvery glowing silhouettes. The shield can produce normal light at will, but can only replicate one of the spell effects listed above a total of three times per day, and it cannot replicate more than one such spell at a time.
Additionally, if the shield’s bearer would suffer Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage, that damage is redirected to the shield, instead. As the shield suffers this ability damage, its light begins to fade. For each point of ability score damage redirected to the shield of illumination, the length of the line of light that it creates (including when it replicates spell effects) is decreased by 10 feet. The shield “heals” one point of ability damage per day, increasing the length of its beam of light by 10 feet (to a maximum of 60 feet). If ability damage reduces the length of the shield’s light to 0 feet, the shield loses all magical properties for one week (any ability score damage that would reduce the length of the shield’s light to less than 0 feet affects the bearer normally).
Some of a shield of illumination’s unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a +2-equivalent weapon for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, detect magic, detect mindscape(OA), detect poison, detect psychic significance(OA), detect secret doors, detect snares and pits, detect undead, light, and see invisibility.