Active Defense

October 4th, 2017

Normally, defending oneself in Pathfinder is a pretty passive activity: you wear armor and equip shields that make you harder to hit, but you don’t really do anything to protect yourself. Of course, there are always going to be exceptions, like characters who can parry blows or cast spells to aid in their defense, but for your average Joe, the ability to meaningfully impact your defense with your actions is limited. This week’s new Magic Market aims to change that with 3 new items designed to give you the chance to actively protect yourself from harm.

ARMOR OF THE DEFENDER PRICE 86,650 gp
Slot armor; CL 20th; Weight 50 lbs.
Aura faint illusion

This gorgeous suit of gold and steel interlocking plates seems to shift to match the wearer’s defensive needs. The plates have a faint chameleon quality to them, causing them to match their environment.

In addition to functioning as a +2 full plate, a suit of armor of the defender doubles the bonus to AC from fighting defensively and taking the total defense action, as well as doubling the bonus to AC and Reflex saves granted by cover (including improved cover, partial cover, and soft cover). Additionally, whenever the wearer has a miss chance, characters without the Blind Fight feat that attack the wearer must roll their miss chance percentage twice and take the worse result.

Some of an armor of the defender’s unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a +4-equivalent armor for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.

Construction Requirements Cost 44,150 gp

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, displacement

BLOCKING SHIELD PRICE 4,170 gp
Slot shield; CL 1st; Weight 15 lbs.
Aura faint abjuration

These heavy shields are often reinforced with additional layers of metal bands to improve blocking, allowing them to be more effective when intercepting shots. Often these shields have unusual handles that make them easier to maneuver and use in combat.

In addition to functioning as a +1 heavy steel shield, a blocking shield can be used to employ a more active defense. As a move action, the wielder of a blocking shield can ready it against an attack. When she does, she rolls 1d6 and adds it to her AC for 1 round. For each attack made against her, she reduces this bonus AC by 1; a successful hit reduces this bonus by 2.

None of a blocking shield’s unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a +1-equivalent shield for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.

Construction Requirements Cost 2,170gp

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, shield

DODGING SHIELD PRICE 3,170 gp
Slot shield; CL 1st; Weight 15 lbs.
Aura faint transmutation

These gorgeous heavy steel shields come in a variety of styles and materials, but all are designed with graceful curves and comfortable padding. The shields themselves feature a small button on the handle, which, when depressed, causes the shield to begin to jump and leap about.

In addition to functioning as a +1 heavy steel shield, the wielder of one of these shields can activate it as a swift action. When he does, the shield begins to dance and maneuver about. Whenever the wielder is attacked while the shield is active, he must make a Dexterity check (DC 11 + the number of times the character was attacked that round); if the check is successful, the wielder gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC against that attack. If the check fails, he suffers a –1 penalty to his AC against that attack, instead.

Some of a dodging shield's unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a +2-equivalent shield for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.

Construction Requirements Cost 1,670gp

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, expeditious retreat