Magic armor and spell casting

[swirler]

I haven't located any as yet. I can never seem to find things, at least when I am actually looking for them. I know we used to have this in AD&D does anyone know where I might find a listing for or a way to create magic armor that allows a caster to wear it with no penalty? Yes this is for a villain, and no I don't plan on letting my players get it. heh

[drkem]

swirler wrote:

(snip) does anyone know where I might find a listing for or a way to create magic armor that allows a caster to wear it with no penalty? (snip)

The closest I have been able to come to this within the 3.5 rules is a celestial chainmail shirt. I extrapolated from similar magic items that it would have a 5% arcane spell failure chance. I'm sure there is an infernal equivalent for bad guys, and a 1 in 20 chance of spell failure is small enough that your BBEG should be effective.

Good hunting!

[Tequila Sunrise]

The Twilight property from the Book of Exalted Deeds reduces spell failure by 10% for a paltry +1 bonus-equivalent. Stack that with mithral, and/or multiple Twilight properties, and you've got yourself a battlemage!

There is no evil counterpart to my knowledge (Good gets all the best goodies), but none of the properties that we've come up with are actually restricted to Good creatures.

[Tequila Sunrise]

swirler wrote:

I haven't located any as yet. I can never seem to find things, at least when I am actually looking for them. I know we used to have this in AD&D does anyone know where I might find a listing for or a way to create magic armor that allows a caster to wear it with no penalty? Yes this is for a villain, and no I don't plan on letting my players get it. heh

Actually, if you don't intend your players to use it why are you tying this ability to a hunk of armor that will no doubt be looted when the villain is defeated? There are several base and prestige classes that negate spell failure. Even if you don't have them, you could simply modify your mage villain's class to have spell failure reduction/negation.

[swirler]

hmm true
I guess I could do thjat
basically I was wanting to model an uber villain off of Dr Doom
not directly but the armor spell slinger part sounds like a good villain
hey it worked for Vader
;)

[Rezdave]

Tequila Sunrise wrote:

if you don't intend your players to use it why are you tying this ability to a hunk of armor that will no doubt be looted when the villain is defeated

Make it cursed, make it evil, make it have some aspect that is so cripping to the PCs that they will be forced to rid themselves of it.

How about this, instead of the BBEG casting the spells, make the armor Intelligent but sleepy. It has no chance of spell failure casting its own spells, but he has to spend a Standard Action "nudging" it.

So basically the spells get cast (normal AoO stuff) and there's no chance of spell failure, but the thing is Intelligent and Evil and has this high Ego so the PCs can't keep it or use it, and in fact destroying it becomes a mini-quest and story arc.

HTH,

Rez