Here is the Graveknight armor rule:
In death, the graveknight's life force lingers on in its armor, not its corpse, in much the same way that a lich's essence is bound within a phylactery. Unless every part of a graveknight's armor is ruined along with its body, a graveknight can rejuvenate after it is destroyed. A typical suit of full plate graveknight armor has hardness 10 and 45 hit points, though armor with enhancements or made of special materials proves more difficult to destroy. Merely breaking a graveknight's armor does not destroy it; it must be ruined, such as by being disintegrated, taken to the Positive Energy Plane, or thrown into the heart of a volcano.
Note: The following information has been added from other sources (see Section 15: Copyright Notice for details.)
Anyone who treats a graveknight’s armor as simply battle spoils risks both body and soul. Graveknights rejuvenate when destroyed. Their bodies literally grow back, with tendrils of undead flesh coiling out from recesses in their armor like gruesome creepers, unless opponents take pains to also obliterate the armor. These unholy strands have no objection to infesting a living host instead of producing a new body for their master.
People who claim a graveknight’s armor rarely recognize the threat until too late, as part of the magic of the rejuvenation makes wearers oblivious to the invasion of their own bodies. When they take the armor off to sleep, they overlook the puncture marks and deep fissures upon their skin. Some sinister instinct also causes them to conceal these wounds from their companions. Only the particularly observant (and a DC 25 Perception check) perceive the peril in time help their friend cast aside the armor.
Once the rejuvenation period ends 1d10 days later, the wearer must make a Will save (DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the graveknight’s HD + the graveknight’s Cha modifier) each day to avoid transforming into the original graveknight. This transformation consumes mind as well as body, immediately slaying the victim and utterly destroying the body.
To wear graveknight armor safely, its new owner must cleanse it of evil and forever sever its connection to its undead master. This cleansing requires the casting of three different spells in rapid succession. Two are always break enchantment and holy word. The third varies with each graveknight and relates back to the unique circumstances surrounding its first death and return. Figuring out the correct spell usually entails a great deal of research and careful thought. And of course, while this detective work is happening, the armor continues to steadily regenerate the graveknight.
QUESTION: The will save is agains the transformation into the Graveknight. So, what is the slaying of the victim from? The person turns into a Graveknight and then is instantly killed? So the armor then rejuvenates into the ORIGINAL GRAVEKNIGHT?
What a NASTY piece of armor! My group's fighter just put it on and it's the first of 5 days before it turns on him.
No, the way I read it, the armor transforms the wearer into the original graveknight and kills him in the process.
The will save is to avoid the transformation, which includes the slaying and body-destruction. The final result is completely dead fighter, and reborn original graveknight.
Now, the easiest way to avoid this whole issue is to not put a graveknight's armor on, which it would be possible to figure out with the appropriate knowledge checks during the encounter with the graveknight.
Plus, a DC 25 perception check (by anyone except the fighter) during the regrowing period would inform them that something is wrong.
Edit: Also, be aware that a graveknight will regrow regardless of if someone wears the armor or not.
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Your fighter will turn body and soul into the original graveknight when he fails his Will save. He will then be gone for good.
Nobody succeeded on a Knowledge Religion, or Detect Evil (since the armor houses the essence of the Graveknight, it should detect as Evil (and maybe Undead too BTW) ? These could give away the real danger to his allies.
I must say that I am very happy to hear about this property, as I envisioned cursed armors for paladins slowly turning them into Death Knights after reading about the wonderful Lord Soth in the second Dragonlance Trilogy. I did not envision it so gross and grotesque though. Paizo writers are really good.