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Old 03-25-2013, 10:47 AM   #1
txsnowman
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Default Living Armor

Hey everyone, I am new to the forum, but I've been a lurker for quite some time. I came across a question about a character I have been running and was wondering about whether or not something was feasible.

Mind you, first I ran it by the GM and he said that if I could find it or a way that it would work that it is okay, so that part is cleared (first step).

Now here's my premise: I am a druid character - long story short - I was wanting to know if there were any way to wear a plant made armor that is still living. I know that sounds weird, but does anyone have any way this is possible? I would like to be able to use a living plant for the purposes of Forest Defense, but also have it be a form of armor. Does anyone have any ideas? I had a few but I am still new to GURPS as a whole so I thought I would ask the greater community.

As of now I try to stay outdoors but with a large adventuring party that isn't always possible with a new cave or dungeon to explore just around the corner. I am significantly weaker indoors so again it was just a thought.

Right now I wear a cloak and regular leather armor, though I have yet to be hit thus far. I use wall walker and grease/glue/sleep on pretty much anything. I have almost shape-shifted once but my character is very much against killing so I would prefer to incapacitate them if possible.

Thanks for your help in advance.
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Old 03-25-2013, 10:53 AM   #2
Turhan's Bey Company
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Default Re: Living Armor

Quote:
Originally Posted by txsnowman View Post
I was wanting to know if there were any way to wear a plant made armor that is still living.
I'm sure there are ways of cobbling such a thing together from various traits, but GURPS cares a lot more about effects than causes. So the real question is what does it do? Does it give you more DR for the weight than you might get from a suit of regular armor? Make you more or less detectable in various ways? Provide a reaction bonus of some sort? Does it require you to hang out in the sun a lot? Decide what kinds of specific benefits and drawbacks it provides, and things can go from there.
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Old 03-25-2013, 10:56 AM   #3
SCAR
 
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Default Re: Living Armor

Pyramid #3/24: Bio-Tech has an excellent article on BioMecha, which is effectively living armour, probably a little excessive for the application you have, but it would give you ideas on what sort of thing would be required, to build living armour using character traits.

GURPS Biotech has a section on Biogadgets, which might be helpful.
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Old 03-25-2013, 11:19 AM   #4
Anthony
 
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Default Re: Living Armor

Quote:
Originally Posted by txsnowman View Post
Now here's my premise: I am a druid character - long story short - I was wanting to know if there were any way to wear a plant made armor that is still living.
You could grow a layer of moss on a non-living substrate (though it won't be very durable), but living wood shaped into armor won't stay alive for very long.
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Old 03-25-2013, 11:39 AM   #5
txsnowman
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Default Re: Living Armor

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company View Post
I'm sure there are ways of cobbling such a thing together from various traits, but GURPS cares a lot more about effects than causes. So the real question is what does it do? Does it give you more DR for the weight than you might get from a suit of regular armor? Make you more or less detectable in various ways? Provide a reaction bonus of some sort? Does it require you to hang out in the sun a lot? Decide what kinds of specific benefits and drawbacks it provides, and things can go from there.
Great question! This is what I was hoping for because it really doesn't do a whole lot. No it wouldn't give me more DR than normal for its weight, maybe 2 or 3 DR max. It would help me camouflage by giving a bonus in the wilderness. It doesn't provide a reaction bonus but I would like to be able to use it for the spell Forest Defense. Since that spell only uses plants that are around, being in a cave is not useful if there is nothing living as far as plant life for the most part. I would say that it would be rare since it is a living entity. I certainly think that it would require work to keep it alive (no sleeping in it or laying on it for too awfully long), as well as water/food for the plant itself. Does this help?

@ SCAR - In regards to the Bio-tech, I hadn't thought at all to use that! Great idea! I will look into this and post again later today.
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Old 03-25-2013, 12:25 PM   #6
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Default Re: Living Armor

The trinity of armour, DR, Weight and Cost, depends on what existing armour you want it to be equivalent to.

To me the other effects are more dependent on setting not the system. I think there is wooden armour in Low Tech if you use that then discuss what is required to keep it alive with your GM your golden.


If this was my Eberron/Warmachine game mechanically I would make it semi ablative cheap brigandine but increase the cost by about +9CF.
Then I would poke the player every time they did something that might damage it and expect them to look after it.

However in that setting any armour weaker than brigandine is seen as a waste of time though, so the equivalent armour will change with the setting.
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Old 03-25-2013, 03:24 PM   #7
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Default Re: Living Armor

Make it equivalent to wood, heavy, but DR3, you can use other materials with lower DR as well.(See LT for that).
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Old 03-25-2013, 03:57 PM   #8
txsnowman
 
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Default Re: Living Armor

So as far as the "holy trinity of armor" I came up with this:
Based on Cloth Cuirass/Jack for the torso from Low Tech
DR: 2
Weight: 8lb
Cost: $50

Again, the key thing is that I want it to be alive so that I can use the armor itself for Forest Defense in a dungeon with no plant life.

So I figure I could adapt this and have it called a Vine Cuirass and be unable to sleep in it or lay down for more than 10 seconds without chance of withering. I don't know how to add limitations like that or food/water limitations on it either, nor how it is actually alive.

Second option (I kinda like this one more but anyway) I spend the points to buy a plant elemental that I can summon but it only appears as armor really. I am not sure about how this would work in the game function but I know that the elemental is about 40 pts to buy. This would be based on the wood elemental in GURPS DF 9: Summoners (vine creature template). It could also say that if it ever takes damage that I would have to roll for an accidental constriction.

How do either of these sound and does anyone have any other advice?
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Old 03-25-2013, 07:21 PM   #9
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Default Re: Living Armor

8lbs with DR2? with armor is that?
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Old 03-25-2013, 09:05 PM   #10
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Default Re: Living Armor

I seem to recall something in Plant Magic about becoming 'greener' and adopting plantlike characteristics. Some of that could certainly be DR.
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