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Old 01-20-2018, 03:48 PM   #1
swarmyard
 
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Default Magical equipment as allies

I built a character with magical armor as Ally (75% of starting points)(Constantly x4; Special abilities +50%) but I wasn't sure about the necessary limitations or potential enhancements. Are there any examples from a sourcebook or any suggestions for building a set of sentient magical armor as an ally, or should I just do something else?
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Old 01-20-2018, 03:54 PM   #2
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Default Re: Magical equipment as allies

GURPS Supers has rules for giving equipment powers using the ally advantage you could start there. GURPS Thaumatology has rules about treating magical items as characters.
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Old 01-20-2018, 05:01 PM   #3
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Default Re: Magical equipment as allies

Would I have to apply the Affects others enhancement for the advantages that wielding armor would normally entail, like DR?

Last edited by swarmyard; 01-20-2018 at 05:10 PM.
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Old 01-20-2018, 05:05 PM   #4
Kelly Pedersen
 
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Default Re: Magical equipment as allies

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Originally Posted by swarmyard View Post
Would I have to apply the Affects others enhancement do the advantages that wielding armor would normally entail, like DR?
Generally, traits that the Ally gives the wearer should really be bought by the wearer, with the -40% "Granted by Familiar" limitation. Don't be confused by the name of "Granted by Familiar" - it doesn't have to be a small animal pet! "Granted by Familiar" is really just "Granted by Ally".
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Old 01-20-2018, 05:24 PM   #5
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Default Re: Magical equipment as allies

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Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen View Post
Generally, traits that the Ally gives the wearer should really be bought by the wearer, with the -40% "Granted by Familiar" limitation. Don't be confused by the name of "Granted by Familiar" - it doesn't have to be a small animal pet! "Granted by Familiar" is really just "Granted by Ally".
So, would there be other options? That makes a lot of sense and feels a lot more balanced but doesn't feel affordable for the concept I have in mind.
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Old 01-20-2018, 10:11 PM   #6
Kelly Pedersen
 
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Default Re: Magical equipment as allies

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So, would there be other options?
Well, there's a few ways to approach this. I do feel the "Granted by Familiar" option is the most balanced one, but at low levels, there's a couple others that won't outright break things. I would only allow either of these if the armor's DR didn't go any higher than a mundane suit of armor would provide, at the appropriate TL.

First, you can just give the Ally its own DR, and treat it as cover DR for the person wearing it. This is explained on p. B408, "Overpenetration", but the short version is, use the armor's DR + 1/4 of its HP, and that's the DR the wearer gets. For this approach, though, I would definitely track the armor's HP, and apply damage to it, because getting it broken should be a very real concern.

The second approach is to buy the armor as Signature Gear for the character, priced based on a very well-made suit of armor that gave the appropriate DR. In this case, I'd just use the armor's DR as listed, and not worry about damage to it (any more than any other combatant's armor, anyway).
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Old 01-21-2018, 08:14 AM   #7
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Default Re: Magical equipment as allies

My Zombie Powered Armor, once you get past the RPM bits, is armor built as a non-sapient Ally. Some of my musings from there may be of use for designing your own armor-as-Ally.
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