Building a Boss Fight: Animate Armor

[Pbuckley]

So I am working on a Fantasy Campaighn and I have an Idea for a trap/boss fight, and was not entirely sure how to build it.

Animate Armor
Armor is animated by 5-6 torches.
Can Force Characters to “Wear it”, this can take the form of Grappling Arms, or Legs, or straight up engulfing a player. These pieces of armor may still be damaged, but attacking this part of the armor will damage the grappled character as well.
Can be destroyed one of 2 ways, Either by destroying the Armor itself, or by extinguishing the torches. Extinguishing any of the torches will disable one of the Armor’s body parts.
If the Armor is disabled, it may be taken and used as a brand new set of armor, slightly better than standard “Heavy Armor” (Depends on the TL I run, Could be Mail & Plate, Could be Heavy Plate.)

Any ideas?

[Kalminos]

No one will catch onto the torches, in my opinion, unless it's been long established in your setting that animated objects require some sort of burning magic link.

I'd say be ready for players to clobber the armor to pieces. Also hits to the armor shouldn't always damage the creature the armor holds prisoner, only should do that if they beat DR+HP off the armor piece there.

[Varyon]

For armor on the limbs, I'd subtract the armor's ST from that of the character (really, I'd use BL, but that's a little more complicated) to determine what effective ST that limb functions at; if the result is a negative value, the armor is actually in control of that limb, albeit at ST equal to (Armor ST) - (Character ST). Someone who's Leg ST (either, or both) is at 70% normal is at -1 to DX, 50% is -2, 30% is -3, and so forth.

For torso armor, I probably wouldn't have that do anything on its own, but would make it so any limb armor has a higher ST, due to being able to connect to and work with the torso armor.

The helmet should probably give the character Tunnel Vision, even if it would normally allow better sight, due to it positioning itself awkwardly.

For damaging the person encased in the armor, you need to penetrate the DR the armor gives the wearer. The armor itself has DR equal to 1 less than the DR it grants the target (it's a thin shell, so has 1 HP for purposes of Cover DR) and is Homogenous, according to LTC2. You can also cripple the armor's limbs by aiming at its joints, as similarly outlined in LTC2.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Kalminos

hits to the armor shouldn't always damage the creature the armor holds prisoner, only should do that if they beat DR+HP off the armor piece there.

blunt trauma is a bit underwhelming in gurps, like realistically if you're constantly knocking a guy in platemail to the ground even though plate isn't flexible armor that's going to mess him up,but I don't think we have the crunch for it

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Pbuckley

...by extinguishing the torches. Extinguishing any of the torches will disable one of the Armor’s body parts.

I love this idea, but how obvious is it to the players? Are they different colors and each armor piece reflects a specific color? Do the torches blatantly show a connection (such as a wispy line or the fire moved from the armor to the torch at the start)? Are the torches arranged in a confusing way that someone could realize is the same shape as a suit of armor?

If there isn't a clear way for the players to realize this short of trial-and-error, then it basically isn't an option for you to consider as being there, merely one that rewards players for trying out-of-box ideas.

One fun thought I had is that it initially isn't obvious, but when the armor "wears" you, you realize that piece is attached to a specific torch. This actually helps a weaker party out; A strong party might destroy the armor quickly, but a party that struggles will get grappled and realize the torches are an easier objective and get better armor to make up for the power deficit in later battles.

[Pbuckley]

Originally Posted by Varyon

For armor on the limbs, I'd subtract the armor's ST from that of the character (really, I'd use BL, but that's a little more complicated) to determine what effective ST that limb functions at; if the result is a negative value, the armor is actually in control of that limb, albeit at ST equal to (Armor ST) - (Character ST). Someone who's Leg ST (either, or both) is at 70% normal is at -1 to DX, 50% is -2, 30% is -3, and so forth.

For torso armor, I probably wouldn't have that do anything on its own, but would make it so any limb armor has a higher ST, due to being able to connect to and work with the torso armor.

The helmet should probably give the character Tunnel Vision, even if it would normally allow better sight, due to it positioning itself awkwardly.

For damaging the person encased in the armor, you need to penetrate the DR the armor gives the wearer. The armor itself has DR equal to 1 less than the DR it grants the target (it's a thin shell, so has 1 HP for purposes of Cover DR) and is Homogenous, according to LTC2. You can also cripple the armor's limbs by aiming at its joints, as similarly outlined in LTC2.

Wow, I was just looking for advice on how to build the Armor as a monster, but a lot of this is genuinely more helpful... Will definitely run it that way.

Originally Posted by Kalminos

No one will catch onto the torches, in my opinion, unless it's been long established in your setting that animated objects require some sort of burning magic link.

I'd say be ready for players to clobber the armor to pieces. Also hits to the armor shouldn't always damage the creature the armor holds prisoner, only should do that if they beat DR+HP off the armor piece there.

Originally Posted by kirbwarrior

I love this idea, but how obvious is it to the players? Are they different colors and each armor piece reflects a specific color? Do the torches blatantly show a connection (such as a wispy line or the fire moved from the armor to the torch at the start)? Are the torches arranged in a confusing way that someone could realize is the same shape as a suit of armor?

If there isn't a clear way for the players to realize this short of trial-and-error, then it basically isn't an option for you to consider as being there, merely one that rewards players for trying out-of-box ideas.

One fun thought I had is that it initially isn't obvious, but when the armor "wears" you, you realize that piece is attached to a specific torch. This actually helps a weaker party out; A strong party might destroy the armor quickly, but a party that struggles will get grappled and realize the torches are an easier objective and get better armor to make up for the power deficit in later battles.

On the Torches, I was thinking that the room would be circular with a Pentagram or Hexagram, thinking Pentagram now. One idea I have for signaling the torches is to have each torch be a different color, and each piece of armor has a gemstone on it of the same color. I did like the idea that anyone who is grappled by the armor may realize that the invisible force puppeting that piece of armor feels like it is coming from the direction of the corresponding torch. (Might be a Touch Roll). Maybe faint hard to detect tendrils link the two that can be seen with a vision roll, or evaluate maneuver. Torches could also go out if they destroy one of the pieces of the armor, so they could end up with an incomplete set...

Another idea is to have the smoke rising from the torches enter the armor as it begins to animate. However, I feel like that is too obvious a signal, and my players are going to start snuffing the torches before I finish narrating the intro.

Also considering having the armor's strength be based on how many pieces of the armor are still active. So it starts out jerking them around like marionettes and is just barely holding them back by the end.

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Pbuckley

On the Torches, I was thinking that the room would be circular with a Pentagram or Hexagram, thinking Pentagram now. One idea I have for signaling the torches is to have each torch be a different color, and each piece of armor has a gemstone on it of the same color. I did like the idea that anyone who is grappled by the armor may realize that the invisible force puppeting that piece of armor feels like it is coming from the direction of the corresponding torch. (Might be a Touch Roll). Maybe faint hard to detect tendrils link the two that can be seen with a vision roll, or evaluate maneuver. Torches could also go out if they destroy one of the pieces of the armor, so they could end up with an incomplete set...

I like all of this, but the bolded seems like exactly the right amount where some players would notice and others wouldn't. Having other ways to suss it out such as touch roll and Evaluate sound great.

[Lovewyrm]

Any one who stands in the line between the armor and the torch feels (an intense) heat.

Could also be a hint.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Pbuckley

Can Force Characters to “Wear it”, this can take the form of Grappling Arms, or Legs, or straight up engulfing a player.

This actually has me wondering how one might design a 'hollow' character, and how to resolve combat instances like:

1) armor is forcing smaller character inside the armor, smaller char resists
2) armor and smaller char are co-operating to try and don the armor
3) smaller char is trying to wear the armor, armor is resisting
4) both armor and smaller char are trying to resist donning armor but some 3rd party is trying to force them together

One of the instances this thread reminds me is in the original anime adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist when Al (whose body is a giant suit of platemail with the soul of a human boy grafted to it) is entered by flexible/contortionist girl.

I don't want to go into too much detail about what happens between them (very dramatic spoiler risks) and would recommend watching that 51-ep series from 2003 for any who haven't seen it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APU10ERhJfU

This doesn't deal with a lot of advanced concepts, of course. Al's contribution is removing his helmet to create an opening to get in (the neck hole) and the girl does the work jumping in through it.

Mechanics might get complex if either were trying to resist or force this to happen.

[Lovewyrm]

Originally Posted by Plane

This actually has me wondering how one might design a 'hollow' character, and how to resolve combat instances like:

1) armor is forcing smaller character inside the armor, smaller char resists
2) armor and smaller char are co-operating to try and don the armor
3) smaller char is trying to wear the armor, armor is resisting
4) both armor and smaller char are trying to resist donning armor but some 3rd party is trying to force them together

One of the instances this thread reminds me is in the original anime adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist when Al (whose body is a giant suit of platemail with the soul of a human boy grafted to it) is entered by flexible/contortionist girl.

I don't want to go into too much detail about what happens between them (very dramatic spoiler risks) and would recommend watching that 51-ep series from 2003 for any who haven't seen it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APU10ERhJfU

This doesn't deal with a lot of advanced concepts, of course. Al's contribution is removing his helmet to create an opening to get in (the neck hole) and the girl does the work jumping in through it.

Mechanics might get complex if either were trying to resist or force this to happen.

Looks basically like a split personality or something, bound to an item, the armor, with contests between the two.