Living Armor Part One (Alpha 0.1)

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While not the most common items to encounter in Quests of Change, Living Armor is a recurring category of magic item that can come in a wide variety of forms, with some being incredibly beneficial while others can be quite detrimental. Every piece of living armor is sentient and is capable of communicating telepathically with its wearer. Given pieces of living armor each have their own personalities and goals that they wish for their wearer to carry out.

Pieces of living armor vary greatly, with some appearing indistinguishable from a non-magical suit of armor, while others may possess visual hints of their true nature.

While a kind piece of living armor may respectfully understand differences between themselves and a potential wearer, other types of living armor are far less understanding, and will bind themselves to a wearer, meaning it can only be removed via a Ritual of Purification.

The longer a creature wears a piece of living armor and the stronger the wearer and armor’s bond grows, the armor with provide additional abilities. In many cases, a piece of living armor can even transform its wearer over time, leaving lasting changes that will remain even if the armor is doffed. While not a trait of all types of living armor, some types may permanently bind itself to its wearer’s anatomy, permanently becoming one creature if the bond with this creature becomes strong enough.

It should be noted that a creature is incapable of wearing two pieces of living armor at once. If a creature is two wear two pieces of living armor at once, the warring consciousnesses of the two pieces of armor within a single creature’s mind can deal potentially fatal amounts of psychic damage.

By performing actions and requests that reflect a piece of living armor’s wishes, a creature’s bond level with that armor will grow by one point.

(The following are two examples of the greatly varying nature of living armor, with one being greatly beneficial and the other being a detrimental cursed item)

Briar Of Creation (Legendary)

Appearing as a chest plate constructed of intertwined roots and brambles, the Briar of Creation is an extension of Agristiva, god of nature, created to be worn by his chosen champion or avatar.

A creature wearing the Briar of Creation can communicate with it telepathically. It is a selfless, kind, and soft-spoken entity with a calm androgynous voice, that cares deeply about the wellbeing of others, caring especially for the wellbeing of plants and animals. The Briar of Creation Wishes to be worn by an individual who will defend nature, help those in need, and bring justice to those who may harm the balance of nature through acts such as pollution, poaching, and transformative corruption.

Armaments of Nature: The Briar of Creation can only be worn by a level eleven or higher creature with at least one level of the Naturalist or Beast-Tamer class. If a creature without levels of either of these classes wear the Briar of Creation, it will politely ask the wearer to doff it. If they refuse, its structure will untangle from the wearer, falling to the ground, reconstructing itself.

A creature wearing the Briar of Creation gains the following benefits based on their Bond Level

0+: The wearer’s defense and resolve each gain +2. Additionally, the wearer is resistant to plant damage but gains a weakness to fire damage.

3+: The defense and resolve bonus of the Briar of Creation increases to +3. Additionally, at the beginning of each of the wearer’s turn, they regain 1d6 MP.

6+: Your skin becomes a leafy shade of green and you now smell of a lush forest. You can now cast the spell Armor of Brambles without spending MP, but you may only target a given creature this way once per day.

9+: The defense and resolve bonus of the Briar of Creation increases to +4 and the MP regeneration increases to 2d6. Additionally, Elementals, Plants, and Animals will automatically view you as a friend.

12+: While your race does not change, your skin and hair take on various plant-like qualities, much like those of a Dryad. If you are already a dryad, your plant-like features become more prominent and accentuated. You can now perform photosynthesis, not needing to eat as long as you are exposed to sunlight for at least 4 of every 24 hours. If you could already perform photosynthesis, the amount of time needed to do so is halved. Additionally, you become immune to plant damage and gain a resistance to water damage. If a source would deal plant damage to you, regain that much HP instead.

15+: The Briar of Creation and its wearer become a single entity, its consciousness becoming one with yours. You gain the Selfless and Calm personality traits. Additionally, your body can now produce long vines that can be used in combat as a one-handed action. They have 1-3 range, accuracy and damage dice of 2d8, and deal plant damage. If a creature is dealt damage from this attack, you may expend a one-handed action to wrap it with your vines, reducing its movement to 0 until the beginning of your next turn.

While the armor can no longer be removed, you retain all of its benefits and count as being unarmored (though the armor’s structure prevents other armor from being worn. 

Lastly, your movement increases by one.

Mantle of Pleasure (Lesser:Uncommon, Greater: Rare)

A type of living armor typically worn by Succubi and Incubi, an adventurer attempting to strike a bargain with such a fiend may find themselves in possession of a Mantle of Pleasure (whether they want it or not). A mantle of pleasure comes in two forms, the Greater Mantle of Pleasure, and the Lesser Mantle of Pleasure, with Greater Mantles toting more corrupting potency than their Lesser Counterparts. While this ebon armor initially appears to be medium-weight black plate mail, upon being worn by a creature its form changes, becoming a thin, shiny, skin-tight material. While the exterior of the mantle may appear to be solid and somewhat sturdy, the unseen interior of the armor is soft and fleshy, made up of countless tentacle-like appendages that constantly prod at the wearer. While the Mantle normally covers the majority of the wearer's body, save for their head, when it expects the wearer will experience sexual activities, the mantle alters its form to temporarily become crotchless and assless.

The consciousness of a Mantle of Pleasure cares only about the sensations of sexual stimulation, but is unable to feel such sensations on its own, perceiving every physical sensation of its wearer. Its voice appears to be that of a constantly lusty and breathy woman, constantly urging its wearer to give into their sexual desires so that it may experience the joys of pleasure. Once a creature wears the Mantle of Pleasure, it will stay tightly bound to that creature indefinitely and it will not allow itself to be removed willingly. It counts as a cursed item, meaning it can be removed via a Ritual of Purification.

As all the Mantle of Pleasure wishes to experience is sexual gratification, whenever the wearer climaxes, the bond level of the Mantle and the Wearer will increase.

A creature wearing the Mantle of Pleasure gains the following benefits based on their Bond Level. If a demon is wearing this item, it ignores all negative stat modifiers it provides.

0+: The wearer’s defense increases by +3 and their resolve is reduced by -4 as the armor constantly tries to stimulate and distract the wearer. Additionally, the armor constantly tries to convert the wearer’s pain into pleasure, causing them to sustain 1d4 unpreventable psychic damage whenever they lose HP. Whenever the wearer’s Will reaches 0 while wearing this armor, they climax.

0+: (Greater Only): Whenever you climax, you gain one point of corruption.

5+: The Mantle is becoming increasingly addicted to sexual sensations and more proactively seeks them out. The armor’s inner tentacles have grown and constantly prod and plug the wearer when they aren’t already preoccupied. This effect decreases the armor’s resolve reduction to -5 and causes the target to become weak to psychic damage. Additionally, the plugging nature of the armor’s inner tentacles makes moving difficult, reducing the wearer’s movement by -1.

10+: The tendencies of the mantle have begun to fundamentally alter the wearer’s mind. The wearer permanently gains the following personality traits: Climax Addict: Your Strength, Mind, and Finesse are each reduced by two unless you’ve climaxed three or more times that day.

20+: (Greater Only): Your prolonged exposure to the corrupting and perverted nature of this armor has fundamentally transformed your body and mind. Your skin turns a deep shade of purple, bat-like wings protrude from your back, your height is reduced to approximately 4 feet tall, and your race changes to Pleasure Imp. You may regain your original race by undergoing a ritual of purification once a day for three consecutive days.

As a pleasure imp you have the following racial traits:

Movement: 4
-2 Strength
-2 Mind
-2 Defense
-2 Resolve
+4 Speed.

Flight:  You can fly as long as you're not holding a shield or a two-handed weapon and not wearing medium or heavier armor. While flying, your movement increases by 1.

Demonic Nature: You are categorized as a demon. You are immune to dark damage and you have a weakness to light damage. Additionally, if you would be targeted by a corrupting effect or an effect that would give you a point of corruption, it automatically succeeds.

Demonic Loyalty: You are compelled to carry out orders given to you by any type of demon besides other pleasure imps.

Object of Pleasure: Creatures making rolls to seduce you add +10 to the result. 

Insatiable Pleasure Addict: When factoring the Climax Addict personality trait, the required amount of climaxes you need to suppress the trait's stat reduction is doubled.