Faelvur, the dark elven god of fire
Faelvur, the dark elven god of fire
Animated Armour
Animated Armor is a classic adversary in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, a magical construct that offers a unique challenge to adventurers expecting to face flesh-and-blood foes. These enchanted suits of armor are typically created to guard treasures, secrets, or sacred places, acting under the commands of their creators or the magic that animates them. Devoid of consciousness, they follow orders with unwavering loyalty, making them relentless protectors or formidable obstacles.
Basic Animated Armour
The standard variant is often a full suit of plate armor, imbued with magic to move independently and engage intruders. Silent but deadly, it relies on its physical prowess, using its armored fists to bludgeon enemies or wielding ancient weapons left in its grasp. Despite its lack of self-awareness, it can be a strategic foe, often surprising adventurers who mistake it for a mere statue or decoration.
Spellguard Armour
A more sophisticated version, the Spellguard Armor, is designed to counter magic users. Besides its physical capabilities, it's enchanted to reflect or absorb magical energies, making it an especially daunting opponent for sorcerers and wizards. Its presence in a dungeon can signal the importance of what it guards, challenging adventurers to find clever, non-magical means to overcome it.
Elemental Armour
Elemental Armor variants are infused with elemental forces, granting them abilities beyond mere physical combat. Fire-infused suits might emit scorching heat or unleash blasts of flame, while ice-themed armors could chill the air around them, freezing the ground or casting shards of ice. These armors turn the environment to their advantage, creating hazards that adventurers must navigate even as they battle.
Stealth Armour
Designed for subterfuge rather than brute force, Stealth Armor is lighter and less conspicuous than its counterparts. These suits might be found in assassin's guilds or as guardians of secrets rather than treasures. They blend into shadows, their movements nearly silent, striking with precision and disappearing before they can be retaliated against. They often employ daggers or short swords, favoring quick, lethal attacks over prolonged combat.
Necrotic Armour
A dark and rare variant, Necrotic Armor, is imbued with necromantic energy. These suits not only wield physical power but can also drain the life force from their opponents, weakening them gradually with each successful attack. Their presence is often a sign of a necromancer's influence, and they may command lesser undead creatures, adding an additional layer of danger to any encounter.
Animated Armour in Campaigns
Incorporating Animated Armor into a D&D campaign offers a versatile and thematic challenge to players. Each variant not only serves as a guardian but also as a puzzle, encouraging players to observe, plan, and adapt their strategies. Whether it's determining the weakness of a Spellguard Armor or avoiding the lethal strikes of Stealth Armor, these constructs can make for memorable encounters that test the mettle, wit, and resourcefulness of any adventuring party.
The Cursed Halls of Castle Blackmoore
Overview: The party is approached by a desperate noble, Lord Blackmoore, who pleads for their aid. His family's ancestral castle, located deep within the Blackpeak Mountains, has fallen under a terrible curse. Strange occurrences and sightings of animated suits of armor haunting the castle's halls have terrified the remaining servants and driven away all but the most stalwart defenders. Lord Blackmoore begs the adventurers to venture into the cursed castle and lift the dark enchantment that plagues his family's legacy.
The Plot Twist: As the party investigates the castle, they uncover a sinister plot orchestrated by a cabal of necromancers who have taken up residence within the Blackpeak Mountains. These dark mages have discovered an ancient ritual that allows them to imbue suits of armor with malevolent undead spirits, creating an unstoppable army of animated constructs to do their bidding. Their ultimate goal is to seize control of Castle Blackmoore and use it as a launching point to expand their influence across the surrounding region.
Additional Monsters:
- Hordes of skeleton warriors and zombie foot soldiers, raised from the graves of the castle's fallen defenders
- Bands of gargoyles and stone golems, summoned by the necromancers to patrol the castle's exterior and discourage intruders
- A pack of hellhounds, fiendish canine creatures that the necromancers have bound to their service
- A terrifying flesh golem, a monstrous humanoid construct created from the combined body parts of the castle's former inhabitants
These diverse monstrous threats are all connected to the necromancers' sinister plot to seize control of Castle Blackmoore. The hordes of undead foot soldiers and the gargoyles/stone golems serve as the necromancers' first line of defense, while the hellhounds act as fierce, predatory guardians. The flesh golem, in turn, is the necromancers' most terrifying creation - a hulking, animalistic construct that they have unleashed to crush any who dare to challenge their hold over the castle.
The Location: Castle Blackmoore is a vast, foreboding structure, its towering walls and turrets casting long shadows across the surrounding Blackpeak Mountains. As the party approaches, they'll encounter the necromancers' outer defenses, including patrols of gargoyles and stone golems, as well as hordes of undead foot soldiers.
Within the castle's cursed halls, the adventurers will face a never-ending onslaught of animated suits of armor, each one possessed by a malevolent undead spirit under the necromancers' control. These relentless, armor-clad guardians will pursue the party through the castle's winding corridors, ambushing them from unexpected angles and forcing them to confront the full extent of the necromancers' dark sorcery.
Ultimately, the party will have to delve deep into the castle's bowels, battling through the undead hordes and the necromancers' other monstrous creations, to reach the source of the curse - a hidden ritual chamber where the dark mages conduct their vile experiments. Here, they must confront the necromancers and their flesh golem champion, and find a way to break the enchantment that binds the animated armor to the necromancers' will.
If successful, the party not only lifts the curse on Castle Blackmoore, but also deals a crippling blow to the necromancers' broader ambitions, potentially leading to further quests to uncover the full extent of their dark plans.