Magical Armor Abilities
Armors and shields are often enchanted to improve the protection they provide to the wearer. The following list of abilities can be added to such items, increasing both the value and cost of each item. Those magical abilities not described in Chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide are described below (just follow the links).
| Ability | Market Price | Source |
| Acid Resistance | +3 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Animated | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Aquatic | +3 bonus | Defenders of the Faith |
| Arrow Deflection | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Bashing | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Blinding | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Called | +1 bonus | Defenders of the Faith |
| Charming | +3 bonus | Defenders of the Faith |
| Cold Resistance | +3 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Command | +2 bonus | Defenders of the Faith |
| Dancing | +3 bonus | Sword and Fist |
| Ease | +1 bonus | Masters of the Wild |
| Etherealness | +5 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Fearsome | +2 bonus | Defenders of the Faith |
| Fire Resistance | +3 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Fortification | +1, +3, or +5 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Ghost Touch | +3 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Glamered | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Invulnerability | +3 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Lifewarding | +3 bonus | Defenders of the Faith |
| Lightning Resistance | +3 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Nimbleness | +1 bonus | Magic of Faerun |
| Proof against Transmutation | +6 bonus | Magic of Faerun |
| Reflection | +5 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Sacred | +2 bonus | Defenders of the Faith |
| Shadow | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Silent Moves | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Slick | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Sonic Resistance | +3 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Spell Resistance | +2, +3, +4, or +5 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Timeless * | +1 bonus | World of Aenea |
| Wild | +3 bonus | Masters of the Wild |
Aquatic: Armor and shields with this enchantment appear streamlined and possess a greenish glint. A suit of armor or shield with this enchantment enables its wearer to move freely through water without the need for Swim checks and grant the wearer the effects of constant water breathing.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, freedom of movement, water breathing; Market Price: +3 bonus.
Called: This powerful enchantment allows the owner to utter a command word and call the armor or shield to him as a standard action. Armor appears correctly donned at the end of the action, or a shield appears on the proper arm. The armor or shield appears completely normal otherwise. The armor or shield can be called from anyplace on the same plane as the owner, so long as the owner has not given it away (sold, gifted, or otherwise voluntarily handed it over).
Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, teleport; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Charming: Armor or shields with this enchantment appear designed with both beauty and functionality in mind. An opponent who attempts to strike the wearer of this armor or shield must save or come under the effects of a charm monster spell (DC 15) for 7 hours. An opponent who successfuly strikes the wearer in melee receives a +4 bonus on the save.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, charm monster; Market Price: +3 bonus.
Command: This armor or shield always appears brilliant and gleaming, no matter what the conditions and despite all attempts to paint over or obscure it. Coveted by military leaders of all sorts, this armor or shield carries a powerful aura that grants a +4 competence bonus to Charisma and gives a +2 morale bonus on Will saves to all allies within 30 feet. The enchantment also makes the possessor very noticeable, giving a -6 penalty on Hide checks.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Market Price: +2 bonus.
Dancing: This enchantment can only be used on a shield. The wearer can loose a dancing shield as a standard action and command it to protect a single character (possibly the wearer himself). The dancing shield floats in the air in front of the protected character, darting in front of an opponent's weapons and providing cover against attacks from one opponent per round (it provides a cover bonus equal to the shield's armor bonus and enhancement bonus. At the end of four rounds, the shield drops to the ground. The user must pick it up and command it for it to function again.
Caster Level: 15th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, animate objects; Market Price: +3 bonus.
Ease: A suit of armor with this enchantment allows its wearer to rest comfortably overnight without removing it, regardless of how heavy it is. The wearer can don this armor in only 5 rounds, or remove it in a single round.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, soften earth and stone; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Fearsome: A suit of armor or a shield with this enchantment creates an aura of fear around the wearer. This aura affects all opponents within 40 feet of the wearer. This armor or shield appears completely normal, except to those who fail their Will save (DC 16). To such creatures, the wearer appears to be a creature from his worst nightmares.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, fear; Market Price: +2 bonus.
Lifewarding: Armor and shields with this enchantment always carry a faint milky white sheen and are slightly warm to the touch. A suit of armor or a shield with this enchantment absorbs ability-draining and level-draining attacks. It can absorb as many points of ability damage or levels drained per day as its enchancement bonus. It allows Fortitude saves against energy-drain attacks that normally don't allow such saves. A successful save means the attack has half effect. Lifeguarding armor or shield does not change saves against attacks that already allow them.
This ability is the same as the absorbing ability found in Defenders of the Faith.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, restoration; Market Price: +3 bonus.
Nimbleness: This type of armor feels lighter and less restrictive than other armor of its type. While the actual weight is unchanged, the maximum Dexterity bonus increases by +2 and the armor check penalty decreases by 1.
Caster Level: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, cat's grace; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Proof against Transmutation: The wearer of this armor is impervious to transmutation effects that alter his or her form, including polymoph, petrification, and even disintegration..
Caster Level: 12th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, spell immunity; Market Price: +6 bonus.
Sacred: A suit of armor or shield with this enchantment has no effect unless the wearer has the ability to turn or rebuke undead. In that case, the wearer turns or rebukes undead as if he were two levels higher. Armor or a shield with this enchantment is always specific to a deity and features the deity's holy symbol prominently.
Caster Level: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, abilty to turn or rebuke undead; Market Price: +2 bonus.
Timeless: Armor or a shield with this enchantment is always well oiled and free of corrosion (if metal) or cracks and wear (if leather or wood). The armor is completely immune to acid and rust attacks and any effect that corrodes an item. The armor or shield is also unharmed by the passage of time. Such an item can still be sundered, disintegrated, or destroyed in another manner. The wearer gains acid resistance 5.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, resistance, 5+ ranks in Alchemy; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Wild: The armor and enhancement bonuses of this item remain in effect even while the wearer is in wild shape. Such items meld into the wearer's alternate form and cannot be seen.
Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, meld into stone; Market Price: +3 bonus.
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