Gear (3.5e Creature Subtype)/Gear Customization

Gear Customization

In order for a Gear to better perform his assigned duty, he may be permitted to customize his body. Customizations improve the Gear's body and and generally enhance their faculty in certain areas of endeavour. Customizations range from the relatively unintrusive upgrade modules that enhance various areas of the body, to large scale grafts that endow the Gear with a specialized toolset or special abilities, whilst impairing other functions.

This page lists the possible upgrade profiles that are available for creatures with the Gear subtype. Most of the available upgrades listed here are modeled after the Gear Actua race, but can be used similarly on other types of Gears.

Armor

Armor upgrades represent the body's defense as a whole and deal primarily with toughness, resistance and physical defense. Armor and Body upgrades are handled in a similar fashion to ordinary armor. Base body models come in four types. At any rate, a gear's bodywork is treated as masterwork armor, allowing it to be enchanted as a magic armor. Gears receive a reinforced plating bonus equal to half their body armor's magical enhancement bonus to AC.

The weights and prices listed below are for Medium size Gears. Weights multiply by 8 for every size category over Medium, whereas prices progress as with normal armor. Larger, more powerful Gear creatures often possess a natural armor bonus on top of their armor bonus to AC.

Table: Gear Armor

Base Armor	Cost	Armor Bonus	Maximum Dex Bonus	Armor Check Penalty	Arcane Spell Failure Chance	Weight
Light Armor	250 gp1	3	—	0	0 %	15 lb.
Medium Armor	1,200 gp	5	+5	-3	20 %	30 lb.
Heavy Armor	2,800 gp	7	+3	-5	30 %	45 lb.
Battle Armor	5,000 gp	9	+1	-7	40 %	60 lb.
Gears standardly receive the light armor package for free upon production.

Light Armor: Light Gear armor does not count as armor for the sake of class features that require the user to be unarmored (such as the monk's AC bonus).

Medium Armor: Gears that are assigned as peacekeepers in law enforcement or work in hazardous environments are most often equipped with this standard medium armor package.

Heavy Armor: Standard heavy Gear armor increases the unit's reinforced plating bonus by 1 point.

Battle Armor: This extremely heavy armor is reserved for powerful Gears that rarely if ever leave the front lines of battle, like the massive Gear Dreadnaughts. Battle armor increases the unit's reinforced plating bonus by 2 points.

Special Materials

It is possible to apply material traits to a Gear Actua's body armor. The price, numerical statistics (and weight, when applicable) change according to the weight category of the armor and the material chosen as follows.

Table: Special Materials

Material	Modified Cost1	Benefits	Maximum Dex Bonus	Armor Check Penalty2	Arcane Spell Failure Chance	Weight
Mithral	×2	DR 2/-, +5 ft. to land speed	↑ 2	↑ 3	-10 %	-40%
Adamantine	×3	DR 5/-, +1 to armor AC bonus	↓ 1	↓ 2	+10 %	+20 %.
As calculated from the base armor's value (see Table: Gear Armor), or +1,000 gp times the multiplier, whichever is larger. Armor check penalty cannot raise above 0

Statistics for other materials may be added as necessary.

Modules

Modules are integrated systems that increase a Gear's functionality on the field. They either improve upon existing abilities or add new ones to its repertoire. Every Gear has four module slots, of which one body slot, two utility slots and one head slot. In the case of Gear Actua, utility slots are integrated into the arms, but as not all Gear models have arms they can exist anywhere on a Gear's body. As with Armor above, the weights specified are for Medium-size Gears.

Body Modules

Cloaking Module: This module allows the unit to become invisible, as per the invisibility spell, at will as a move action. Any equipment that the unit carries is rendered invisible as well. This module increases the unit's armor check penalty by 1 point. Value 24,000 gp; weight 10 lb.

Cloaking Module, Greater: This module allows the unit to become invisible, as per the greater invisibility spell, at will as a standard action. Any equipment that the unit carries is rendered invisible as well. This module increases the unit's armor check penalty by 3 points and decreases its maximum Dexterity bonus by 2 points. Value 168,000 gp; weight 30 lb.

Deflection Module: This module allows the unit to add his body armor's magical enhancement bonus (but not his non-magical armor bonus) to his Armor Class against touch attacks, including incorporeal touch attacks. This module increases the unit's armor check penalty by 1 point. Value 7,500 gp; weight 10 lb.

Jetpack Module: This module allows the unit to fly with a speed of 60 feet (or 40 feet in medium or heavy armor) as per the fly spell at will. While in the air, the unit may only take single actions. This module increases the unit's armor check penalty by 2 points and decreases its maximum Dexterity bonus by 1 point. Value 30,000 gp; weight 20 lb.

Obfuscation Module: This module grants the unit concealment (20 % miss chance) as per the blur spell. This effect may be turned on and off at will as a swift action. This module increases the unit's armor check penalty by 1 point. Value 15,000 gp; weight 10 lb.

Obfuscation Module, Greater: This module grants the unit effective total concealment (50 % miss chance) as per the displacement spell. This effect may be turned on and off at will as a swift action. This module increases the unit's armor check penalty by 2 points and decreases its maximum Dexterity bonus by 1 point. Value 75,000 gp; weight 20 lb.

Power Armor Module: This module increases mobility in armor heavier than light. It decreases the body armor's armor check penalty by 3 points, and increases its maximum Dexterity bonus by 2. On top of this, the Power Armor module lets the unit treat his body armor as light for the purpose of his movement speed. This module carries no drawbacks. Uniquely, this module may be attached to another body module so that both modules occupy the unit's body slot, increasing that module's effective base price by 30,000 gp. Value 6,000 gp; weight 5 lb.

Perimeter Shield Module: This module functions like the shield module, except that its shield grants a +5 deflection bonus to AC, and that the unit may choose to either project a personal shield or a perimeter shield with a radius of 10 feet, plus 5 feet per 5 HD the unit has (max 30 feet). This module allows the unit to take the Augment Shielding feat, and increases the unit's armor check penalty by 3 points and decreases its maximum Dexterity bonus by 2 points. Value 128,000 gp; weight 30 lb.

Shield Module: This module erects a protective shield around the wielder, giving it a +3 deflection bonus to AC (rounded down) that remains even if the shield is depleted. It further operates exactly like the shield special quality. The unit may turn the shield on or off as a swift action. This module allows the unit to take the Augment Shielding feat, and increases the unit's armor check penalty by 1 point. Value 32,000 gp; weight 15 lb.

Head Modules

Arcane Sight Module: This module allows the unit to perceive the location and power of all magical auras within 120 feet, as per the arcane sight spell. This ability may be turned on and off as a swift action at will. While its special ability is activated, this module bestows the unit a -4 penalty to Spot checks against any creatures or objects without any discernible magic items or powers. Value 25,000 gp; weight —

Transliteration Module: This module gives the unity all the benefits of a helm of comprehend languages and read magic. Furthermore, the unit can detect and comprehend magical writing rigged to set off a harmful effect (such as a sepia snake sigil or the symbol of spells) without triggering it. Value 6,250 gp; weight —

Utility Modules

Battlefists Module: This module upgrades the unit's natural attacks. Its slam becomes a magical manufactured weapon with the shock and speed enhancements, allowing it to be used to make iterative attacks. The battlefist module further increases the slam's base damage by two effective size categories. This module bestows a -2 penalty to Dexterity-based checks involving the use of the hands. Value 20,000 gp (+1), 28,800 gp (+2), 39,200 gp (+3), 51,200 (+4), 64,800 (+5); weight 4 lb.

Hammerspace Module: This module allows the unit to store items in an extradimensional space within the body. Items can be stored or extracted as a move action by willing the object into the hammerspace, or mentally conjuring it to his hand. A hand-equippable item such as a weapon or shield may be immediately equipped like this. Activating the hammerspace ability does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The hammerspace module can hold up to 500 pounds worth of objects up to Medium size. Spells impeding dimensional travel or interfering with dimensions themselves, like dimensional anchor and dimensional lock prevent usage of the hammerspace while active. Value 6,000 gp; weight 5 lb.