Animate Armour

Animate Armour, or Living Armour, is a full or partial suit of armour that has been enchanted with magic to follow the commands of its creators or commissioners.

History

Animate Armours have existed since the time of the Age of Arcana, where they and their variants were used as defensive constructs.

Behaviour and Abilities

Animate Armours are constructs that are capable only of following the instructions of their creators or commissioners. Their intelligence is severely limited and they are incapable of independent thought or strategisation. In fact, unless an Armour is specifically warned against it, most will simply walk into other traps within the area they are protecting, ultimately setting them off. They are immune to magics that would affect the mind, as well as poisons, necrotic magics, and abilities that would blind, deafen, frighten, paralyse or petrify them. They do not require sustenance or rest and use blindsight to view the world about them.
Animate Armours are capable of remaining stationary for indefinite periods of time, and once given a command will follow that order until it is rescinded or they are destroyed. For this reason, most Animate Armours are tasked with guarding duties, and Nobles find them particularly desireable for protecting Safe Rooms and Vaults.

Creation

Animate Armours are created by enchanting partial or full suits of armour using Arcane Weave magic. It can take up to ten days for a Master Enchanter to complete this task.

Variants

Guardian Armours are suits of armour that have been crafted with enchantments worked straight into the metal, rather than it being added on later. Guardian Armours are more intelligent than their Animate cousins.
Hollow Armours are suits of armour that have been animated by Shadow magic, as opposed to Arcane Weave.
Battle Horrors are Animate Armours that have been turned against their creators by Fiendish magic then left to run rampant.
Dread Armours are armours animated through the use of sentient spirits. They are the most intelligent of the Animate Armour family and are capable of speech.

Limitations

Animate Armours have little to no sense of self preservation and unless specifically told not to, will often set off traps or glyphs laid by their masters in pursuit of enemies. They cannot be negotiated with, thus are of no use in situations where a master may be temporarily incapacitated and their attorneys have not been designated as friendly.
Animate Armours cannot operate in environments using anti-magic or dead-magic zones. If the enchantment upon them is dispelled by a Weavecrafter utilising a spell of a similar level to the power of their creation, the armour will be rendered inert.

Notable Examples

It is said that the Noble House in Curtana has many of these on each of their estates, and that each one answers only to the instructions of the High Lord. Rumours suggest that amongst the suits of armour on display at the First Residence in Muriedge, at least half are animated, if not more.