When most people hear the word “mechanika”, they think of clockwork gears and steam powered equipment. However, there are a handful of dwarven mechaniks who remember the days long past when the most primitive form of what would eventually be called mechanika existed: the pinnacle of this once rare practice resulted in a set of equipment known as Interlocking Armor. The plates of the armor were cunningly wrought, so that they locked together to offer greater protection when the wearer is relatively still.
Using modern practices of mechanika and drawing upon the original concept of the interlocking armor for inspiration, a unique type of battle armor was designed. Dubbed the Panzerfaust (literally meaning “armor fist”) the armor covers the upper back and runs from the shoulders all the way down to the fingers; the gauntlets are crafted using a series of metal plates that connect to a spring-loaded array allowing the user to change both the form and function, while the back is a construction of shifting plates that covering a clockwork array, connecting the two gauntlets.
Due to the size and form of the armor, only light or medium armor can be worn in addition to the Panzerfaust and shields cannot be worn while the Panzerfaust is equipped. Weapons and other objects can be held and used while wearing the armor; however, in order to utilize the armor forms, both hands must be free in order to manipulate the mechanisms.
Battle Forms: This piece of specialized weaponry was designed to serve the purposes of both offense and defense in battle. However, they can be adjusted to focus on one of these aspects, though at the sacrifice of the other. It is a minor action to switch from Neutral Form to either Attack Form or Shield Form and back again. It is a move action to bypass Neutral Form and switch directly between the advanced forms.
Neutral Form: The natural state of the armor. This form gives the most balanced mix of offense and defense that it can. When in this form, you gain a +2 to your Shield AC while your attacks do 1d6 damage.
Attack Form: While defense can be necessary, damage is often times essential to a battle. When switching to this form, the plates of the armor shift to overlap each other while the spring mechanisms begin storing energy; this form compliments the natural strength of the character while providing additional damage. However, due to the position of the plates, you lose the AC bonus provided by the armor. The damage is increased to 2d6 and your Strength modifier is doubled when you land a successful melee attack.
Shield Form: When the situation gets dangerous, this form will provide additional protection. By activating this form, the plates shift to act as one rigid piece of armor, filling in any potential weak points. The Shield AC is increased by an additional +2, though the inflexible state of the armor does not allow for much maneuverability. Your attack rolls take a -2 and you do not add your Strength to melee damage.
Locked Shifting Plates: While in either Attack or Shield Form, provided that you do not move more than 5 feet in a round, you gain a certain bonus due to the mechanisms within the armor locking into place. However, only one method can be used per round. While in Shield mode, you gain an additional +1 to your Shield AC while also providing additional protection to the vital areas, preventing you from being flanked and immune to critical strikes. Moving farther than 5ft in a round or using the offensive aspect of the locked plates will cause the plates to unlock.
When in Attack Form and as a full round action, the force off your off-hand can be transferred through the mechanisms to combine the damage of both arms doing 3d6 damage along with three times your Strength modifier. In addition, you get a free bull rush attempt on your opponent. Any modifications to the off-hand are transferred into the attack.
Medium Armor and Exotic Melee Weapon
Maximum Dex Bonus +4
Armor Check Penalty -2
Arcane Spell Failure Chance 20%
Shield AC +2
Critical x2
Bludgeoning
Damage 1d6
Weight 25 lbs
Cost 1850 gold
