magical armor buckles
In Scarterra, it is usually far more common to find magical armor buckles rather than full suits of magic armor.
Magic armor buckles make mundane armor magical for as long as they are securely attached, usually this means that any armor can be magically enhanced.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
Some magic armor buckles can be attached to different classes of mundane armor (light armor, full plate, etc), but a slim majority of armor buckles can be attached to any type armor.
It costs more in terms of time and reagents to make a magical armor buckle than to make a suit of magical armor, but magical armor buckles have many advantages.
The most obvious problem with full magical armor is that if the armor is damage, only a mage or theurgist capable of making magical armor is capable of properly repairing it. With a magical buckle, the buckle can be removed while a regular armor smith fixes the armor or if the armor is severely damage, the magical buckle can simply be switched to another set of armor.
Given how small and durable magical armor buckles are, it is very rare for a magical armor to be damaged or destroyed by a lucky enemy strike.
Many nobles like to bequeath their magical items to their descendants as treasured heirlooms. Alternatively, some warlords and martial nobles have to eventually retire as they get older and slower meaning some want to gift or loan their magical items to their trusted lieutenants.
More advanced armors need to be fitted to individuals, so it can be difficult to bestow a suit of armor on someone if they don't have a very similar body types. It's a lot easier to transfer a magical buckle from one person to another, it doesn't matter if the two people have the same body type or even the same race.
It does come up with a disadvantage that magical armor buckles are vulnerable to theft. To help prevent this, most magical armor buckles are crafted to look like ordinary armor buckles or armor smiths are instructed to make sure every mundane buckle matches the magical one.
Manufacturing process
Theurgists making magical armor need to lock in an enchantment of Crafts ● for an extra soak dice, and/or lock in an an enchantment of Crafts ●●● for a reduced soak difficulty, which isn't a problem because Crafts ●●●● is needed to make permanent magical items anyway.
Mages making magical armor need to have the Craft Permanent Magical Item Merit and have the first circle Enchantment spell "Simple Magic Armor" and/or the second circle spell create "Complex Magic Armor".
History
Fighting in Scarterra can become rather lethal.
Successful adventurers who are not looking for early retirement are probably going to take any financial windfall they earn and use a large portion of their wealth to buy magical items to make them stronger fighters.
Nobles and others who are born rich and expect to need to fight from time to time, also want to buy the best magical gear that they can afford.
Very frequently, wealthy warriors prioritize magical armor over other types of magical items because they want to live. This has encouraged magical item crafters to hone their abilities making better magical armor buckles over the centuries.
Significance
Besides the convenience of easily transfering magic armor from one person to another, it also gives individual warriors more flexibility.
Many adventurers wear relatively light armor while traveling and facing a mild risk of being attacked and only wear heavier armor when combat is assured.
Not wanting to accidental drown, adventurers will often choose to forgo heavier armors when fighting near water.
Sometimes the situation calls for a warrior to wear armor to proudly and loudly declare their identity with armor heraldry and decoration, and other times a warrior wants to remain anonymous in unmarked armor.
Whenever the situation calls for a warrior to change his physical armor, magical armor buckles mean they can be as protected as possible.
Item type
Armor
Raw materials & Components
As much as possible, durable reagents are melted and forged into a metal buckle, but because such a small amount of metal is used, the bulk of the cost of a magical armor buckle is common reagents.
On the whole, this usually costs 30% to 40% more than crafting a suit of armor outright, but most magical armor crafters and those who hire them prefer the buckles.
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