Arm of Valor



The Arm of Valor is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Minor Artifact from the  Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set. Below is a conversion to the 3.5e Dungeons & Dragons mechanics. The conversion is from Drunken Master of the Candlekeep Forums and received positive reviews. I may update or change this conversation after further review of the original AD&D statistics.

Arm of Valor(Minor Artifact)
This unique, priceless item is one of only two known surviving "power arms" in the Realms (the other is in the keeping of the Heralds, in the Herald’s Holdfast) – and only certain senior Harpers and powerful mages such as Elminster know about the other one.

Made by a cabal of mighty archmages when Myth Drannor was strong, the Arm of Valor takes the form of five pieces of adamantine full plate armor. Together, the five pieces form a complete covering for one arm (they alter size and shape to fit either arm of any Medium-sized creature). There is no known way to dispel the magic instilled in them, and the components always make their items saves unless a natural 1 is rolled. If three or more pieces are worn together, they make all saves automatically and are considered, for all intents and purposes, indestructible.

Whenever any power of any piece of the Arm is used, there is a 1% chance (not cumulative) that one of the pieces involved will vanish, teleporting far away, and draining life-force from the wearer. The power that was being used takes full effect, but the wearer suffers 1d12 hp damage, and permanently loses an additional 1d2 hit points. Constant powers, such as the +1 enhancement bonus of the gauntlet, or the see invisibility power granted by the vambrace, do not trigger this effect.

The Arm of Valor was designed for use by champions defending Myth Drannor; its powers override all of the city's mythal powers and aren’t subject to its wild magic surges.

The pieces are a gauntlet, vambrace (tubular covering the forearm), couter (a winged, hinged elbow-covering), rerebrace (tubular cover for the upper arm), and pauldron (shoulder cover, flaring up into a raised half-collar, and over to cover much of the chest and shoulder blade in the back). The rerebrace and vambrace each contain small (4” X 6” X 2” deep) storage compartments that latch shut, and are shielded against magical scrying.

Whenever any piece of the Arm is first brought to within 200’ of another, both pieces glow with a blue-white faerie fire for 4 rounds. Each piece of the Arm has its own powers, along with additional powers for multiple pieces being worn together. The Arm of Valor’s spell-like abilities function at caster level 20th.

Gauntlet • Functions as a +1 adamantine gauntlet • Immunity to charm, hold, and sleep spells and effects • Power smash 3/day for 3d6 damage, and the wielder is considered to have the Improved Sunder feat while using the power smash ability

Vambrace • Feather fall—at will • Jump—3/day • See invisibility—constant • + 1 bonus to melee weapon damage for weapons used by the arm wearing the vambrace • Immunity to detect thoughts spells and effects

Couter • Dimension door—3/day • Water breathing—automatic when wearer is submerged in liquid (treat as a constant effect) • Detect magic—at will

Rerebrace • All non-magical or magical weapons with less than a +2 enhancement bonus wielded by the wearer are treated as +2 magical weapons for determining bonuses to attack rolls, damage rolls, and overcoming damage reduction. This enhancement bonus does not stack with any existing enhancement bonuses (i.e. a +1 longsword would be treated as a +2 longsword, but a +2 longsword does not become a +4 longsword). This effect stacks with the damage bonus of the vambrace component if both pieces are worn together. • Immunity to all spells from the illusion school

Pauldron • +4 deflection bonus to AC • Immunity to all spells from the enchantment school • Force blast 3/day for 2d6 points of damage; functions in all other respects as a ring of the ram, except that the pauldron does not use charges.

The Arm of Valor also has some cumulative additional powers, conferred only by combinations of various pieces worn together, as follows:

If any two pieces are worn together: • Immunity to spells from the polymorph subschool • Immunity to death from massive damage • Immunity to fear spells and effects • +1 luck bonus to all saving throws

If gauntlet, vambrace, and couter are worn together: • Dispel magic—3/day • Magic missile—3/day • Immunity to petrification

If all 5 pieces of the Arm of Valor are worn together, they fuse into a flexible but solidly-linked unit that can only be readily separated by the wearer’s will, and the wearer gains use of the following powers: • +3 luck bonus to all saving throws • Flight Burst(as fly for 4/round)—3/day • Minor creation—1/day • Arcane Eye—1/day