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animated armor

Animated armor is a suit of armor given the semblance of life by magic. This one serves as the watcher in the reliquary beneath Bellwether. The four wall glyphs mirror marks on its breastplate, but they do not grant it additional abilities in this statblock.

Monsters
Medium construct · CR 1 (200 XP) · Uncommon

animated armor

A conventional animated armor, set as the silent guardian of a compact reliquary chamber.
AC18
HP33/33
CR1 (200 XP)
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

Combat

AC 18 · HP 33 · CR 1 (200 XP)

animated armor

Medium construct (construct), unaligned
Armor Class18 (natural armor)
Hit Points33 (6d8 + 6)
Speed
Walking 25 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Immunities
Damage: poison, psychic,
Conditions: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Weaknesses
No special damage vulnerability is listed in the canonical statblock.
Its low Intelligence and Wisdom scores reflect its limited awareness and lack of independent judgment.
Senses
Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius),
Passive Perception 6
Challenge1 (200 XP)
Proficiency Bonus+2
Antimagic Susceptibility. The animated armor is immune to poison and psychic damage, and to the blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, and poisoned conditions.
Antimagic Susceptibility. The armor is incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If targeted by dispel magic, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.
False Appearance. While the armor remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal suit of armor.
Constructed Nature. The armor does not require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Actions

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 () bludgeoning damage.
Multiattack. The animated armor makes two Slam attacks.
Role
Guardian
Built for
Designed for a low-level party; canonical CR 1, suitable as a modest challenge for four 1st-level characters or a minor threat to a larger or higher-level party.

Gear

  • Animated plate armor (Armor, Nonmagical armor animated by a magical effect)A complete suit of plate armor animated by magic. It cannot be worn as functional armor while animated.

Notes for the game master

Statistics follow the canonical D&D 5th Edition animated armor.
The plinth, glowing wall glyphs, cracked paving, and stone screen are encounter scenery. No additional mechanical effects are assumed.
False Appearance applies while the armor remains motionless.

Tactics

  1. Opening

    It remains still until a creature approaches the plinth, touches a glyph, or threatens the exit. It then advances directly and attacks with two slams.

  2. Mid-fight

    It pursues targets around the plinth, using the obstacle to force movement and break up a group. It does not understand complex tactics and never willingly abandons its post.

  3. End of the fight

    If badly damaged, it keeps attacking the nearest intruder rather than fleeing. It may be drawn away from the exit or pinned on the far side of the plinth while someone closes the stone screen.

  4. Retreat

    The armor has no morale and does not retreat. It fights until destroyed or until all unauthorized creatures leave the chamber.

How it fights

Use the plinth as a central obstacle and pursue the nearest intruder around it.
Attack with both slams each turn.
Ignore threats that retreat unless they are still within the chamber or near the protected plinth.
Do not grant the wall glyphs extra combat effects unless the adventure provides them.

Who it attacks first

Intruders approaching or touching the plinth
Creatures attempting to leave with reliquary contents
The nearest unauthorized creature

Works well with

The plinth naturally encourages a mobile fight in which the armor can be drawn away from the exit.
The stone screen rewards coordination, allowing one character to lure the guardian while another operates the mechanism.

How to beat it

Its 18 AC makes weak, inaccurate attacks unreliable, but it has only 33 hit points.
The construct is immune to poison and psychic damage and to several conditions, so those approaches will not hinder it.
The waist-high plinth can be used to lure it around the room and create distance from the exit.
A creature can use the stone screen to separate the armor from the exit, if it can reach and operate the screen.

Ways to avoid a fight

Characters may lure it around the plinth to draw it away from the exit.
A character who reaches the stone screen's control can close it, separating the armor from the exit or trapping it on the far side. The screen's operation is a chamber feature, not an ability of the monster.
Characters can study the glyphs or search the plinth while the armor is diverted, if they can do so without drawing its attention.

Ecology

A suit of tarnished plate armor stands motionless beside the waist-high plinth. Its visor is a narrow black slit, and four faint glyphs shimmer across its breastplate in time with the glowing marks on the chamber walls. Fine cracks in the paving catch the light whenever it moves.

Behavior

It stands perfectly still when no intruder is near, then moves with a clanking, deliberate gait. It prioritizes creatures approaching the plinth or exit and pursues them around the chamber without speaking or showing fear.

How it lives

Animated armor does not eat, breathe, sleep, or reproduce. It remains active through magic tied to its purpose and can stand watch for years without moving.

Lair

The reliquary chamber beneath Bellwether, where it guards the plinth and the route to the exit.

Habitat
A compact, round stone chamber with a waist-high plinth, four glowing wall glyphs, cracked paving, and a stone screen that can close off the exit.

Signs that it is near

Fresh scrape marks circle the plinth.
Dust has gathered everywhere except beneath the armor's feet.
A metallic clank sometimes echoes from the chamber even when no one is inside.
The four wall glyphs pulse faintly when someone approaches the plinth.

Tags

construct,
guardian,
reliquary,
Bellwether

Lore

Animated armor is a suit of armor given the semblance of life by magic. This one serves as the watcher in the reliquary beneath Bellwether. The four wall glyphs mirror marks on its breastplate, but they do not grant it additional abilities in this statblock.

What drives it

Obey its standing order to guard the reliquary and prevent unauthorized creatures from reaching or disturbing the plinth.

After the fight

When reduced to 0 hit points, the armor collapses into a heap of inert plates. The four wall glyphs dim briefly, then resume glowing. If the stone screen was closed, it remains shut until opened by its mechanism or forced aside.

“This one serves as the watcher in the reliquary beneath Bellwether.”
From its lore

Variants

For a damaged version, use the same statblock but reduce its hit points to 16, representing missing plates rather than a different creature.

Hooks

Plot hooks

One of the four wall glyphs has gone dark, and the armor has begun guarding the wrong side of the chamber.
The armor's breastplate bears a mark that matches a family seal or an old Bellwether record.
The reliquary's stone screen has jammed halfway closed, turning the guardian's chamber into a dangerous bottleneck.

How to use it

Use the standard animated armor as a single CR 1 guardian for a low-level encounter.
Make the chamber's plinth, stone screen, and glyphs visible before initiative so players can plan around them.
The screen and plinth are environmental features, not additional attacks or powers for the armor.
For a party above the creature's intended challenge, pair it with another threat or use the chamber's hazards rather than changing its canonical statistics.

Treasure

The suit itself is not inherently valuable as functional armor while animated.
The reliquary's plinth may contain whatever object or record the larger quest places there.

Media

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Visual sheet

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