Bullybasher’s Gauntlets

Bullybasher’s Gauntlets are a pair of full plate metal gauntlets that look well worn but are fully functional.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 gauntlets; Cost 4,604 gp. Omen: Once per day, while wearing the gauntlets, you can learn the most commonly used name of any one creature by looking that creature in the eyes. The target gets a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Wisdom bonus) to negate the effect. This is a divination effect (caster level 3rd). HISTORY

Pelt was the scrawny, illegitimate child of a prostitute, and a target for every bully in his town. He earned his keep by cleaning shop and smelting metal for a local blacksmith. The older boys of the streets hunted poor Pelt down every day, but the boy refused to cower to anyone. It didn’t matter how much the other kids ganged up on him, he heeded his mother’s words and never fought back. Pelt didn’t throw a single punch, but his unwillingness to be intimidated earned him a regular beating. While Pelt was healing from one particularly bad thrashing, his mother caught a seasonal virus. The impoverished woman couldn’t afford medicine while Pelt was incapacitated, and the gang that skimmed her profi ts wouldn’t help either. She died, and the blacksmith took Pelt in. When he recovered, Pelt took a pair of discarded metal gloves from the blacksmith and began wearing them in public. These gloves came to be known as Bullybasher’s Gauntlets. (DC 15) The oversized gauntlets made Pelt a target right away, which was exactly what he wanted. He watched the faces of the street kids contort into ugly expressions of greed as they rushed him. Outnumbered as usual, Pelt fought back this time. He kept throwing punches until each attacker had been fl attened in turn, sending boy after boy sprawling on the cobblestones. Pelt had taken his thumps over the years, but he had learned from each one. (DC 20; Knock Them Down) It wasn’t long before Pelt’s skills as a pugilist attracted an unscrupulous merchant who organized bouts against the young man for entertainment and profi t. Pelt fought in

Bullybasher’s Gauntlets turned a tormented weakling into a champion of the downtrodden

these matches only to save enough gold to leave the city, but he drew the attention of a powerful local crime gang called the Green Daggers. The gang wanted Pelt to muscle their “tax” from the neighborhood businesses. Most storekeepers paid into the protection racket without complaint, except for a solitary blacksmith—the same one who had raised Pelt after his mother died. Pelt defi ed the gang and defended his adoptive father. He proceeded to take out every leg-breaker and assassin sent after him. Taking this as a sign of weakness, the other gangs in the local underworld made quick work of the remaining Green Daggers. (DC 25; Call Them Out) It was around this time that the local shop owners approached Pelt and offered to pay him for his protection. Pelt accepted. The community was too large for one man to look after, so Pelt recruited deputies from among the townsfolk who used to bully him when they were children. With their help, he organized a militia to resist the new gangs that had formed when the Green Daggers were dismantled. Without realizing it, Pelt had decided to stay put. The city had somehow become more appealing, and Pelt now felt like he belonged. Under his stewardship, the community prospered. Pelt used much of his own wealth to fi nance a hospital for the poor, so poverty would never again make the difference between one of them living or dying. (DC 30; Build Them Up)

Illus. by D. Crabapple

Table 3–6: Bullybasher’s Gauntlets

——————— Personal Costs ———————

Wielder Attack Skill Check Hit Point Skill Point

Level Penalty Penalty Loss Loss Abilities

5th — — — — Sturdy grip 6th — — 2 4 Knock silly 2/day 7th –1 — — — Solitary warrior 8th — — — — Cheat death 1/day 9th — — — — — 10th — –1 2 2 Power of one +2 11th — — — — Rough and tumble 12th — — — 2 +2 gauntlets 13th –2 — — — Giant bearing 14th — — 2 — Power of one +4 15th — — — 2 Stone gathering 16th — –2 — — +3 gauntlets 17th — — — — Frightful presence 18th — — 2 2 No wound too big, power of one +6 19th — –3 — 2 Lightning punch 20th — — — 2 +4 gauntlets LEGACY RITUALS

Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of Bullybasher’s Gauntlets.

Knock Them Down: You must single-handedly defeat a bully, or a group of bullies, with an Encounter

Level at least equal to your character level. Bullybasher’s

Gauntlets must be your only weapons. Cost: 1,400 gp.

Feat Granted: Least Legacy (Bullybasher’s Gauntlets). Call Them Out: Using any means at your disposal, you have to undermine a hidden organization that exploits innocent people for profit. Cost: 12,000 gp.

Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (Bullybasher’s Gauntlets).

Build Them Up: You must adopt a defenseless community and organize its resources to help those living there to protect themselves. Cost: 40,000 gp. Feat Granted:

Greater Legacy (Bullybasher’s Gauntlets). WIELDER REQUIREMENTS

The wielders of Bullybasher’s Gauntlets are characters who prefer unarmed combat, most commonly unorthodox fighters, barbarians, and a few rare monks.

Bullybasher’s Gauntlets Wielder Requirements

Base attack bonus +2 Knowledge (local) 2 ranks Improved Unarmed Strike

LEGACY ITEM ABILITIES

All the following are legacy item abilities of Bullybasher’s Gauntlets.

Sturdy Grip (Su): At 5th level, while wearing Bullybasher’s Gauntlets, you gain a +4 bonus on opposed grapple checks to establish a hold (but no other grapple checks).

Knock Silly (Su): At 6th level and higher, when you deal damage to an opponent with Bullybasher’s Gauntlets, that opponent is affected as if by the touch of idiocy spell. You must decide whether or not to use this ability before making the attack roll, and if you miss, the attempt is wasted for the day. This ability is usable two times per day. Caster level 5th.

Solitary Warrior (Su): Starting at 7th level, when you are adjacent to at least two foes and no ally is within 30 feet, the effective enhancement bonus of Bullybasher’s Gauntlets increases by 1 and you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage with each successful attack made with the gauntlets.

Cheat Death (Su): At 8th level and higher, you automatically heal 1 hit point if your hit points drop to between –1 and –9. This ability functions once per day.

Power of One (Su): At 10th level, Bullybasher’s Gauntlets grant a +2 enhancement bonus to your Constitution score. At 14th level, the bonus rises to +4. It rises to +6 at 18th level. Rough and Tumble (Su): At 11th level, you gain damage reduction 5/magic. Giant Bearing (Su): Beginning at 13th level, you can multiply your weight by 8, gaining a +2 size bonus to Strength, a –2 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum of 1), a –1 penalty on attack rolls, and a +4 bonus on grapple checks. You double your carrying capacity

and can grapple Huge creatures. You do not physically become larger and do not gain a longer reach, nor do you take size penalties on attacks, AC, and Hide checks. This ability can be used at will and lasts 10 minutes each time it is activated. Caster level 10th. Stone Gathering (Su): At 15th level and higher, when the giant bearing ability is activated, you can hurl rocks weighing 40 to 50 pounds each (Small objects) up to five range increments. The range increment is 120 feet, and the rocks deal 2d6 (plus Strength modifier) points of bludgeoning damage. This ability also allows you to catch Small, Medium, or Large rocks (or projectiles of similar shape). Once per round, when you would normally be hit by a rock, you can make a Reflex save to catch it as a free action. The DC is 15 for a Small rock, 20 for a Medium one, and 25 for a Large one. If the projectile has a magic enhancement bonus on attack rolls, the DC increases by that amount. You must be ready for and aware of the attack (not flat-footed) to make a catching attempt.

Frightful Presence (Su): Starting at 17th level, when the giant bearing ability is activated, you unsettle surrounding foes when you are attacking or charging. Creatures within a radius of 30 feet are subject to the effect if they have fewer Hit Dice than you. A potentially affected creature that succeeds on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Charisma modifier) suffers no ill effect and is immune to your frightful presence for 24 hours. Those who fail the save become shaken for 4d6 rounds. No Wound Too Big (Su): At 18th level and higher, while wearing Bullybasher’s Gauntlets, you heal 2 points of damage every hour (1 point of damage per gauntlet). This ability cannot be aided by the Heal skill. Nonlethal damage heals at a rate of 2 points of damage every 5 minutes (1 point of nonlethal damage per gauntlet). If you lose a limb, an organ, or any other body part while wearing Bullybasher’s Gauntlets, the gauntlets cause it to grow back, as per the regeneration spell. In any case, only damage you take while wearing the gauntlets is healed or regenerated.

Lightning Punch (Su): Beginning at 19th level, once per day on command, you can charge Bullybasher’s Gauntlets with chain lightning. The next creature struck by the gauntlets is the target of the spell, and secondary bolts can strike other foes within 30 feet. A charge is maintained until the gauntlets strike a creature or you discharge it harmlessly by touching an object. The save DC is 19, or 16 + your Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Caster level 15th.

ADVENTURE SEED (EL 6)

Yulgor earned the right to wear Bullybasher’s Gauntlets by defeating a goblinoid despot of his clan, but in so doing he ended up being much like the tyrant he displaced. Now that Yulgor has unlocked the secrets to his gloves, he’s been throwing his weight around. After laying waste to his own tribe, the bugbear forced his way into a poorly defended town where he now makes a nuisance out of himself, taunting the guards and townsfolk. Nobody in the village has been able to best the churl, so the leaders of the settlement ask the heroes to solve their bugbear problem. As the party enters the tavern, they can hear Yulgor’s drunken roaring, demanding ale and challenging all comers.

Yulgor CR 6

Male bugbear rogue 3 CE Medium humanoid (goblinoid) Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Listen +6, Spot +6 Languages Common, Elven, Goblin AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 17 hp 36 (6 HD) Resist evasion Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +2 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee Bullybasher’s Gauntlets +9 (1d3+5) or Melee Bullybasher’s Gauntlets +7/+7 (1d3+5) with

Two-Weapon Fighting or Ranged mwk composite shortbow +9 (1d6+4/19–20) Base Atk +4; Grp +8 (+12 to establish a hold) Atk Options sneak attack + 2d6, Power Attack Special Actions knock silly Combat Gear 3 potions of cure light wounds Abilities Str 18, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 6 SQ sturdy grip, trapfinding, trap sense +1 Feats Improved Unarmed Strike, Least Legacy (Bullybasher’s Gauntlets)B, Power Attack, Two-

Weapon Fighting Skills Disable Device +7, Hide +8, Jump +10,

Knowledge (local) +3, Listen +6, Move Silently +11,

Open Lock +10, Spot +6, Tumble +10 Possessions combat gear plus masterwork chain shirt, Bullybasher’s Gauntlets, masterwork composite shortbow (+4 Str bonus) with 20 arrows, masterwork thieves’ tools Knock Silly (Su) 2/day—declare before attack roll, miss wastes attempt, affect damaged target with touch of idiocy as the spell. Sturdy Grip (Su) +4 bonus on opposed grapple checks to establish a hold.