Arm Guard (3.5e Equipment)

Arm Guard
Summary::Covering one shoulder and an entire arm, the arm guard leaves the body free for mobility but still allows for a fair amount of protection where it is needed. Some warriors prefer to use it with their weapon arm, protecting it as they swing at foes, while others prefer it on their off arm, using it more like a shield, for deflecting blows.

The armor itself appears quite similar to a platemail arm with shoulder straps. When donned, it doesn't restrict movement as greatly as it would appear. Although it is fairly heavy, it's also greatly padded to reduce discomfort and noise. Great care has gone into producing a specially jointed armor that provides both mobility and protection.

This armor includes a pair of gauntlets.

While its armor bonus does not stack with other armor, it can be worn in conjunction with medium or light armor. When worn with other armor, apply the highest Armor Bonus, lowest Maximum Dex Bonus, add Armor Check Penalties and use only the highest Arcane Spell Failure.

When an enchanted arm guard is worn with other magical armor, only one armor provides any benefits from its magical enchantments. A character may swap which armor grants its active enchantments with a command as a standard action, which does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

The arm guard is constructed so that it can be worn by either arm, with straps that remove and replace plates and adjust the joints. It takes the same amount of time to switch the armor from right-sided to left-sided as it does to don it.