Aurelian Plate Armour with Nullstone Runes

Stub-class article · First seen: s10 · Last seen: s16
Aurelian Plate Armour with Nullstone Runes
Aurelian Plate Armour · Nullstone Plate · Nullstone Armour · the Aurelian armour · Vasquez's plate · Nullstorm armour
Aurelian Plate Armour with Nullstone Runes — Heavy plate armour with Nullstone runework (rare; arcane-suppression) portrait
Item
StatusActive
First seens10
Last seens16
TypeHeavy plate armour with Nullstone runework (rare; arcane-suppression)
AttunementRequired (Vasquez, attuned and worn since s10)
HolderVasquez
OriginLooted from the Aurelian Paladin, session 10

The Aurelian Plate Armour with Nullstone Runes - a.k.a. Nullstone Plate, with a transcript-mangling pass through “Nullstorm armour” [6] - is a heavy plate set looted from the Aurelian Paladin in session 10 and worn by Vasquez since. Ruin cast Identify on it during the post-fight long rest at Umbrafall [1], succeeding on a Constitution save with disadvantage imposed by the armour itself resisting the spell - confirming the runework’s anti-arcane character. The armour grants advantage on saving throws against arcane spells but blocks the wearer’s own arcane casting and (per Hugo’s observation, [2] blocks barbarian rage. Vasquez had the chest crest re-engraved over the same long rest from the Aurelian sunburst to Bison Bronzgut’s forge/family mark [3], per DM ruling post-s17); changing more than the crest carries a flat d20 risk of ruining the runework.

Overview

The Aurelian Plate Armour with Nullstone Runes is the campaign’s most consequential single piece of armour and the only confirmed sample of Aurelian anti-mage standard issue. The party recovered it from the Aurelian Paladin who led the s10 alley ambush in Umbrafall; Ruin identified it during the long rest at Thomas Feld’s house, on a Constitution save with disadvantage caused by the armour resisting the Identify spell itself (“you feel the armor resisting your arcane spell. but you manage…” — [4]. Mid-cast, Terry correctly intuited what they were holding: “is it Nullstone armor?” “it is Nullstorm armor” [5].

Mechanics

Confirmed across the s10 identification and the broader observations of the Paladin fight:

  • Heavy plate: standard heavy-armour AC; standard heavy-armour penalties (Strength requirement, no stealth-friendly).
  • Advantage on saving throws against arcane spells: confirmed by Ruin’s Identify reading.
  • Blocks the wearer’s own arcane casting: a hard block, not just disadvantage.
  • Blocks barbarian rage: not in the readback but confirmed by Hugo trying to imagine wearing it: “no it blocked my rage” [2].
  • Crest is engravable without disturbing the runework. The runework itself is engraved across the chest, vambraces and pauldrons; the chest crest is a separate cosmetic plate that Vasquez re-worked over the long rest from Aurelian sunburst to Bison Bronzgut’s forge/family mark (per DM ruling post-s17).
  • Modifying anything beyond the crest: a flat d20 risk to ruin the runework (DM ruling, [3] negotiation).

Why Vasquez

Vasquez is the only PC who can wear it cleanly: he is a fighter (not arcane), he can use heavy armour, and Mharos gives him no class-based reason to need rage. Hugo joked about taking it but immediately recognised it would brick him; Caelumn tried it on metaphorically and it would brick him too; Terry can’t wear plate. Vasquez attuned and wore from s10 onwards.

Notable use

  • s11 owlbears: AC absorbed several heavy hits.
  • s12 candy goblins: did not prevent Vasquez being grappled into taffy form (the runework is anti-arcane, not anti-transmutation-by-candy).
  • s14 Gummy Mummy: Vasquez took 23 dmg + curse anyway — the armour does not protect against necrotic/curse.
  • s15 Aurelian patrol: ironic note that the armour, taken from an Aurelian, did not let Vasquez pass for friendly - Bison Bronzgut’s forge/family mark on the chest crest gave him away.

Status as of session 16

Carried, worn, attuned. No degradation noted. With the Hat of Disguise now also on Vasquez (s16), he is configured for an Aurelia-infiltration role — the armour silences his “use magic” tells, the hat hides his demon-elf appearance, and the dwarf-sigil crest backstops the cover.

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 10, line 1605-1644 — Ruin's Identify on the armour; armour resists the spell; identified as Nullstone.
  2. ^ Session 10, line 1659 — Hugo confirms the armour blocks barbarian rage.
  3. ^ Session 10, line 1722-1846 — Vasquez re-engraves the crest from Aurelian sunburst to dwarf-family sigil.
  4. ^ Session 10, line 1639-1641 — Inline citation.
  5. ^ Session 10, line 1642-1643 — Inline citation.
  6. ^ Session 10, line 1643 — Inline citation.
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