Bob World Builder Presents

Franken-Armor
Low-Level Adventure
 Bob World Builder Presents

Franken-Armor
Dilin Coinbrew prides themself on crafting unique sets of magical armor made from parts of monsters. But
what happens when an untrustworthy adventurer brings back parts that are only mostly dead? Unwittingly,
Dilin has let loose vengeful living armor in the marketplace and needs your band of heroes to help contain
it! This enlivening 5e adventure is designed for one session of low-level play in any fantasy setting.

Background
Quest Outline
Years ago, Dilin Coinbrew excelled as an 1. Meet An Amicable Armorer and peruse a few
apprentice. Building upon their master’s expertise
magical wares!
for crafting bespoke armor pieces, Dilin weaved
magical runes into the very seams of their pieces. 2. Defend helpless market-goers while fighting a
When their master passed on, Dilin received monster during the Panic At The Market!
ownership of their master’s smithy. Since then,
Coinbrew’s Custom Armor has flourished. 3. Find The Vexing Visitor and put this undead
problem to rest!
Intent on providing their wares to only worthy
heroes and heroes-to-be, Dilin requires a story of
their customer’s good deeds along with the
standard gold and materials before they begin
crafting. Unfortunately, Dilin’s most recent
creation was crafted for a mercenary who
Furious at its current predicament, the living set
extolled their prowess at troll-slaying while
of armor eagerly awaits to devour anyone who
failing to mention the troll in question was not
wears it. Luckily, it has found targets in the form
completely dead. Dilin crafted armor from the
of your heroes who have just arrived at
troll’s flesh without realizing they were working
Coinbrew’s Custom Armor!
on living matter, resulting in reanimated armor
lying in wait within Dilin’s market stall.

Content Warning
Dismemberment
If you or any of your players find these themes
distressing, please consider playing a different
Bob World Builder adventure. 2
An Amicable Armorer
Begin this adventure in a town or city where the
party heads to the marketplace and spies the
shop, Coinbrew’s Custom Armor. Read or
paraphrase the following text.

Among the bustling market, a peculiar scent

catches your nose. A cheap floral cologne
barely masks the natural aroma of this
hard-working, green-eyed, smiling dwarf. Their
loose golden braids match the long skirt under
their leather apron. Sitting on the table in front
of the dwarf and hanging on a post behind
them are two sets of magical armor with a
sickly green hue and overpowering stench of
rot.

The dwarf, Dilin Coinbrew, is charming and eager

to hear tales of the party’s derring-do, despite
being hard at work in their market stall. Dilin
quickly explains how they craft one-of-a-kind
armor for heroic adventurers who bring them
materials (see Custom Armor Guidelines table),
and describes some of their recent pieces on
display.

On a post behind them hangs the greenish

reanimated armor, which Dilin refers to as
“trollskin gambeson.” The other set on the table is If the party asks Dilin for details about who
called undead leather. When asked about either ordered either set of armor, they provide the
set of armor, Dilin explains the trollskin following information.
gambeson is not quite finished, and they expect
the owner to return the following day to pick it ➛ The troll flesh was dropped off by a young
up. The undead leather, however, was ordered gnome named Vex who looked near-dead
months ago. At this point, Dilin worries the initial herself. Dilin was happy to help the budding
buyer has died. They can quickly be convinced to adventurer and gave her a discount.
sell it to the party discounted from 400 to 350
➛ Dilin is unsure where Vex is staying, but is sure
gold pieces, or further discounted to 250 gold
they can recognize her on-sight. They describe
pieces with a successful DC 16 Charisma
her as having vibrantly colored hair, a tricorn
(Persuasion) check from one of the player
feathered hat, magnificent boots, their left arm
characters.
in a sling, and several large bruises.

3
 ➛ The undead leather was ordered months ago by
a black robed individual who seemed reluctant Custom Armor Guidelines
to show their face and didn’t give their name.
They carried a scythe, and Dilin spotted dried Monster CR 0-1 2-5 >5
blood on their boots.
Armor Types shields, shields, any
➛ At this point, Dilin views the mysterious light light,
customer as a lost cause and is considering medium
breaking the undead leather back into parts,
unless they can find a new buyer for it. Item Rarity common uncommon rare

Crafting (days) 5 20 100

If any character touches or attempts to wear the
reanimated armor, proceed immediately to Panic Min. Cost (gold) 50 200 1000
At The Market! Otherwise, when the player
characters are ready to move on from shopping,
Dilin touches the reanimated armor to begin
There are no strict rules for defining the magical
packing it away. Proceed to Panic At The Market!
properties of the resulting armor. The properties
should be based on the specific monster’s
During this shopping stage, player characters can
features, the item’s rarity, and making sure this
purchase monster parts from elsewhere in the
experience is fun for both the gamemaster and
market or turn in any parts they may have on
the player. The undead leather, made of zombie
them to order armor from Dilin. However,
flesh, is provided as an example.
purchasing parts from another vendor does not
pass Dilin’s muster for a heroic deed. Player
The total cost of custom magical armor is equal to
characters who wish to order armor without
the standard value of the equipment to be crafted
telling a story or lying about their heroism must
multiplied by the CR of the monster, with a
succeed on a DC 18 Charisma (Deception) check
minimum cost based on the item’s rarity as shown
to convince Dilin of their alleged heroism.
on the table above. For example, a custom set of
magical leather armor (standard value: 10 gold) to
After providing Dilin with monster parts, refer to
be crafted from a black pudding (monster CR: 4)
the Custom Armor Guidelines table. The
would be an uncommon item (minimum cost: 200
monster’s CR determines the types of armor that
gold). Because the calculated cost of 40 gold (10
can be crafted, the rarity of the resulting magic
gold standard value x 4 CR) is less than the
item, Dilin’s required crafting time in days, and
minimum of 200 gold, this custom set of
the minimum cost.
uncommon black pudding leather armor would
still cost the buyer 200 gold pieces.

Harvesting Monster Parts The other vendors at the market sell a variety of
goods which can be purchased or, with a
At the gamemaster’s discretion, player characters can successful DC 16 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand)
harvest claws, horns, teeth, bones, or other useful check, stolen. At this market, all items cost
body parts from monsters. A character may harvest double their standard value unless otherwise
these parts by succeeding on a DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine specified, but can be reduced to standard prices
with a successful DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion)
or Survival) or Intelligence (Arcana or Nature) check,
check.
depending on the creature type. On a failed check,
there are no viable parts to gather.
4
The market is different every day, so feel free to
ask the players to describe what vendors they are
looking for, or have players roll 1d8 to shop via
the Market Stalls table, or simply choose a
vendor from the options listed below. For the
game master’s convenience in referencing prices,
the vendors’ goods are categorized as follows.
Market stalls 1-3 primarily sell trade goods. Stall
4 sells mounts or rents them for ¼ their standard
value per day. Stall 5 deals in weapons and
armor, and stalls 6-8 sell tools and miscellaneous
adventuring gear.

Market Stalls (1d8)

1. Trader Moe’s Dry Goods: rations, wheat, flour,
salt, canvas, cotton cloth, linen, silk

2. Spice Of Life Pantry: salt, ginger, cinnamon,

pepper, cloves, saffron

3. Alive ‘Er Dead: chicken, goat, sheep, pig, cow,

ox

4. Stella’s Stallions: donkey, mule, draft horse,

riding horse, pony, bit and bridle, feed,
saddles

5. Lunge & Parry: weapons and armor

6. Mystic Artisans: alchemist’s fire, arcane focus,

candle, druidic focus, alchemist’s supplies,
calligrapher’s supplies, painter’s supplies,
herbalism kit, miscellaneous musical
instruments, jewelry, containers, and art
objects (10-50 gold)

7. Scavengers Paradise: dungeoneer’s kit,

hunting trap, giant shark teeth (10 gold), giant
spider silk glands (20 gold), mimic ooze (30
gold), nightmare heart (100 gold), vampire’s
fang (1,000 gold)

8. Eye Spy: burglar’s pack, disguise kit, forgery

kit, poisoner’s kit, thieves’ tools, poisonous
snakes (20 gold), spyglass (800 gold)
 There are several things that can go wrong in the
Panic At The Market! market. Each round at initiative 20, losing ties,
roll on the following Market Mishaps table to
As soon as the reanimated armor (also called the raise the stakes. Reroll repeated results.
trollskin gambeson) is touched, it roars to life.
While its first target is whomever awakened
it—whether this is a player character, Dilin, or an
unsuspecting shopper—it quickly attempts to Market Mishaps (1d6)
destroy the entire marketplace in its rage. As this
1. Hold Your Horses. Two draft horses from
is a public place, there are dozens of merchants,
Stella’s Stallions break loose in their terror
shoppers, and pedestrians at risk.
and threaten to overrun a group of
commoners at the end of the round.

2. My Cabbages! Multiple farm market stalls are

knocked over in a domino effect, flooding the
nearby area with rolling heads of cabbage,
potatoes, and other crops. The market is
difficult terrain until the end of the round.

3. The Crowd Roars. The market becomes

incredibly loud with the screams of panicked
pedestrians. Characters must succeed on a DC
12 Constitution saving throw or be deafened
for one minute, repeating the saving throw at
the end of their turn each round.

4. You Talkin’ To Me? The reanimated armor

interprets the cries of the crowd as insults in
Giant. All of its attacks this round are made
with advantage.

5. It’s Always Snakes. A basket containing a

swarm of poisonous snakes topples over at
Eye Spy. Randomly determine which
combatant is in their way as the snakes flee
the market.

6. Firesale. A fire breaks out, lighting one stall

ablaze right next to the party! Within a 10 foot
radius circle around the largest group of
player characters in the market, every object
not being worn or carried is ignited.
Characters moving around burning objects
must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving
throw or take 1d10 fire damage.

6
 Player characters who would prefer to aid the
crowd instead of directly fighting the reanimated The Vexing Visitor
armor can engage in any of the following heroic
deeds. On a failure, the character still succeeds, Dilin is infuriated at the gnome who dropped off
but it takes three rounds to complete the action what became the reanimated armor and demands
instead of one. Each deed comes with a reward justice. Fortunately, as the crowd has cleared, Vex
earned after the deed is completed. the gnome is easy to find.

➛ DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation).

Guide a number of frantic commoners to safety Emerging from broken stalls, a young gnome in
outside of the market. Any adventurer who a tricorn hat sheepishly wipes away dirt from a
attempts this feat is henceforth considered a bruised cheek. “I guess not everyone is meant
valiant hero and leader by the townsfolk. to be an adventurer, huh?”

➛ DC 14 Strength (Athletics) or Intelligence

(History). Create a quick barricade to contain If questioned by the party, Vex woefully admits
the reanimated armor’s rampage to a small that she wanted to become an adventurer. The
corner of the market. This endeavor effectively gnome felt that custom armor from Dilin would
grapples the monster with a DC 14 Strength make her a true hero, so she set out to slay a
(Athletics) check to escape. monster. Vex barely survived her troll encounter,
and only realized the troll wasn’t completely dead
➛ DC 16 Charisma (Deception or Performance).
right before handing the remains to Dilin.
Convince the crowd this is all part of an
elaborate show and collect 3d6 gold in tips.
If the party empathizes with Vex’s story and
➛ DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) or Dexterity succeeds on a group DC 14 Charisma
(Stealth). Find places to store goods and hide (Persuasion) check, Dilin agrees to forgive Vex
smaller market-goers within the market itself. and offers the party a reward for their heroism.
Attempting this feat earns the hero a half-price They give the party the choice between the
discount on any goods in the market. undead leather if it was not purchased earlier, or
one free set of custom uncommon armor,
➛ DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine), cure wounds, provided they supply the materials. Failure results
healing word, or similar. Tend to the injuries of in Dilin banning the party from their shop for one
those crushed in the stampede of panicking year for siding with the lying gnome. At the GM’s
shoppers. This display of care attracts one discretion, Vex requests to join the party, using
market-goer using the acolyte stat block to the guard stat block.
follow the adventurer as a loyal apprentice.
Finally, the individual who dropped off the
After the reanimated armor is thoroughly undead leather returns to claim it in three days.
detained or put to its final rest, the market finds Whether or not Dilin still has the armor, they
peace again, but Dilin Coinbrew appears furious. describe the party’s deeds, and this
undead-hunting mage takes interest.

7
 Dilin Coinbrew
Dilin is a quick thinker who finds inspiration everywhere.
“Ahh, that gives me an idea!”

Dilin Coinbrew
“Ahh, that gives me an idea!”

➛ They/them ➛ Dwarf
➛ Young Adult ➛ Armorer
➛ 4’5” 160 lb ➛ HP 60, AC 16
➛ Lawful Neutral ➛ Prof. Bonus +6
A cheap floral cologne barely masks the
natural aroma of this hard-working,
green-eyed, smiling dwarf. Their loose golden
braids match the long skirt under their leather
apron.

Roleplay Notes
Undead Leather
Love: “I love taking something strange and turning it into something Armor (Leather), Uncommon
new and beautiful!”
This magical leather armor smells faintly of
Dream: “I hope my craft will gain enough renown with the nobles so I can rotten flesh and imbues you with undead
fortitude. Once per day if an attack reduces
one day take part in high society life.” you to zero hit points, you can make a
Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 plus
Fear: “I’m afraid of being held back by other people’s expectations of the damage sustained, unless the damage
how a dwarf should look or act.” was from a critical hit. On a success, you
drop to 1 hit point instead.
Regret: “I made a lot of rookie mistakes during my apprenticeship. I
strive every day to make up for my flaws.”
X
 Reanimated Armor
Reanimated Armor Medium, Construct, Chaotic Neutral, Level 2+

AC: 13, HP: 60, imm. to necrotic, poison, vul.

Reanimated armor is crafted from trolls, undead, or similar
to acid, fire
creatures difficult to kill entirely. Feeling only anger and Speed: 30 ft. walk
pain, the thing lashes out seeking to reform their former Prof. Bonus: +3 to STR saves
body by any means. Conditions: imm. to blinded, charmed,
deafened, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
Senses: blindsight 60 ft., passive Perc. 10
Languages: Giant (cannot speak)
False Appearance: indistinguishable from
normal armor while motionless
Regeneration: regain 10 HP at start of turn,
unless damaged by acid or fire or reduced to
0 HP

Engulf (BA) 5ft. +3, 1d4 bludgeoning,

restrained (DC 13 STR/DEX)
Slam (A) 5 ft. +3, 2d4+3 bludgeoning
Dressed To Kill (A, 5-6) up to two creatures
restrained by Engulf, 1d4+3 bludgeoning and
DC 13 WIS or charmed to attack as directed
by the reanimated armor, repeat save after
hitting an ally or at end of turn

The green-hued leather gambeson drips with troll blood

and reeks of rot. Its outstretched sleeves quiver, yearning Combat Notes
for new flesh. The reanimated armor, more a construct than
a living being, is fueled by instinct and rage.
To that end, it engulfs up to two targets
Reanimated armor is made, never born. Typically crafted by into wearing it, at which point it can slam them
mistake from parts of regenerating creatures, it is often with advantage. When available, it
created in an attempt to make armor with the fortitude of manipulates an engulfed target to attack as
undead creatures. Reanimated armor has been sent as gifts many other targets as possible. The monster
to monarchs from their rivals to destroy not only the fights to the death, for it has no life to
throne but the entire army. Some druids have looked to it
return to. A character speaking Giant can
as an alternative to wearing leather of “friendly” creatures,
soothe it long enough to kill it mercifully,
though they quickly learn their lesson. Part troll, part
animated armor, all fury, the reanimated armor seeks only
though this should be a very difficult check.
to regain a semblance of a former life—if indeed one can be
had—and barring that, destroying the lives of any living
thing unfortunate enough to come near it.

9
Credits
Thank You, Patrons!
➛ Project Lead: Robert Mason This project was fully funded by the amazing
➛ Writing: Jessica Marcrum
Bob World Builder Patreon community!
➛ Editing: Ethan Yen
➛ Layout: Robert Mason
➛ Cartography: Venatus Maps (Marketplace Want More Adventure?
Skirmish modified CC-BY 4.0), Robert Mason
(simplified map using Dungeon Scrawl) Check out other Bob World Builder 5e
➛ Illustration: Victor Hugo Julião Passos (Dilin adventures and supplements here:
Coinbrew, Reanimated Armor), Robert Mason Patreon -- DriveThruRPG -- DMsGuild
(Undead Leather), Pixabay
➛ Cover Art: JP Coovert, Salvator Rosa (Soldier In
Helmet And Armor Regarding A Stream)

Legal Stuff
Franken-Armor v1.0 © 2023 Robert Mason, Bob World Builder. All rights reserved.

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the
Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is
licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

10