Legend has it that this apparatus was originally commissioned by an ancient King to insure the safety of a royal prince whose penchant for mockery and philandering tended to put him in mortal peril. These Defenders are shaped like slim metal gloves or gauntlets, and often decorated in jewels and precious metals to match the tastes of its original owner. Those who pick one up with bare hands, however, will quickly discover that the Defender is in fact an automaton. The Defender will quickly attach itself securely to the holder's dominant hand, regardless of size, and cannot be removed by physical means (the user may make a DC 18 DEX save to remove the device before it attaches itself).
Whenever the possessor is under attack, the apparatus will activate to defend him - attacking the nearest enemy in range each turn (pulling the user up to 20' towards the enemy if necessary) until the possessor is no longer under attack or is more than 20' from the nearest attacker. The Defender has +8 to hit, STR 20, and will wield a melee weapon (even a two-handed one!) if the possessor has one (the Defender is proficient with *all* weapons) - otherwise it attacks with a slam attack which deals 1d6+5 damage. It will interpose itself between the possessor and any attacks, granting a shield bonus of +2 AC to the user. Note that the Defender can be abnormally sensitive as to what constitutes an "attack" - "play-fighting" or other rigorous activities may result in significant injuries - however it will *never* attack the possessor.
While the Defender is active, the user cannot take actions which involve his dominant hand, and is at a disadvantage on any checks which involve fine manipulation or concentration. When inactive, the automaton is stiff and clumsy - the user is at a disadvantage on *any* skill check which involves their dominant hand, and casting spells with somatic components requires the user to make a DC 10 Constitution save to maintain concentration long enough to cast.
There is nearly always a command word which will cause the Defender to release, which must be spoken by a person *other than* the current possessor. The command word, however, is generally not written on the device and in fact may be lost to history altogether. Remove Curse and Dispel Magic, cast *simultaneously*, can cause the Defender to release its possessor (treat the Defender as a 6th level spell effect), but will not deactivate the device permanently. The only other option to remove the device is removing the hand - note that the device may not easily permit such an action to be taken.
Notes: Buff, Debuff, Combat, Cursed, Handwear
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