Hideous (armor quality)

A hideous armor was a magical armor or shield enchantment that made a person more fearsome.

Description
A hideous armor or shield used a lot of gruesome looking decoration like scalps, bones, skulls, dried viscera, etc.. They gave off a smell of rancid meat and had illusory flies audibly buzzing around the decoration.

Powers
A hideous armor or shield made a person more competent at intimidating others. This property grew in intensity with the amount of money and personal essence, which the creator was willing to spend on the armor.

The fearsomeness had a cost in the form of dropped diplomatic abilities.

Creating a hideous armor or shield required the caster to be good at intimidation him- or herself, but not specific spell. The property did not even ask for better skill at spellcasting to create a better suite, only the willingness to spend material wealth and the crafter's personal essence.