Armor & Accessories
There are two types of armor: light and heavy. Light armor is made using leather and heavy armor is made using metal. To wear and use each type correctly, specific skills and statistics are required. Refer to the armor tables for more information about each specific armor.
Armor uses its own dice for defense rolls. Each type of armor has their own protection dice, heavy being 1d10+2 and light being 2d4+2 . Regardless of the type of armor worn, they both have damage reduction and their protection dice can be chained once. Light armor’s damage reduction is less than heavy armor but offers a higher chance to chain which results in higher protection.
To learn more about how defense works, see the Combat: Defense of the game rules chapter.
Damage Reduction (DR)
Each armor is made different and the armor that has higher durability offers more damage reduction. However, they also cost more, weigh more, and require a higher guard statistic to wear.
Damage reduction is subtracted from the damage before it applies to your health.
Damage reduction is only applied to magic damage that causes physical damage. For example, psionic damage caused by the Headache spell is not reduced by damage reduction. In addition, negative damage from Life Siphon also ignores damage reduction.
Be warned, weapons with armor penetration and magic damage that isn’t physical, ignores damage reduction.
Protection (Prot.)
Armor’s protection range is based on the type of armor. Heavy uses 1d10+2 and light uses 2d4+2 .
There might be times when you will have to strategize with your fellow players on how to take down a target that is wearing lots of armor. Some characters may need help from their team to defeat an armored opponent, such as the rogue or those with armor penetration. While you distract the opponent, your rogue character can sneak around and sneak attack them, ignoring their armor and dealing full damage.
Armor Descriptions
Banded
Bands of metal or leather that are interlocked with each other. Typically, tied together with strips of leather or cloth. The bands cover the chest, back, shoulders and hips.
Brigandine
A leather garment lined with small oblong steel plates riveted to the fabric. The armor covers the chest, stomach, back and hips. It can be worn under a long coat.
Chain Mail
Armor comprising small metal rings linked in a pattern to form a mesh. This armor covers the entire body. Chain mail is not affected by the durability damage blunt weapons cause when they critically strike.
Cuirass
A metal or leather breastplate that covers the chest and stomach. It can be worn under a long coat.
Full Plate
Large plates of metal formed in the general shape of the wearer. This armor covers the entire body.
Hauberk
The hauberk is a shirt of small metal rings linked in a pattern to form a mesh. This armor covers the upper body. Hauberk is not affected by the durability damage blunt weapons cause when they critically strike. This can be worn under a long coat.
Lamellar
This armor is a type of body armor made from small rectangular metal or leather plates (scales or lamellae) laced into horizontal rows. This armor covers the entire body.
Scale
Armor made of small scales attached in rows. This armor covers the entire body.
Armor Accessories
Accessories to armor comprise additional pieces of protection that have different purposes. They can be used with all types of defense unless otherwise stated.
Helmets and shields cannot be repaired but can be upgraded for additional durability. They are affected by armor penetration. See armor penetration in the game rules chapter for more information.
Armor Spikes
These small sharp spikes are imbedded into metal armor and shields. They provide 1d4 additional piercing damage when using a shield as a weapon. When used with armor, grappling causes the previously mentioned damage. Your might is added to the damage when you are performing the grapple.
The price of armor spikes depends on what they are being added to. To add them to armor, ten percent of the armor's price is required. To add them to shields, it costs two gold coins.
Helmets
Helmets come in all different shapes and sizes and help prevent damage to your head. When your head would normally take damage, the helmet takes it based on the head called shots and armor penetration rules. Convert the helmet’s durability to health and subtract the damage from the helmet’s health. If the helmet’s health (durability) reaches zero, it breaks. See armor penetration in the game rules chapter for more information.
Shields
There are different shields, each with their own unique ability. The protection offered by shields does not stack on each other.
Attacking with Shields
The skill column indicates the minimum your shield skill needs to be in order to not suffer penalties when using it to attack. If you don’t meet this skill requirement, the standard equipment penalty applies.
Shield Cover
Shields, except for the buckler, can be used as a cover for area of effects. Read the shield’s description to see what kind of cover they provide. See the area of effect section in the game rules chapter for more information.
Shield Defense
To use a shield defensively, you need to have an expertise shield skill to not suffer the standard equipment penalties. Outside of using shields for their passive defense bonus, they can be used with counter actions to avoid attacks for durability. See Combat: Defense in the game rules chapter for more information.
Types of Shields
Buckler
This small shield offers protection while keeping your offhand free. This shield can be worn while dual wielding, but your off-hand attack suffers a -1 when attacking.
Kite/Targe
These two types of shields can be used as weapons besides offering protection. These shields can be used as half cover in area of effects (dual wielding still only grants half cover). The main difference between these two types of shields is that a kite shield can be used while mounted, a targe cannot.
Pavise
This large shield is the height of its wielder. The pavise can provide mobile full cover for area of effect damage and cover. Because of the size of this shield, your movement is reduced by -5ft. when wielding it and it cannot be used when mounted.
The cost and weight of the pavise is based on the height of the character. The cost of the shield equals two gold coins per one foot tall. The weight of the shield equals four pounds per one foot tall of the shield. So, purchasing a six-foot-tall pavise shield would cost twelve gold coins and would weigh twenty-four pounds.
Pavise cost = 2gc per 1ft. tall pavise weight = 4 lbs. per 1ft. tall
Only one pavise can be wielded at a time, and it is not possible to dual wield shields if one is a pavise.
