Armor and Defense
Armor and Defense
Defending yourself is a key part of combat and a variety of factors are involved in determining how hard you and your opponent are to hit. All characters begin with a base DEF of 10 and is improved by armor worn, dexterity, spell effects, special abilities, etc. Listed below are various full armor sets, but keep in mind that you may certainly wear piecemeal armor as well. The DM will come up with an aggregate AC/DEF bonus based on the armor pieces selected
Basic Armor Types
(listed in order of protection, lightest to heaviest)
Padded Armor
Padded armor, also known as quilted armor is generally crafted from fabric and stuffed with heavy batting to diffuse the impact of blows. Most styles of this armor protect only the torso and is generally employed only by poor and unskilled warriors. As such, it is generally only employed by village militia, poor bandit packs and urban gangs or primitive warriors
Leather Armor
Leather armor is one of the most popular armor types due to it being relatively inexpensive and very lightweight. It may be crafted in pieces or as an entire suit and generally requires the leather to be boiled in oil and assembled and shaped as desired. Leather armor requires regular oiling to keep it in good condition, especially in places of inclement weather
Studded Leather Armor
Studded Leather, is simply a variant of leather armor adding metal studs to the armor to better help deflect blows from metal weapons while still maintaining a relatively light and supple protection. As with leather armor, it requires regular maintenance to keep it operation in the best condition, nevertheless this is a popular armor for military scouts
Ring Mail
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Hide Armor
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Brigandine Armor
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Lamellar Armor
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Scale Mail
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Chain Mail
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Banded Mail
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Splint Mail
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Bronze Plate Mail
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Plate Mail
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Field Plate Armor
Leather armor, also known as quilted armor
Full Plate Armor
Full plate armor, also known as gothic plate armor
Basic Full Armor Stats
| Type | Move Mod | Prof | Spec | Base Cost | DEF Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banded Mail | -65% | -33% | -16% | 11GFS | +6 |
| Brigandine | -45% | -23% | -11% | 6GC | +4 |
| Bronze Plate | -70% | -35% | -18% | 5PC | +6 |
| Chain Mail | -55% | -28% | -14% | 75SC | +5 |
| Field Plate | -60% | -30% | -15% | 25PC | +8 |
| Full Plate | -65% | -33% | -16% | 125PC | +9 |
| Hide Armor | -20% | -10% | -5% | 15SC | +4 |
| Lamellar | -40% | -20% | -10% | 15GR | +4 |
| Leather Armor | -10% | -5% | -2% | 8SC | +2 |
| Padded Armor | -5% | -2% | None | 4SC | +2 |
| Plate Mail | -75% | -38% | -19% | 30GC | +7 |
| Ring Mail | -35% | -18% | -9% | 5GC | +3 |
| Scale Mail | -45% | -23% | -11% | 6GC | +4 |
| Splint Mail | -65% | -33% | -16% | 4GC | +6 |
| Studded Leather | -20% | -10% | -5% | 1GFS | +3 |
Armor Pieces
Pieces of armor may be worn instead of a full suit as listed above, depending on the parts chosen an appropriate DEF bonus will be assigned as a subset of a full suit. (i.e. – wearing roughly half a suit of leather armor will provide you with a +1 DEF instead of the full suit bonus of +2, while wearing simply gloves or boots will provide no bonus. Wearing a chain shirt will provide you with a +2 DEF while a plate mail breastplate will provide a +3 DEF, etc.) Also note simplified options below such as “partial” plate mail
- Helm/Helmet (head)
- Gorget/Beaver (neck)
- Pauldron (shoulder)
- Breastplate (chest/back)
- Fauld/Skirt/Tasset (lower abdomen/hips)
- Rerebrace (upper arm)
- Vambrace (lower arm)
- Gauntlet/Glove (hands/wrists)
- Cuisse (upper leg)
- Greave (lower leg)
- Boots/Sabaton (feet/ankles)
Non-Metal Armor Modifications
Light Weight - Light armor versions are made with lighter materials that allow more mobility, but provide less protection. Light armors are one AC factor worse and +10% on the base movement modifier (up to max normal movement) and are 10% of cost
Heavy - Heavy armor versions are made with a variety of reinforcement materials that increase protection, but inhibit movement slightly. Heavy armors are one AC factor better and -10% on the base movement modifier (up to max normal movement) and are +10% of cost
Metal Armor Modifications
Heavy Armor - Reinforced versions made with more durable materials and are often reinforced with lesser materials (i.e. - extra leather under chain.) Reinforced armors are one AC factor better, -15% on the base movement modifier and +20% to cost
Light Weight - Light armor versions are made with lighter alloys that allow more mobility, but provide less resistance to penetration. Light armors are one AC factor worse, +10% on the base movement modifier (up to max normal movement) and are -5% of cost
Partial - Partial armor versions are made up of selected pieces of normal armor (i.e. - chain shirt and skirt, scale sleeves and leggings, etc.) Partial armors are two AC factors worse, +30% on the base movement modifier (up to max normal movement), -10% cost
Plate Armor Modifications (applies only to Bronze Plate, Plate Mail, Field Plate, Full Plate)
Ultra Heavy Armor Ultra reinforced versions are crafted with heavier, more durable plates and are heavily reinforced by under materials, such as chain mail. Ultra-heavy plate armor is two AC factors better, -30% on the base movement modifier, +40% cost
Heavy Armor Reinforced versions made with more durable plates and are of reinforced with lesser materials (i.e. extra leather and light chain.) Reinforced plate armor is one AC factor better, -15% on the base movement modifier and +20% to cost
Partial Partial armor versions are made up of selected plates of normal armor (i.e. breastplate and greaves) Partial plate armor is two AC factors worse, +30% on the base movement modifier (up to max normal movement), -5% cost
Armors of Quality
Superb craftsmanship in armor is available from extraordinary artisans in various countries across the world. Movement restrictions can be compensated, defense can be increased and various custom additions can be made. Finding one of these artisans is simple enough, but getting on their list for custom armor isn’t. Another factor is the time to create suits of armor and of course cost is increased considerably
High Quality Armor - High quality armor can only be crafted by expert armorers. About one out of every two thousand craftsmen are capable of making such armors. They are durable and well balanced, but without proper care can degenerate quickly:
- AC Bonus: -1 (one better)
- Move Factor: +10% (up to max)
- Damage Absorption: 1HP per attack
- Special: High quality armor gains +1 on all it’s saving throws
Ultra High Quality Armor - Ultra high quality armor or specialty armor can only be crafted by the most elite among armorers. About one in every five hundred thousand craftsmen is capable of such work (there are usually only a handful of such craftsmen in any major region). Each suit of armor is crafted especially to the buyers specifications:
- AC Bonus: up to -3
- Move Factor: up to +40% (in 10% increments, up to max)
- Damage Absorption: up to 5HP (maximum 7 options)
- Special: Ultra high quality armor gains +3 on all it’s saving throws
Enchanted Armor - Enchanted armor cannot be bought (at least it is unheard of) it is generally a suit of ultra high quality armor which has been bestowed mana (POWer) and often minor or major magic. They are extremely rare and repair is near impossible (many suits of armor have the Mending spell weaved in to repair itself from damage) without the aid of powerful mages and expert craftsmen. As with weapons, armors are designated with a plus rating with +4 being the maximum (and even more unheard of than a +5 weapon...maybe their’s one suit somewhere???), below is the listing for bonus construction:
+1 Armor
- AC Bonus: up to -3
- Move Factor: up to +40% (in 10% increments, up to max)
- Damage Absorption: up to 5HP (maximum 8 options)
- Special: +1 armor gains +4 on all it’s saving throws
+2 Armor
- AC Bonus: up to -4
- Move Factor: up to +50% (in 10% increments, up to max)
- Damage Absorption: up to 6HP (maximum 10 options)
- Special: +2 armor gains +5 on all it’s saving throws
+3 Armor
- AC Bonus: up to -5
- Move Factor: up to +50% (in 10% increments, up to max)
- Damage Absorption: up to 7HP (maximum 12 options)
- Special: +3 armor gains +6 on all it’s saving throws
+4 Armor
- AC Bonus: up to -6
- Move Factor: up to +60% (in 10% increments, up to max)
- Damage Absorption: up to 8HP (maximum 14 options)
- Special: +4 armor gains +8 on all it’s saving throws
Barding Quality
| Type | Move Modifier | Cost | AC** |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze Plate Barding | -55% | 75GC | 4 |
| Chain Barding | -45% | 25GC | 5 |
| Full Plate Barding | -60% | 125PC | 1 |
| Leather Barding | -15% | 15GR | 8 |
| Plate Barding | -55% | 100GC | 3 |
| Scale Barding | -40% | 50GC | 6 |
Barding Modifications
Reinforced Barding - Reinforced versions are one AC factor better and -15% on movement, +15% cost
Light Barding - Light versions are one AC factor worse and +15% on movement (up to max normal movement), -5% cost
Half Barding - Half versions are two AC factors worse and +40% on movement (up to max normal movement), -15% cost
Barding of Quality
Like armor, excellent craftsmanship in barding is available from exceptional artisans in various countries across the world. Movement restrictions can be compensated, defense can be increased and various custom additions can be made. Cost, however, is increased considerably
**the various barding enhancements are identical to those of the armor listings, including the possibility of enchantment (although these are even more rare than suits of armor...maybe a god out there has some???)