Armor and Shields

Armor varies from region to region, and particularly from use to use. The traditional D&D equipment list provides a 'standard AC' for the entire body, for example, and is easiest to use during play. However, some characters require more precision for accuracy's sakes. Sailors and airshipmen value torso-only armor, for example, and eschew heavy leggings and other components that can't be removed if necessary. For them, light armors take the form of jerkins and gambesons. Medium armors include lamellar armor and short, sleeveless mail hauberks. The heaviest armors are cuirasses, consisting of a breast and back plate that can be easily cut off when a sailor falls into the water or has to climb in the riggings or swing between ships during a boarding or other emergency.

Professional soldiers, gladiators, and warriors, meanwhile, wear additional armor on legs, arms, hands, feet, and head to protect against the occasional targeted attack to their limbs and head, and shields and skirts to provide additional protection when needed. The traditional D&D equipment list provides a 'standard AC' for the entire body, but for more precision, characters may choose to wear armored sleeves, greaves, leggings, and helms to provide additional protection to their extremities.

In addition to the protective qualities as defined by armor, you may enjoy other benefits from wearing a suit of armor or suffer from certain penalties. Except as noted, whenever you are wearing armor, you are subject to all of its traits.

Absorbent. The armor is padded with thick batting made from special absorbent fibers. This tends to wipe clean any sharp objects that penetrate it. The wearer of this armor has resistance to poison damage from poison-coated weapons, but not from the fangs of creatures that inject their venom as they bite.

Armor Proficiency. Anyone can put on a suit of armor or strap a Shield to an arm. Only those proficient in the armor’s use know how to wear it effectively, however. Your class gives you proficiency with certain types of armor. If you wear armor that you lack proficiency with, you have disadvantage on any ability check, saving throw, or Attack roll that involves Strength or Dexterity, and you can’t cast Spells.

Attunement (Prerequisite). You must form a bond with this armor before you can benefit from its magical properties. Until you have attuned the armor as described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (Pg. 137-138), you cannot benefit from any of the item’s Magic traits (see below). If there are specific prerequisites before the item can be attuned, they are listed in parentheses.

Bulletproof (#). You take X less damage from piercing damage from firearms when attacked by an area covered by this armor. This may be stacked with Resistance or Vulnerability.

Cold-Weather. Treat temperatures as # levels hotter when worn.

Covers (Area). By default, armors cover the full body with the same AC regardless of hit location; however, less expensive or lighter armor options are available by providing less protection to the limbs, extremities, and/or head. Alternately, gladiators and warriors on a budget may buy or acquire pieces of armor that differ in protective quality for different portions of their body. Standard areas to cover are the Torso, Arm, Leg, Hand, Foot, and Head. The torso can be struck normally and is assumed to be the standard target of an attack; striking at other (presumably less well protected) areas requires an attack at disadvantage. Cloaks specifically cover the Back (the back half of the torso), and technically breastplates should only cover the Front (the front half of the torso), which may affect AC due to positioning at the GM's option.

Cuttable. The armor is held together with cords or straps that are easy to cut. As an action, you can use a knife or light slashing weapon to cut the armor off. Once cut, the armor cannot be worn until it is repaired at nominal expense or with smith’s tools or leatherworker’s tools.

Durable (#). You take X less damage from nonmagical weapons (piercing, bludgeoning, slashing or as specified) when attacked by an area covered by this armor. This may be stacked with Resistance or Vulnerability.

Efficient. This suit of armor is cunningly designed to be much easier to put on or remove. Halve the normal time necessary to don or doff such armor.

Enclosed. This armor’s design mostly encloses the body with protective materials that are impervious to liquid. The wearer has resistance to damage from any liquid splashed on her, including contact poisons, defoliant, holy water, and the like. Caustic substances like acid and alchemist’s fire are not affected because their damage does not rely on absorption through the skin or a mystical reaction caused by contact with the flesh.

Enhancing (Skill). You gain advantage on ability checks that involve the listed skill.

Ersatz. If the wearer of this armor suffers a critical hit, and it was not delivered by a weapon with the ersatz weapon property, the armor sustains significant damage. For every such hit, the armor suffers a permanent and cumulative –1 penalty to the AC it offers. Armor reduced to a protective rating of 10 is destroyed. A crafter using the applicable artisan’s tools can repair this armor if it has not yet been destroyed. Each –1 penalty applied is repaired at a cost of 5% of the armor’s charted value.

Exceptional (+1/+2/+3). Your Armor Class is increased by the listed bonus.

Flexible. This armor is not rigid and does not fully deflect the force of blows; if it is also Durable, you always must take at least one point of damage per damage die regardless of how Durable it is.

Floats. This armor floats in water, and can carry a person up to thirty feet per round towards the surface assuming they aren't actively resisting. If a user is wearing an item that Floats and a Leaden item the Leaden item wins out until removed.

Focus. This item can be used as a magical spell focus, and provides a bonus as listed in its parentheses to all spellcasting efforts.

Fragile. On suffering a critical hit, this armor breaks (shield first, if there is a question of priority), reducing its Armor Class bonus by 1 to a minimum of 10/+0.

Freehand. The shield is small and secured only by a wrist guard. You do not have to loose or stow your shield to use your shield hand for something else. If you make an attack with a weapon using both hands while wearing this shield or take an action that involves both hands on your turn, you do not benefit from the shield’s Armor Class until the start of your next turn.

Hardened. The plating of this armor is particularly resistant to forceful penetration; the wearer’s Armor Class is not penalized for attacks made with the breach weapon property. To be fully protected, a shield-bearing character must have this property on both her armor and her shield, since the breach property can apply to either one.

Hot-Weather. Treat temperatures as # levels colder when worn.

Impeding (Skill). You suffer disadvantage on ability checks that involve the listed skill.

Immunity (Type). You gain immunity to the specified damage type while this armor is worn.

Inferior. Your Armor Class is reduced by one point. Halve standard value.

Layer (Under/Over). You can simultaneously wear a suit of armor with the Layer (Under) trait and the Layer (Over) trait at the same time. You only benefit from the Armor Class of one of the suits of armor, but you benefit from and suffer from the traits of both types of armor.

Layered. Rather than relying upon a single layer of protective material, this armor uses multiple protective layers cleverly constructed to divert and trap missiles (or their fragments) that would otherwise stick in the wearer’s body. Attacks with cruel weapons do not stick in the armor wearer or leave behind pieces that must be removed. A harpoon requires at least 10 points of damage for it to bind and restrain the armor wearer.

Leaden. You cannot swim while wearing this armor and sink in the water. If you have a swimming speed, it is reduced to 0.

Lightweight. This armor is constructed with expensive, lighter materials. Light or medium armor reduces its weight by 4 pounds and removes the disadvantage modifier to Dexterity (Stealth) checks, if any. Heavy armor reduces its weight by 10 pounds and removes the Strength requirement. A lightweight shield halves its weight and removes the Strength requirement, if any.

Magic (Trait). The armor is magical and the listed trait is the result of the armor’s enchantment. The armor can be detected with the detect magic spell or similar abilities and its traits can be identified with the identify spell or with study during a short rest.

Masterwork. A masterwork suit of armor has 1 additional armor property that the armor does not already possess: Any masterwork suit of armor can add the absorbent, efficient, enclosed, layered, lightweight, quick-escape, or reinforced armor property. A masterwork suit of heavy armor may instead add the hardened armor property. A masterwork buckler, pavise, shield, or tower shield can only add the hardened or lightweight armor property. A masterwork suit of light or medium armor costs 150 gp more than a standard version, as does a masterwork shield of any sort. A masterwork suit of heavy armor or a masterwork weapon costs an additional 300 gp.

Quick-Escape. This suit of armor, or its bulkiest portions, can be removed with a single action. This is advantageous when the armor might inhibit the wearer’s swimming, or it has been affected by a heat metal spell. Donning the suit is no faster than normal.

Reinforced. This armor redoubles its protection over certain vulnerable spots. Weapon attacks made against the wearer do not benefit from the deadly or high-critical weapon properties.

Resistant (Type). You gain resistance to the specified damage type while this armor is worn.

Skirt. A skirt can be worn over leggings to provide additional protection to the leg area (higher AC) based on its bonus, much like a shield can improve the overall AC of the target.

Spiked. This armor is covered in small metal spikes designed to jab and poke at anyone attempting to restrain the user. If a Grapple is attempted against the wearer, the wearer has advantage, and inflicts 1d3 points of piercing damage on the grappler. Spiked gauntlets convert unarmed damage to 1d4 or add 1d4 damage if greater than 1 point before Strength modifiers.

Strength Requirement. If the Armor table shows “Str #” in the Strength column for an armor type, the armor reduces the wearer’s speed by 10 feet unless the wearer has a Strength score equal to or higher than the listed score.

Vulnerable (Type). You are vulnerable to the specified damage type while this armor is worn.

While the wealthy often have their armors custom made and fitted, most people make do with whatever they can find, but armor sized for members of a particular race can generally not be worn by others. Note however that just because the name of the armor includes a particular race, that doesn’t mean the suit of armor is sized for members of that race. Elven gambesons can be made for humans or even halflings and the dwarves will make armor for humans. Unless it is noted otherwise, any armor found during your adventures is sized for the race that is wearing it or for humans.

Dwarves can only wear armor sized for dwarves. Elves can only wear armor sized for elves. Humans can only wear armor sized for humans. Halflings can only wear armor sized for halflings. Half-elves can generally manage to wear armor sized for either elves or humans. Other humanoids may require armor sized for them, or can scrounge human armor of an appropriate build.

Armor can be resized without damaging any of its normal or magical properties using smith’s tools or leatherworker’s tools or by paying an armorer or leatherworker to perform the service. It generally only takes a single day and 50 gp worth of materials.

Armor and weapons are sometimes ornamented. This might mean the addition of precious metals and gemstones or intricate inlays and engraving. It takes a skilled smith, one proficient with smith’s tools (and jeweler’s tools, in the case of adding gemstones), to create such ornamentation without making the armament less effective. The value of ornamentation varies based on the techniques and materials applied. If at least 50 gp of ornamentation is added to a weapon or suit of armor, the item becomes a work of art and can be resold for its full value—i.e., the full value of the armament plus the full additional value spent for ornamentation. If less than 50 gp of ornamentation is applied, the resell value is equal to half the armament’s value plus the full additional value spent for ornamentation.

Sometimes adventurers end up wearing armor of different sorts on various parts of their bodies. More often, this system comes into play with monsters; perhaps humanoids scavenged armor from the corpses on a battlefield, or perhaps undead still wear the shredded vestiges of the armor they had in life.

A humanoid has five regions of armor coverage: the torso and four limbs. Armor over these regions provides a cumulative “armor grade,” which affects the wearer’s Armor Class. The following armor grades apply to each limb piece. (A torso provides double these values.)

• Light: padded (0.2), leather (0.2), leather scale (0.4), studded leather (0.4)
• Medium: layered furs (0.4), hide (0.4), brigandine (0.5), chain shirt (0.5), scale mail (0.7), coin armor (0.7), breastplate (0.7), half plate (0.9)
• Heavy: ring mail (0.7), banded mail (0.9), chain mail (1.0), splint (1.2), plate (1.4).

A piecemeal suit of armor provides the wearer with a base Armor Class of 10 + total armor grade, rounded down.

With certain configurations, a character can apply some or all her Dexterity modifier to her Armor Class: A character wearing no more than one medium limb piece can add her Dexterity modifier to her Armor Class. This does not apply to a character wearing a medium torso or any heavy piece. A character wearing this suit is treated as wearing light armor.

A character that does not qualify for the above benefit can add her Dexterity modifier to her Armor Class, to a maximum bonus of +2, if wearing no more than one heavy limb piece. This does not apply to a character wearing a heavy torso. A character wearing this suit is treated as wearing medium armor.

A character wearing a heavy torso, or at least two heavy limb pieces, does not add her Dexterity modifier to her Armor Class if it is positive. She does not add a negative modifier to Armor Class if wearing three heavy limbs, or a heavy torso and one heavy limb. A character wearing this suit is treated as wearing heavy armor.

A piecemeal armor suit applies disadvantage on Stealth checks if it includes the torso of an armor suit that normally provides this penalty, or it includes at least two limb pieces that normally provide this penalty.

A piecemeal armor suit has a “Str 13” requirement if the torso or any two or more of the limbs require any Strength requirement. The requirement is instead “Str 15” if the torso or any two or more limbs have the “Str 15” requirement.

Each limb of a piecemeal suit weighs one-sixth of a normal suit’s total weight. A torso weighs twice as much as a limb. Armor pieces can be found piecemeal, but are never sold that way.

Limited Stock: Can often be found even in locations under hardship or difficulty, or small shops with limited stock in trade.

Rural Location: Can be found in rural locations such as typical villages.

Urban Location: Can be found in urban locations such as cities.

Premium Location: High-end stores within an urban location that sell the best gear.

The following armors are commonly available in Arcydea. They can be made for a wearer in short order for members of any race. Some items may be limited in stock depending on location; urban locales have better selections than rural stores or the peddler's cart, for example, and tech armor is rare outside of highly advanced technological civilizations and Artifacts and Crafts stores.

Normal clothing offers no special protection and requires no proficiency to wear, but it can be enhanced and may have magical traits and so is listed for completeness.

Clothes, Common: This set of clothes could consist of a loose shirt and baggy breeches, or a loose shirt and skirt or overdress. Cloth wrappings are used for shoes. 5 sp, 3 lb.

Clothes, Costume: This set of clothes is fashioned after a particular costume, typically meant for entertaining. 5 gp, 4 lb.

Clothes, Fine: This set of clothes is designed specifically to be expensive and to show it, including fancy, tailored clothes in whatever fashion happens to be the current style in the courts of the nobles. Precious metals and gems could be worked into the clothing at additional cost. 15 gp, 6 lb.

Clothes, Traveler's: This set of clothes could consist of boots, a wool skirt or breeches, a sturdy belt, a shirt (perhaps with a vest or jacket), and an ample cloak with a hood. 2 gp, 4 lb.

Clothes, Traveler's, Coddleweb: This amazingly light and airy set of clothes consists of boots, coddleweb breeches and shirt, a sturdy belt and an ample cloak with hood. 400 gp, 1 lb.

Clothes, Cold Weather: Thick clothing including a coat, gloves, a scarf, a possibly furred cloak or hat, woolen stockings, and thick boots. While wearing these clothes, you have advantage on saving throws to resist the effects of cold weather. Additionally, you have disadvantage on saving throws to resist the effects of hot weather. 10 gp, 8 lb.

Clothes, Courtier: Clothes that would be considered the height of fashion in the noble sphere. These clothes may include a cape or skirt; a silken shirt, bodice, or doublet; and an ostentatious hat. 50 gp, 5 lb.

Clothes, Hot Weather: Light, airy clothes, accompanied with sandals or slippers, and possibly a wide-brimmed hat or scarf. While wearing these clothes, you have advantage on saving throws to resist the effects of hot weather. Additionally, you have disadvantage on saving throws to resist the effects of cold weather. 10 gp, 2 lb.

Clothes, Livery: Livery is the loaned uniform of an official servant. The outfit is often brightly coloured and emblazoned with or adorned by the actual owner's heraldry. Extremely prestigious livery clothes include a livery collar; a decorative gold chain from which a livery badge may be hung, as opposed to attaching it to the clothes directly. Most official uniforms, including those worn by nobility such as Dukes, are livery given to them by their superiors. Some important military units, such as knights, may be awarded livery as well, which is typically emblazoned after their own coat of arms. 30 gp, 6 lb.

Clothes, Work: A practical, durable outfit, consisting primarily of trousers, boots or shoes, a common shirt, a tabard or apron, a belt, and occasionally a pair of gloves. The tabard or apron is intended to protect the wearer from the filth and grime of the work being done. 1 gp, 3 lb.

Canvas Cloak: A unlined travelers cloak made of canvas or light cotton fabric. Common colors are black, brown or grey, but other colors are also available. It covers your entire torso and ends at the knee. This can be worn over clothes and armor. 7 sp, 3 lb.

Leather Cloak: A unlined travelers cloak made of leather. Common colors are black, brown or grey, but other colors are also available. It covers your entire torso and ends at the knee. This can be worn over clothes and armor. 2 gp, 5 lb.

Lined Leather Cloak: A travelers cloak made of leather and lined with fur. This provides some protection against the effects of cold temperatures, as described in the Temperature and Weather Rules section. Common colors are black, brown or grey, but other colors are also available. It covers your entire torso and ends at the knee. This can be worn over clothes and armor. 4 gp, 7 lb.

Robes: A standard set of robes. 1 gp, 4 lb.

Made from supple and thin materials, Light Armor favors agile adventurers since it offers some Protection without sacrificing mobility. Typically, if you wear Light Armor, you add your Dexterity modifier to the base number from your armor type to determine your Armor Class.

Quilted Gambeson. A medium-length, sleeveless tunic made of padded and quilted canvas. It is normally dyed in bright colors.

Elven Gambeson. A medium-length, sleeveless, quilted tunic with an outer layer of durable elven silk and an inner layer of flexible cotton fabric. The padding is thin and light, but durable. It is normally richly embroidered and colored in cool, subtle colors.

Corkwood Vest. This vest is incredibly lightweight for its size, and offers a modicum of basic protection. It also floats to the surface (barring being weighted down by something incredibly heavy or Leaden), making it a literal lifesaver for sailors at sea.

Rattanweave Jerkin. A thick vest or jacket made of woven palm cord. Generally pale white or tan and doesn’t take dye well.

Boarhide Jerkin. A thick vest made of oiled boarhide.

Reedwood Vest. Thin bits of durable, hollow stems called reedwood or bamboo, are sewn together into sheets and fixed to a layer of canvas. The armor is usually painted or enameled and makes a telltale clattering noise when the wearer moves.

Mantaskin Jerkin. Giant, gliding seawings swim the seas. These giant rays have surprisingly strong, flexible hides. The dark gray, spiny hide can be stripped, cured, and turned into protective vests.

Drakehide Jerkin. While reptilian drakes are common throughout Arcydea, only the largest, most powerful, and most dangerous varieties of drakes can provide enough durable materials to produce even a small jerkin. But this armor, if made properly, can afford some of the best protection around and it sometimes retains magical properties.

Padded Armor. Padded Armor consists of quilted layers of cloth and batting.

Leather Armor. The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by being boiled in oil. The rest of the armor is made of softer and more flexible materials.

Leather Scale. A torso and shoulder covering made of stiff, overlapping scales of treated leather.

Studded Leather. Made from tough but flexible leather, studded leather is reinforced with close-set rivets or spikes.

Biker Suit. A high-tech solution to keep competitive vehicle riders alive, whether the chosen vehicle is steampunk or cyberpunk in nature. Often worn with a Biker Helmet.

Biker Helmet. A durable high-tech piece of kit meant to keep one's skull intact during sudden impacts.

Ballistic Fiber Vest. A high-tech ballistic fiber vest that keeps sharp objects out.

Coddleweb Fiber Vest. A hyper-dense coddleweb fiber vest that keeps sharp objects out.

Refractive Fiber Vest. A high-tech refractive fiber vest that keeps sources of extreme temperatures from injuring the wearer, although not sufficient for long-term protection.

Leather Skirt. A leather skirt that can be worn over existing leg armor in order to provide additional protection to the legs.

Medium Armor offers more protection than Light Armor, but it also impairs movement more. Typically, if you wear Medium armor, you add your Dexterity modifier, to a maximum of +2, to the base number from your armor type to determine your Armor Class. Armor to extremities that is particularly bulky may qualify as Medium Armor for purposes of determining effects on Move, etc.

Boarhide Lamellar. A short-sleeved coat made of numerous squares of cured, hardened, and oiled boarhide sewn together over a canvas backing to produce a flexible, chessboard-like coat of leather tiles.

Bronze Mail Hauberk. A short, sleevless tunic made of interlocked bronze rings or links.

Bronzewood Lamellar. An elven lamellar armor made of numerous squares of specially treated and prepared wood sewn together over a cotton fabric backing to produce a flexible, chessboard-like coat of wooden tiles. The name comes from the slightly glossy bronze appearance of the wood after the hardening treatment, though it is often enameled or painted.

Brigandine Hauberk. A fabric coat with metal plates sewn inside to provide additional protection.

Steel Mail Hauberk. A short, sleeveless tunic made of interlocked steel rings or links.

Mithril Mail Hauberk. Though mithril veins are not plentiful on Arcydea, miners have discovered veins of silver-blue mithril in Avel'Nikash and in isolated Backwaters. This short, sleeveless tunic is made of interlocked rings or chain links of silvery-blue mithril.

Drakescale Hauberk. While reptilian drakes are common in Arcydea, only the largest, most powerful, and most dangerous varieties of drakes can provide enough durable materials to produce armor. This armor is carefully produced by stripping and curing individual scales from the largest and most dangerous of drakes and sewing them to a backing of canvas to produce a short, sleeveless tunic that looks distinctly like dragonhide.

Dwarven Coin Lamellar. A uniquely dwarven construction made of small hexagonal tiles of dwarven steel sewn together over a leather backing to produce a lamellar coat of surpassing protection. The construction is painstaking but it produces a lighter, more flexible armor than a full cuirass or suit of dwarven steel.

Hid⁠e Armor. This crude armor consists of thick furs and pelts. It is commonly worn by barbarian tribes, evil humanoids, and other folk who lack access to the tools and materials needed to create better armor.

Chain⁠ S⁠hirt. Made of interlocking metal rings, a Chain Shirt is worn between layers of clothing or leather. This armor offers modest protection to the wearer’s upper body and allows the sound of the rings rubbing against one another to be muffled by outer layers.

Scale M⁠ail. This armor consists of a coat and leggings (and perhaps a separate skirt) of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish. The suit includes gauntlets.

Breastp⁠late. This armor consists of a fitted metal chest piece worn with supple leather. Although it leaves the legs and arms relatively unprotected, this armor provides good protection for the wearer’s vital organs while leaving the wearer relatively unencumbered.

Half⁠ Plate. Half Plate consists of shaped metal plates that cover most of the wearer’s body. It does not include leg Protection beyond simple greaves that are attached with leather straps.

Reactive Mail Armor. This high-tech armor development protects against slashing damage, in part because its reactive mail mesh explodes into shards when struck by a slashing attack (5 foot cone of shrapnel, Dex save vs DC 15 or take 2d10 slashing damage). This lowers the armor's protective abilities (every three bursts costs 1 AC, and after 10 bursts the reactive mail must be replaced costing half of the armor's price.)

Polymer Segmentata. This reimagined lorica segmentata uses high-impact carbon fiber polymers to make a lightweight, yet highly effective suit of medium armor that won't weigh you down too greatly.

Chainmail Skirt. A chainmail skirt that can be worn over existing leg armor in order to provide additional protection to the legs.

Platemail Skirt. A platemail skirt that can be worn over existing leg armor in order to provide additional protection to the legs.

Of all the armor categories, Heavy Armor offers the best protection. These suits of armor cover the entire body and are designed to stop a wide range of attacks. Only proficient warriors can manage their weight and bulk.

Heavy armor doesn’t let you add your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class, but it also doesn’t penalize you if your Dexterity modifier is negative.

Boiled Leather Cuirass. A breastplate and backplate made of several layers of specially cured and hardened boarhide riveted together. The leather is inflexible and rigid and almost as unyielding as bronze or copper.

Bronze Cuirass. A carefully beaten bronze breastplate and backplate strapped together over the shoulders and at the waist.

Steel Cuirass. A forged steel breastplate and backplate with padded straps holding the plates together over the shoulders and at the waist.

Mithril Cuirass. Technically, not mithril, but rather a steel and mithril alloy, it nonetheless retains the bluish-silver color of mithril, and the lighter weight. The forged breastplate and backplate are strapped together over the shoulders and around the waist.

Drakehorn Cuirass. The largest and most dangerous varieties of drakes in Arcydea often sport bony frills, backplates, shoulder plates, and other adornments. The right combination of these can be combined to create rigid layered breastplates and backplates. Though heavy and rigid, drakehorn armors are also more durable than most metals.

Adamant Cuirass. While iron and other metals are not overly commonly worn amongst sailors, veins of unusual materials have been found by miners, especially the deep-delving hill dwarves. This includes the rare, dull grayish-black adamant. Of surpassing hardness, durability, only dwarven forges can generally reach the precise high temperatures needed to work adamant without ruining it. But those master smiths can produce expertly forged breastplates and backplates of adamant with thickly padded straps that distribute the weight of the armor evenly over the shoulders and back.

Ring⁠ Mail. This armor is leather armor with heavy rings sewn into it. The rings help reinforce the armor against blows from swords and axes. Ring Mail is inferior to Chain Mail, and it's usually worn only by those who can’t afford better armor.

Chain⁠ Mail. Made of interlocking metal rings, Chain Mail includes a layer of quilted fabric worn underneath the mail to prevent chafing and to cushion the impact of blows. The suit includes gauntlets.

Splint Mail. This armor is made of narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a backing of leather that is worn over cloth padding. Flexible chain mail protects the joints.

Plate Mail. Plate consists of shaped, interlocking metal plates to cover the entire body. A suit of plate includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and thick layers of padding underneath the armor. Buckles and straps distribute the weight over the body.

Polymer Clamshell Armor. A heavy polymer clamshell that encumbers the wearer, but protects very well and doesn't sink in water as easily as most armors.

Hardened Steel Carapace. A reinforced steel carapace that acts as full body armor and provides added protection against slashing and piercing weapons.

Undersea Traversal Suit. A full armor suit designed for walking underwater, this provides air to breathe and is slow to move in, but protects well against underwater hazards.

Arctic Mana Suit. Designed for the extreme wastelands of arctic environments where mana is nonexistent, this suit is both well insulated and has internal mana generation systems so that users can still cast. However, its use as armor is limited.

Rattanweave Shield. A lightweight shield made of woven palm cord. Generally pale white or tan and doesn’t take dye well.

Boarhide Buckler. A light buckler made of oiled boarhide that can be handled easily.

Bronze Buckler. A sturdy shield made of bronze, easily carried but vulnerable to lightning strikes.

Shield Focus. A larger shield that includes a magical casting focus.

Large Shield. A large shield that is strapped to the arm and held in the hand to actively block with.

Tech armor is a hodgepodge of technologically-based armor options that don't quite fit in with the normal medieval armor dynamic; one must generally have a familiarity with certain technologies to adapt to their usage.

Rad Suit. A technological masterpiece that protects the wearer against the harmful effects of certain types of radiation (specifically, radiant and necrotic damage), but is somewhat bulky and not very good armor against most other attacks.

Deflection Armor. A powered technological armor that provides excellent protection while the suit has power, but loses most of it once the power is out. Power regenerates at the rate of one point per hour in a normal mana environment.

Augmented Flight Suit. Lovingly nicknamed the Ironman suit by those who recognize its origins, this is a full-body steel carapace that has flight jets built into the back, allowing it to effectively provide a fly speed of 30 (hover) to the wearer and a force bolt generator in the right arm (treat as a firebolt that inflicts force damage) in addition to its defensive capabilities.

Concealable Vest. Standard issue in many police forces, this vest provides maximum protection in a garment that can be worn all day long under regular clothing. While it may go unnoticed by a quick glance, it is usually visible to anyone looking closely for it.

Forced Entry Unit. The most powerful protection available is built into this suit, which consists of a heavy torso jacket with ceramic plates over the chest and back, neck and groin guards, arm protection and a helmet. Heavy and cumbersome, this armor is generally only donned by tactical officers heading into a dangerous assault.

Land Warrior Armor. It is designed to improve the connectivity and combat effectiveness of combat personnel in the army. Improvements include modernized body armor, a helmet with a mounted flashlight, integrated communication systems, and a special eye monitor (infrared goggles). Leather Jacket. This armor is represented by a heavy leather biker's jacket.

Light-duty Vest. A lightweight tactical vest designed for extended use by riot police and forces on alert for potential attack, this armor sacrifices a degree of protection for a modicum of comfort—at least compared to other tactical body armors.

Light Undercover Shirt. Designed for deep undercover work in which it's critical that the wearer not appear to be armed or armored, this garment consists of a T-shirt with a band of light protective material sewn in around the lower torso.

Special Response Vest. Built like the tactical vest, but incorporating groin and neck protection as well as a ceramic plate over the chest, this armor provides additional protection in battles against heavily armed opponents.

Tactical Vest. The standard body armor for police tactical units, this vest provides full-torso protection in the toughest flexible protective materials available.

Undercover Vest. Covering a larger area of the torso, this vest provides better protection than the light undercover shirt —but it’s also more easily noticed. It’s best used when the armor should remain unseen but the wearer doesn’t expect to face much scrutiny.