Armor and Shields

Armor and Shields are pieces of gear that a character can equip in order to reduce incoming damage during combat. Each piece of this equipment that is available in a character's inventory and is either worn (armor) or equipped (shield) contributes to Armor Points. These, along with some or all of the character's DEX bonus are used to reduce incoming damage.

While numerous circumstances may limit or even prevent the use of the DEX bonus in a damage calculation, worn or equipped armor and shieldls are always taken into consideration. (Even a surprise, sneak attack needs to contend with the plates of steel protecting a noble knight!)

Armor

Armor must be worn (and not merely in the character's inventory) in order for it to contribute its protective effects in combat. Players and Gamemasters need to keep track of whether Armor is currently being worn or simply carried along, as donning it takes time. Two full combat rounds are required in order to put on or take off each piece of armor other than a helmet. The helmet requires only one combat round to don or doff. In cases of emergency, armor can be removed in half the normal time, but doing so requires cutting the straps that affix it to the body, thus rendering it unwearable until it can be repaired.

Some armor types are better than others at absorbing the shocks of incoming attack strikes. This is reflected in the armor's SP Defense value and Armor Points. SP Defense is a measure of how well the armor defends against the weakening effects of ongoing combat. Armor marked "Full" reduce SP or IP loss by the stated Armor Point value. Armor marked "Half" reduce SP damage by 1 point for each 2 Armor Points, and armor with an SP Defense of "None" cannot mitigate any SP drain, though it can still reduce any IP loss. Whenver an attack can result in both SP and IP loss - either because current SP is less than the damage value, or if the attack form specifies immediate IP loss - the Player can choose where to allocate Armor Points to mitigate damage.

Example

Jonbril, a 4th level level character, is in combat with a band of highway bandits. He is wearing Brigandine Armor over a Chain Mail Shirt. He does not have a DEX bonus. The fight has been going on for a few rounds, and he's down to 6SP, but his 14 Injury Points are still intact. The bandit leader is attacking with a magical sword that can do 2d8 slashing damage, but with an additional 1d6 Direct fire damage. An incoming strike to Jonbril indicates the bandit's next strike will deliver 9 points of Slashing and 3 points of Fire damage. Jonbril's two armor items are each "Half" SP Defense. Jonbril's player can choose one of two options:

Apply all armor to stopping SP loss first. Since both items are "Half", a loss of 2 SP can be avoided, but the full 3 Injury Points will be applied.

Apply armor to IP loss first. In this case, 3 of the full 4 points can be used to stop the IP loss, and the "leftover" 1 Armor Point can mitigate 1 point of SP loss. This is probably the best choice, unless Jonbril needs that one extra SP to cast a spell in his next turn!

Each time armor reduces any type of damage inflicted on a character, it suffers the effects of the blow. Armor pieces have a Durability value to measure their ability to sustain damage. Whenever armor stops incoming damage, that damage reduces the remaining SP of the armor. If the armor falls to 0 Durability, it is destroyed, and cannot be repaired. Otherwise, armor can be repaired by anyone with the appropriate crafting skill for working with the material the armor is constructed from. The base cost of doing so is 1cp per restored Stamina Point if the character is doing the work themselves, or 1sp per restored Stamina Point if the repairs are being done by an NPC craftsperson. Armor that has been rapidly removed (cut off) is assumed to be reduced to 1 in remaining Durability.

Shields

Shields are designed to either be strapped onto an arm, or they require that an arm be slipped through one or more loops (enarmes) before gripping the last one to hold and control the shield. As a result, it requires a full combat turn to ready a shield if it not already being worn or wielded. Likewise, it requires a full combat turn action to drop a shield to free the arm for other purpose.

Shields are capable of significant protection from injury, but since they must be actively wielded - a character must constantly parry with the shield - they do not reduce Stamina Losses during combat. Their Armor Points are not considered when applying Stamina Point losses in combat. They do, however, prevent more Injury Damage than any other armor option - often mitigating IP loss completely (at least until they are destroyed.).

Repairing damage to shields is done in the same manner as armor.

Shields come in all shapes and sizes, but for simplicity's sake, they are categorized as small (buckler), medium, or large (tower). It is up to the player to describe the exact shape of their chosen shield: round, kite-shaped, or anything else that makes sense.

Basic stats for Armor and Shield are found in table ?? below. Detailed descriptions of Armor and Shields can be found in the Appendix.