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.

Each time armor reduces the amount of damage inflicted on a character, it suffers the effects of the blow. Armor pieces have their own SP value. Whenever armor stops incoming damage, that damage reduces the remaining SP of the armor. If the armor falls to 0SP, 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 1SP 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.

Like armor, shields can be used to absorb damage, and like armor, they accumulate damage when doing so. The amount of damage they can sustain before being destroyed is a function of their size and material, as shown in Table ??. 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.