Armor

From cloth to steel, a creature's armor is a creature's second skin. The one who wears the finest is usually the one who walks away. The one who don't, either need to be quicker than their opponent's blade or perish by it.

Armor has a variety of types and designs, most frequently used layered on top of each other. These categories, light, medium and heavy armor, are layered in successive order upon each other, and make up the bulk of the armor a creature uses, except shields.

The following section describes the concepts that make up armor and how proficiency with it works. If a character wants an armor custom made, they follow each step, otherwise they can find a list in the end of the section with a list of examples for armors.

Armor Proficiency

Anyone can put on a suit of armor or strap a shield to an arm, but only those proficient in the armor's use know how to wear and use it effectively. For each armor category that you lack proficiency with, the following effects apply:

• Your Dexterity score is reduced by 1.
• Your spells that require the somatic component, also requires a DL 5 + (5 for each armor piece without proficiency) Spellcasting Ability (Sleight of Hand) check.
• The weight of the armor piece is increased by 1.5x when it's equipped.

Armor Level

→ Armor Level

Determines your characters ability to avoid taking damage.

Armor Level = 10 + your AL bonus from your armor + your Dexterity modifier

Armor however may reduce your Dexterity score when putting on the heavier kind.

Armor Category

The armor categories light armor, medium armor and heavy armor, are the defining factor for the general defensive capabilities of an armor piece. These are layered from light to heavy, and increase in weight and coverage as you layer them. Additionally, a shield can be used in combination with the armor piece, ranging from a light to heavy framework.

Armor categories define the following statistics for an armor piece:

Cost (gp)	The cost of the armor.
Weight (lbs)	The weight of the armor.
Armor AL (Armor Level)	The added AL to your Armor Level from your armor.
Dexterity Reduction	The reduction of Dexterity score from wearing the armor.
Don/Doff Times	The time it takes to put on or take off the armor. Any time below 6 seconds requires only a free item interaction.
Skill Impediment	The stacking skill disadvantage from wielding more armor. For each level of skill impediment, you gain disadvantage with the following skills, starting with and in order from: Sleight of Hand Acrobatics Stealth Athletics Perception

Light Armor

Light armor is the armor directly in contact with the body. It is often the most important piece of armor one can have in combat, reducing the damage one takes from most physical attacks. The armor is usually made of thick layers of clothing, but might for different reason be made of other materials too, either exclusive silks or hardened leather. It is also often easier to conceal under civilian clothing and used under external armor.

Medium armor

Medium armor is a layer of protection on top of light armor, made to further increase the defensive capabilities of the wearer, mainly by filling in the weaknesses of light armor, like further protection against slashing weapons. It is often made with steel in the form of chain mail. However, replacements like brigandine exists, but they also limit the possiblity of heavy armor use.

Heavy Armor

Heavy armor, the last layer of protection a wearer might choose to wear. It maximizes defenses and minimizes risks, however it may impose some difficulties in certain environments, most often social ones. The apparency of war is often hard to conceal. Heavy armor ranges from cuirasses to full suits of plate armour.

Armor Table

	Cost (gp)	Weight (lbs)	Armor AL	Dex. Reduc.	Don / Doff Time	Skill Imped.	Other Effects
Light	5	4	+1	+0	12 / 6 seconds	No	-
Medium	50	10	+1	+0	30 / 15 seconds	Yes	Disadvantage on contests against exhaustion effects due to extreme heat.
Heavy	150	18	+1	-1	6 / 2 minutes	Yes	Disadvantage on contests against exhaustion effects due to extreme heat.

Armor Quality

The difference between simple and martial armor is their effectiveness. Simply put, simple armors are generally made by peasants, amateurs or with subpar materials, while martial armor is made with fine materials, by an artisan, specifically for warfare and combat. A masterwork, is martial armor that is beyond any normal production. These are often found worn by nobles, elite armies and guards or experienced adventurers who have the gold to spend.

Quality	Cost (gp)	AL	Don / Doff Time
Simple	1x	+0	1x
Martial	5x	+1	2x
Masterwork	25x	+2	2x

Frameworks

While the three types of armor categories tries to pin down three main categories, the armor framework further specifies these categories. The armor framework can either be defensive or agile, or neither. It can also allow for unique, special or exotic frameworks to be used in the armor's construction.

Light Armor Frameworks

By using more layers of cloth or more covering designs, or both, light armor can be made to be a more protective, especially against slashing and piercing objects.

On the other hand, light armors can be made with weight and ease of use in mind. At the cost of protection, slimmer designs with intricate weaves and layers can be made, still able to catch blades, spears and arrows.

Framework	Cost (gp)	Weight (lbs)	Armor AL	Dex. Reduc.	Don / Doff Time	Skill Imped.	Other Effects
Stuffy	2x	2x	+1	-1	-	Yes	Advantage on contests against exhaustion effects due to extreme cold. Disadvantage on contests against exhaustion effects due to extreme heat. Weight tripled when soaked.
Slim	3x	0.5x	+0	-	0.5x	No	Indistinguishable from common clothing.

Medium Armor Frameworks

By extending the coverage of your armor or efficiently allocating armor to the most vital parts, you can change the dynamic of your medium armor. Either way, each focus has its own batch of benefits and problems.

Framework	Cost (gp)	Weight (lbs)	Armor AL	Dex. Reduc.	Don / Doff Time	Skill Imped.	Other Effects
Coifed	2x	2x	+1	-1	2x	Yes	-
Lightweight	3x	0.5x	+0	-	0.5x	No	No disadvantage for contests against extreme heat (removing the feature from the Armor Category).

Heavy Armor Frameworks

Heavy armor is the last piece of the ensemble of a full suit of armor one can wear, and the frameworks play a major part in how much protection they grant, how difficult they are to put on, and how much they weigh. However, regardless if one wants a more protective fit or not, the pieces are almost always tailored to one's fit. Additionally, they're often bulky, making it difficult to easily store the pieces.

Framework	Cost (gp)	Weight (lbs)	Armor AL	Dex. Reduc.	Don / Doff Time	Skill Imped.	Other Effects
Full Cover	2x	2x	+1	-1	3x	Yes	Don & Doff times are reduced to 1/4 when another creature is helping (3/4 with the base increase from Full Cover).
Agile	3x	0.5x	+0	-	0.5x	No	-

Shield Framework

Shields come in many variants, filling many roles. Some are used in single one to one combat, and others in large scale formations. Some are used by archers and crossbowmen, and others in light skirmishes. The framework of the shield determines the general role your shield plays on the battlefield, beyond just protection.

Framework	Cost (gp)	Weight (lbs)	Armor AL	Dex. Reduc.	Don / Doff Time	Skill Imped.	Maneuvers	Other Effects
Buckler	1x	0.5x	-1	-	0.5x	No	Parry Riposte	You can don/doff the Buckler for free when you don/doff a weapon. Only come in martial or higher quality. Simple quality results in +0 AL shield.
Heater	5x	1x	-1	-	1x	No	Avert Blow Parry	The AL bonus added to your Armor Level from the shield can extend over the AL limit of 20. Only come in martial or higher quality. Simple quality results in +0 AL shield.
Round	3x	1x	+0	-	0.5x	No	Avert Blow Bait and Switch Brace Shield Bash	-
Kite	3x	1.5x	+0	-1	1x	Yes	Avert Blow Brace	While donned, your base speed is reduced by 5 ft. The kite shield's AL bonus works as a cover bonus (bonus to both AL and Reflex contests). This cover bonus to AL still can't exceed the maximum AL provided by shields.
Formation (Hoplon, Scutum)	4x	2x	+0	-1	0.5x	Yes	Avert Blow Brace Shield Bash	While donned, your base speed is reduced by 5 ft. The formation shields provide a +2 cover bonus to friendly creatures within 5 ft. if they they also wield a formation shield. Any creature that would gain a cover bonus by standing behind you, gain an additional level of cover bonus. None - Half - Three-quarters - Full