Armor

Armor Qualities

To wear heavier armor effectively, a character can select the Armor Proficiency feats, but most classes are automatically proficient with the armors that work best for them. Heavier armors have a Strength prerequisite (and the heaviest also have a Con prereq). This reflects the sheer weight of all that metal - if you're not strong enough, you suffer penalties while wearing the armor, which stack with those for non-proficient wearers. If a character is wearing armor for which he does not fulfill the prerequisites, he suffers an additional -2 (for medium armor) or -4 (for heavy armor) penalty to attack rolls and all Strength- and Dex-based skill checks. Additionally, if the character is wearing heavy armor and his Con isn't high enough, he must make a Con check every hour he wears the armor (DC 10, +1/point his Con is lower than the minimum, +1/hour) or become fatigued.

Armor and shields can take damage from some types of attacks.

Here is the format for armor entries (given as column headings on Table 1, below).

Cost: The cost of the armor for Small or Medium humanoid creatures. See Armor for Unusual Creatures, below, for armor prices for other creatures.

Armor/Shield Bonus: Each armor grants an armor bonus to AC, while shields grant a shield bonus to AC. The armor bonus from a suit of armor doesn't stack with other effects or items that grant an armor bonus. Similarly, the shield bonus from a shield doesn't stack with other effects that grant a shield bonus.

Dex Penalty: This is a penalty applied to Dex-based skill checks, Reflex saves, and Climb and Jump skills. The penalty counts double for Swim checks. It is also applied to the Dex bonus to AC – it does not penalize the wearer, but cancels out any bonus up to the listed number. For example, someone in breastplate with a Dex bonus up to +4 would gain no advantage for high Dex; a bonus of +5 grants him a +1 bonus to AC. A character wearing armor with which he is not proficient applies the penalty to attack rolls and all skill checks that involve movement, including Ride.

Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, the Dex penalties stack.

Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he is not proficient takes the armor's (and/or shield's) Dex penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength- and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks. The nonproficiency penalties for armor and shields stack.

Sleeping in Armor: A character who sleeps in medium or heavy armor is automatically fatigued the next day. He or she takes a -2 penalty on Strength and Dexterity and can't charge or run. Sleeping in light armor does not cause fatigue.

Concentration Penalty: When wearing armor with which they are not proficient, all spellcasters must make Concentration checks (DC 10 + spell level + armor modifier) to cast spells. The Armored Spellcaster feat reduces the penalties.

Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, add the two numbers together to get a single Concentration penalty.

Max Speed: Medium or heavy armor doesn't slow the wearer down, but it prevents him from moving quickly. The number on Table 1 is the character's maximum run speed while wearing the armor (characters without the Run feat can move at only x4 speed in light armor).

Shields: Shields, except for tower shields, do not affect a character's speed.

Weight: This column gives the weight of the armor sized for a Medium wearer. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armor for Large characters weighs twice as much. See Armor for Unusual Creatures, below, for more details.

Table 1: Armor and Shields

Armor Cost Armor
/Shield Bonus
Dex
Penalty
Conc.
Penalty
Max
Speed
Weight
Light armor
Padded 5 gp +1 +0 -2 x5 10 lb.
Leather 10 gp +2 -1 -2 x5 15 lb.
Studded leather 25 gp +3 -2 -3 x5 20 lb.
Chain shirt 100 gp +4 -3 -5 x5 25 lb.
Medium armor
Hide 15 gp +3 -2 -4 x4 25 lb.
Brigandine 20 gp +4 -3 -5 x4 25 lb.
Scale mail 50 gp +4 -3 -6 x4 30 lb.
Chainmail 150 gp +5 -4 -7 x4 35 lb.
Heavy armor
Breastplate 200 gp +5 -4 -7 x3 40 lb.
Banded mail 250 gp +6 -5 -9 x3 40 lb.
Half-plate 600 gp +7 -5 -10 x3 45 lb.
Full plate 1,500 gp +8 -6 -11 x3 50 lb.
Shields
Buckler 10 gp +1 +1 3 lb.
Shield, light wooden 3 gp +2 -1 -2 4 lb.
Shield, light steel 9 gp +2 -1 -2 6 lb.
Shield, heavy wooden 7 gp +3 -2 -4 10 lb.
Shield, heavy steel 20 gp +3 -2 -4 15 lb.
Shield, tower 30 gp +51 -4 -9 x3 45 lb.
Extras
Armor spikes +50 gp +10 lb.
Gauntlet, locked 8 gp 2 +5 lb.
Shield spikes +10 gp +2 lb.

1 A tower shield can grant cover. See the description for more details.

2 Hand not free to cast spells.

Armor Descriptions

Any special benefits or accessories to the types of armor found on Table 1 are described below.

Armor Spikes: A character can have spikes added to his armor, which allows him to deal extra piercing damage (see Weapons) on a successful grapple attack. The spikes count as a martial weapon. If the character is not proficient with them, he takes a –4 penalty on grapple checks when he tries to use them. A character can also make a regular melee attack (or off-hand attack) with the spikes; they count as a light weapon in this case. (A character can't also make an attack with armor spikes if he has already made an attack with another off-hand weapon, and vice versa.)

An enhancement bonus to a suit of armor does not improve the spikes' effectiveness, but the spikes can be made into magic weapons in their own right.

Banded Mail: The suit includes gauntlets.

Breastplate: It comes with a helmet and greaves.

Brigandine: This armor consists of a leather hauberk and leather arm covering, along with chain greaves. The hauberk is made of thin metal plates sandwiched in between layers of leather or canvas and decorated with triangular arrangements of metal studs.

Buckler: This small metal shield is worn strapped to the forearm. A character can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. He can also use his shield arm to wield a weapon (whether he is using an off-hand weapon or using his off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but he takes a -1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with his off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if the character uses a weapon in his off hand, he doesn't get the buckler's AC bonus for the rest of the round.

A buckler can't be used to bash someone.

Chain Shirt: A chain shirt comes with a steel cap.

Chainmail: The suit includes gauntlets. A character must have 11 Strength to wear this armor effectively.

Full Plate: The suit includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and a thick layer of padding that is worn underneath the armor. Each suit of full plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armorsmith, although a captured suit can be resized to fit a new owner at a cost of 200 to 800 (2d4x100) gold pieces.

Gauntlet, Locked: This armored gauntlet has small chains and braces that allow the wearer to attach a weapon to the gauntlet so that it cannot be dropped easily. It provides a +10 bonus on any roll made to keep from being disarmed in combat. Removing a weapon from a locked gauntlet, or attaching a weapon to it, is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

The price given is for a single locked gauntlet. The weight given applies only if the character is wearing breastplate, light armor, or no armor; otherwise, the locked gauntlet replaces a gauntlet he already has as part of the armor.

While the gauntlet is locked, the character can't use the hand wearing it for casting spells or employing skills. (A character can still cast spells with somatic components, provided his other hand is free.)

Like a normal gauntlet, a locked gauntlet lets the wearer deal lethal damage rather than nonlethal damage with an unarmed strike.

Half-Plate: The suit includes gauntlets.

Scale Mail: The suit includes gauntlets.

Shield, Heavy, Wooden or Steel: A character straps a shield to his forearm and grips it with his hand. A heavy shield is so heavy that he can't use his shield hand for anything else.

Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to special attacks.

Shield Bash Attacks: A character can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a heavy shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon. If the character uses his shield as a weapon, he loses its AC bonus until his next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Shield, Light, Wooden or Steel: A character strap a shield to his forearm and grip it with his hand. A light shield's weight lets him carry other items in that hand, although he cannot use weapons with it.

Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to special attacks.

Shield Bash Attacks: A character can bash an opponent with a light shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a light shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a light shield as a light weapon. If a character uses his shield as a weapon, he loses its AC bonus until his next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Shield, Tower: This massive wooden shield is nearly as tall as its user. In most situations, it provides the indicated shield bonus to his AC. However, a character can instead use it as total cover, though he must give up his attacks to do so. The shield does not, however, provide cover against targeted spells; a spellcaster can cast a spell on the character by targeting the shield he is are holding. A character cannot bash with a tower shield, nor can he use his shield hand for anything else.

When employing a tower shield in combat, the character takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls because of the shield's encumbrance.

Shield Spikes: When added to a shield, these spikes turn it into a martial piercing weapon that increases the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger. A character can't put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack (see above).

An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Splint Mail: The suit includes gauntlets.

Armor For Unusual Creatures

Armor and shields for unusually large or small creatures and nonhumanoid creatures have different costs and weights from those given on Table 1. Refer to the appropriate line on the table below and apply the multipliers to cost and weight for the armor type in question. Mastercraft modifiers to price do not change.

Table 2: Armor for Unusual Creatures

Humanoid Nonhumanoid
Size Cost Weight Cost Weight
Tiny or smaller1 x1/2 x1/10 x1 x1/10
Small x1 x1/2 x2 x1/2
Medium x1 x1 x2 x1
Large x2 x2 x4 x2
Huge x4 x5 x8 x5
Gargantuan x8 x8 x16 x8
Colossal x16 x12 x32 x12

1 Divide armor bonus by 2.



Getting Into And Out Of Armor

The time required to don armor depends on its type; see Table 3 below.

Don: This column tells how long it takes a character to put the armor on. (One minute is 10 rounds.) Readying (strapping on) a shield is only a move action.

Don Hastily: This column tells how long it takes to put the armor on in a hurry. The Dex penalty and armor bonus for hastily donned armor are each 1 point worse than normal.

Remove: This column tells how long it takes to get the armor off. Loosing a shield (removing it from the arm and dropping it) is only a move action.

Table 3: Donning Armor

Armor Type Don Don Hastily Remove
Shield (any) 1 move action n/a 1 move action
Padded, leather, hide, brigandine, studded leather, or chain shirt 1 minute 5 rounds 1 minute1
Breastplate, scale mail, chainmail, or banded mail 4 minutes1 1 minute1 1 minute1
Half-plate or full plate 4 minutes2 4 minutes1 1d4+1 minutes1

1 If the character has some help, cut this time in half. A single character doing nothing else can help one or two adjacent characters. Two characters can't help each other don armor at the same time.

2 The wearer must have help to don this armor. Without help, it can be donned only hastily.


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