Armor     Armor suits of various materials have been used in Lur-Asko for as long as history has been kept. Armor allows a character to escape horrible wounds, and armor quality can sometimes determine the course of a battle. It is a top priority for any adventurer.

Fit     All armor is produced for a particular WGT of character, and for a particular species. For the purposes of armor fitting rules, antecessoroids count as one "species." They also count as the same "species" as reanimators, except that reanimators wear armor 2 WGT larger than their actual WGT. Each type of animal counts as a different "species."

Armor Types

Large Creatures & Armor     Large creatures use their AWGT in place of their WGT for the purposes of all armor rules. This includes the values in the chart above, as well as fit rules.Reduced Armor     Armor of all types is also available in a reduced variety. This arrangement sacrifices some peripheral protection for a lower weight, price, and noise level.

    After obtaining the stats above for the proper WGT of armor: reduce its price, weight, and carry slots to 2/3. However, also track a proportionally lower armor range (reduce each number of the range to 2/3). In combat, if an attack rolls a Mobility or Hand/Arm Injury, use this lower armor range instead. This applies even if the injury becomes Core due to maximum degrees of another type.

    Reduced armor's noise category is Medium if normally High, or Low if normally Medium.

Heavy Armor     Armor that is particularly thickened to the point of reducing DEX is referred to as heavy armor. After obtaining the stats above for the proper WGT of armor: increase its price, weight, and carry slots by 25%. Increase each number of the armor range by 1/5. However, wearing this armor reduces DEX by 2.

Priority Armor     Armor that is both reduced and heavy is called priority armor, so named for its focus on the vital organs. For priority armor, do not change the price, weight, or carry slots. Apply the armor range penalty of reduced armor during Mobility or Hand/Arm Injuries, and the armor bonus of heavy armor for all other injuries. Such armor reduces DEX by 1. Noise level is unaffected.

Managing Armor     Loose fit armor requires about 1 minute to put on or take off. Moderate fit armor requires 5 minutes, while strict fit armor requires 15 minutes. If another character helps, moderate fit is reduces to 1 minute, while strict fit is reduced to 2 minutes. Standux armor of any type always takes 1 minute to put on or take off, then only a major action to fold or unfold. Adventurers are generally assumed to wear armor during the day, then take it off to sleep. If armor is worn during sleep, the character does not reduce exhaustion during the 4-hour rests over which they sleep, and additionally takes 2 exhaustion. Standux armor does not need to be taken off to sleep, as it reduces itself to a belt that can be worn semi-comfortably.

    Only one suit of armor can be worn at once; attempting to wear multiple suits is extremely cumbersome and defeats any potential advantage. Characters looking for extra protection should obtain heavy armor or a superior armor type instead.

Adjusting Armor    Adventurers occasionally wish to adapt salvaged or captured armor for their own use, but this usually necessitates adjusting its fit. Armor can be downsized at infra cost, reducing its intended WGT. It can also be upsized to a higher WGT by paying the difference between the current value of the armor and the value of armor of the same kind produced for the higher WGT.

    Armor may also be turned into reduced armor at infra cost, provided it is not heavy armor or priority armor. Heavy armor can be turned into priority armor in the same way. Armor can be "un-reduced" by paying the difference between the current value of the armor and the equivalent normal armor, and likewise for turning priority armor into heavy armor. Only priority armor can be turned into heavy armor.

    Strict fit armor may be adjusted according to any of these rules, but must additionally be fitted to a specific individual. This requires an additional expense equal to 25% of the armor's value (after any changes to its value incurred by other adjustments).

    All of these modifications must be done by city forges. Armor cannot be adjusted to fit another species, nor can it be made into another type. Depending on the size of the city and local demand, armor adjustments may take multiple days.

    Unbound reanimators automatically adjust any armor they wear to the appropriate WGT - either gradually over time in group maintenance efforts, or quickly via their Weavers. Bound reanimators lose this ability.

Armor Bonuses & Combining Armor Ranges.     Any Ability that provides a bonus to armor range (or just armor bonus) does so directly to both numbers of the armor range; for example, an Ability that increases armor range by 8 would turn an armor range of 24-40 into 32-48.

    A different process is used when two armor ranges must be combined. Wearing two suits of armor is either impossible or provides no benefit; however, it is sometimes necessary to combine a natural armor rating with an armor suit's rating. For example, a Sylvan might have armor made for their animal which already has natural armor, or you might take Tough Conditioning (Athletics). Rarely, this might even result in more than two armor ranges to combine. To combine any number of multiple armor ranges, begin by considering the first number of each range; begin with the largest of all the first numbers, then increase it by 1/4 the sum of every other first number. The result is the first number of the combined armor range. Next, simply repeat this process with the second numbers of each armor range.

    For example, consider gambeson armor (armor range 10-28) being produced for a drake (natural armor range 12-26): 12+(10/4)=14, 28+(26/4)=34, so the resulting armor range for the drake is now 14-34.

    If any individual armor range is considered metallic, the combined armor range is also considered metallic. Armor bonuses never change whether an armor range is considered metallic, no matter the source of the armor bonus. The same rule applies to evaluating any other criteria of the armor, such as whether it is adamant for the purposes of Bolster Adamant (Arcana). Unless a natural armor range specifies otherwise, it is not considered to be metallic, adamant, or quartz.

Adamant & Draconic Abilities     As described in Vicars, wearing adamant armor helps a sentient character resist draconic telepathy. Even Dira quartz armor has an effect, due to the particulate adamant found in the crystal. This effect does not apply when the helmet is removed (this includes the worn-but-folded state of Standux armor). Characters without adamant armor, or those who simply want to retain telepathic defense when their armor is removed, often purchase adamant headbands. These are available for 80 coins, have negligible weight and 0 carry slots, can be comfortably worn at all times, and are just as effective as adamant armor for this purpose. Quartz or adamant armor (not headbands) also helps a character resist draconic telekinesis.

    Note that arcanists need not bother; the adamant in their blood is already superior to worn adamant.

    Removing a helmet and/or headband is a major action for any character, and requires a free hand (except for Standux armor). This may also be done to another character; if unwilling, they must be pinned, paralyzed, or otherwise rendered incapable of making melee defense rolls.

Unarmored Characters    Armor - at the very least a gambeson - is highly recommended for any adventurer. Still, any unarmored character is considered to have an armor range of 5-9 if they are clothed, or of 7-12 if they are wearing cold weather gear. These armor ranges apply only when no armor is being worn; they are not combined with other armor ranges, whether worn or natural. They interact with armor bonuses normally.

Shields     During the Imperial Age, shield walls were the predominant tactic in Lur-Asko militaries. Whole armies would line up with huge shields, then clash in massive, bloody battles. With the rise of adventurers, this tactic was made largely obsolete; a single arcanist could devastate a close-knit formation, or the wall could be broken by a skilled skirmisher. Today, most Lur-Asko shields are much like their Alacrian predecessors: more compact in size, lightweight, durable, and versatile. They are intended to give adventurer and soldier alike a defensive edge, whether engaged in a melee duel or beset by ranged attackers.

    Of course, extremes of shield design are still extant. The massive imperial shields are sometimes copied by tight-knit adventuring parties who have learned to adapt the strengths of the old tactic. Less commonly, they are revived by city-state garrisons who have gone many years without facing more exotic foes. On the other side of the spectrum, tiny melee-focused shields called bucklers have arisen in Hal'Tayat, almost always paired with a rapier or broadsword.

    Like armor, each shield is sized for an intended WGT. Only a character with the proper WGT can make optimal use of the shield. A character may use a shield if their WGT is up to 2 points above or below the requirement; however, their shield's Defense rating and armor bonus is reduced to 50%. Shields may be resized according to the same price rules as above for armor.

    Shields cannot be dual-wielded; only one is effective at a time.

Shields vs. Melee     Shields contribute their Defense rating to the +TN provided by Melee Competency (Close Combat) during melee defense rolls. Note that this Ability's +TN is capped at 8; this means that a large shield's higher Defense may be wasted if paired with a high-Defense melee weapon. Excessively large shields may still be useful for their superiority in ranged defense.

    If you are mounted, you use the alternate Defense rating listed. If a shield does not list a mounted Defense rating, it cannot be used while mounted.

    Shields do not provide any armor bonus during melee attacks, except during the specific situation mentioned in Power Defense (Close Combat). This is because melee weapon techniques normally attempt to bypass rather than penetrate a shield, and shield techniques emphasize deflecting blows rather than simply absorbing them.

Shields vs. Ranged     Shields do not provide any +TN in ranged defense rolls, as their usefulness against fast-moving projectiles is as an obstacle, not a means of careful deflection. Instead, they provide an armor bonus against ranged attacks that hit you. Shields can therefore cut your damage to half or zero via the armor rules, though the attack still technically hits you. Thus they are less useful against attacks with effects that do not require damage, or against high-drive attacks that can simply disregard them. Additionally, if you fail your defense roll by 20 or more, you do not gain the armor bonus from your shield against that attack; the attacker simply shoots an unprotected area. Though it shares a failure margin of 20, this is a separate effect from a critical hit; Clear Shot (Marksmanship) can also reduce the margin. The benefit of shields against ranged attacks does not require shield melee competency.

    Larger shields are heavier in construction and cover more of your body, and therefore provide a higher armor bonus. Shields plated with tougher materials also make them more likely to protect you. To obtain the armor bonus of your shield, note the listed armor bonus for the wooden version of the shield type, and change it according to the multiplier in the material chart below if yours is a different material.

    Note that the rules for shields are similar to those for cover (see Combat). The armor bonus from a shield cannot be used at the same time as the armor bonus from cover; you must choose which one you are using against a given attack. Shields can still be used for their melee purpose if you are using cover.

Weight     Aside from the usual drawbacks of weight, you cannot use a shield with a pound weight greater than 4 times your STR.

Armor Bonus & Material

    Most shields are made primarily of wood, while some are plated with steel or other materials. This does not alter the shield's Defense, but does affect its price, weight, and armor bonus:

    A particular variant called Standux adamant (named after the Alacrian city of Standux where it originated) is functionally identical to adamant as far as shield performance. However, it folds and morphs into a compact and easily-carried form when inactive. This folding/unfolding function is powered a miniature insendite crystal; you do not need to track power used. Standux shields cost double the normal cost of adamant shields. Their weight is not changed, but their carry slots are reduced to 1/3 (or at least 1).

    Remember that armor bonuses never change whether or not an armor range is considered metallic, even if they come from a metallic shield.

Pavises     The stoutest type of shield is called a pavise, which is designed to be able to stand on its own when not being actively wielded. A pavise can be set up or picked up using the same rules as dropping or picking up a normal item, except that another character cannot pick it up while you are using it. Once set up, a pavise functions as cover instead of a shield. You must still use a slowing action to begin or continue using the pavise as cover, as with normal cover. Well-made pavises can provide superior protection in environments with poor cover, and they are better than normal cover for the purposes of Weapon Bracing (Marksmanship). If you are using a pavise, its armor bonus replaces any from the environment's natural cover; both cannot be used simultaneously.

    You can use a set-up pavise as cover even if it is too heavy for you to use as a shield. If your WGT is different from the intended WGT of the pavise, its own armor bonus is cut to 50% when used as cover, and it counts only as normal cover for the effects of Weapon Bracing.

Shield Types

Shields as Melee Weapons     The edge of a shield makes for a dangerous striking surface. Though inferior to a purpose-made melee weapon, most shields can be used as a melee weapon while sacrificing only a small amount of their defensive capability.

    All shield types of a given intended WGT are functionally identical when being used as melee weapons; larger shield types have greater mass and marginally greater reach, but their sluggishness cancels any advantage over a smaller shield. To obtain the rules for how to use your shield as a melee weapon, refer to the Shield type in Melee Weapons; the SR of your shield is 2, or 1/3 the intended WGT of the shield (whichever is greater). Other than this detail of how SR is obtained, follow all other rules found in Melee Weapons (this includes the STR requirement from SR, and the requirement of 8 DEX in order to dual-wield your shield as a weapon together with another weapon). A shield can only be dual-wielded with a non-shield weapon.

    When attacking with your shield as a melee weapon, you must count its Defense rating and armor bonus as 2/3 of normal until your next turn.

    Shields can be produced with a dedicated striking edge; these are referred to as spiked shields. Such a shield costs 50% more than normal, and its Defense rating is 1 lower. Spiked shields cannot be bucklers, tower shields, or pavises, as such extremes of size and weight interfere with the design.  If you purchase a spiked heater, round, or kite shield, use the Spiked Shield type instead of Shield in Melee Weapons.