Armor

It is the health you wear, around your health, so that everything that wants to hurt you can't. A Kevlar vest, a steel plate, or just a few layers of thick cloth. It won't keep you safe forever, but it might keep you safe long enough to get out alive.

What Armor Does

Armor has two stats that work together:

DR is the damage absorbed from each hit before you take any. Hit for 6 with DR 2? You take 4; the armor takes 2.

HP is armor's own health pool: the total damage it can absorb before it stops working.

Think of armor as a second health bar that gets hit first.

Damage Order

Damage hits armor first. Lethal damage that gets through goes to your HP; Batter damage that gets through goes to your Stamina. The armor takes the hit until it can't, then your body does.

Armor Break

When armor's HP is depleted, it enters the Broken state (Armor Break) and stops granting DR entirely: every hit goes straight to your HP until the armor is repaired or replaced. You can be wearing a full suit of armor and still be completely unarmored in every way that matters.

Armor Catalog

Armor ratings are general outlines, not hard rules: the GM can adjust any piece of armor to fit the fiction. Every rating carries the same three numbers: DR is how much damage it absorbs from each attack, HP is its own health pool, and Wound Negation is how many wounds it turns aside.

Armor Light DR 3, HP 20, Wound Negation 0.

Armor Medium DR 5, HP 40, Wound Negation 0.

Armor Strong DR 10, HP 100, Wound Negation 1.

Armor Advanced DR 25, HP 250, Wound Negation 2.

Armor Magical DR 50, HP 500, Wound Negation 5.

Body Armor

Every entry lists the armor's Rating (Light, Medium, Strong, Advanced, or Magical; see Armor Ratings above) and its Dexterity Penalty, applied whenever the armor gets in the way. Where a bonus appears instead of a penalty, the armor helps you move rather than hindering you.

Thick Clothing Can stop 1 point of batter damage. Dexterity Penalty 0.

Leather Jacket Rating Light, Dexterity Penalty 0.

Makeshift Armor Rating Light, Dexterity Penalty 0.

Leather Armor Rating Light, Dexterity Penalty -1.

Chainmail Rating Medium, Dexterity Penalty -1.

Plate Armor Rating Medium, Dexterity Penalty -1.

Lt. Bullet/Stab Vest Rating Medium, Dexterity Penalty 0.

Mid. Bullet Vest Rating Strong, Dexterity Penalty -1.

Hvy. Bullet Vest Rating Advanced, Dexterity Penalty -2.

Full Body Bullet Resistance Lt. Rating Medium, Dexterity Penalty -2.

Full Body Bullet Resistance Mid. Rating Strong, Dexterity Penalty -2.

Full Body Bullet Resistance Hvy. Rating Advanced, Dexterity Penalty -3.

Power Frame Rating Light, Dexterity +3 and Strength +3.

Power Frame Assisted Hvy. Full Body Rating Advanced, Dexterity 0 and Strength +1.

Magical Plate Armor Rating Magical, Dexterity Penalty 0.

Power Frame Assisted Magical Plate Armor Rating Magical, Dexterity +3 and Strength +3.

Shields

Wood Buckler Rating Light, Dexterity Penalty 0.

Metal Buckler Rating Light, Dexterity Penalty 0.

Magical Buckler Rating Advanced, Dexterity Penalty 0.

Wood Kite Shield Rating Medium, Dexterity Penalty -1.

Metal Kite Shield Rating Medium, Dexterity Penalty -1.

Ballistic Kite Shield Rating Strong, Dexterity Penalty -1.

Magical Kite Shield Rating Magical, Dexterity Penalty 0.

Wood Tower Shield Rating Medium, Dexterity Penalty -2.

Metal Tower Shield Rating Strong, Dexterity Penalty -2.

Ballistic Tower Shield Rating Strong, Dexterity Penalty -2.

Magical Tower Shield Rating Magical, Dexterity Penalty 0.