Armor absorbs incoming damage in the Damage pipeline, reducing the damage from every hit. Heavier armor absorbs more but costs you mobility.
All numeric values on this page are playtesting values and may be adjusted.
Related pages: Weapons (damage factors and special properties) and Shields (defense bonuses and block mechanics).
Armor Table
Armor affects two things: how much each extra square of movement costs beyond your free squares (Movement Cost), and how much incoming damage it absorbs in the Damage pipeline (Absorption). Stealth Penalty applies to all Stealth Skill checks while the armor is worn.
Absorption is a flat number of points subtracted from incoming damage. Physical Toughness , armor absorption , and shield absorption are all added together and subtracted once from raw damage. See Damage Pipeline for the order of operations.
Armor
Movement Cost
Absorption
Stealth Penalty
Cloth / None
+0
0
0
Padded
+0
5
0
Leather
+0
10
0
Studded Leather
+0
15
−1
Chain Mail
+1 AP/sq
25
−2
Scale Mail
+1 AP/sq
30
−2
Half Plate
+1 AP/sq
40
−3
Full Plate
+2 AP/sq
50
−4
Movement Cost is the AP cost per square of paid movement (after free squares are exhausted). A character in Full Plate pays 3 AP per square of paid movement. Free squares from Physical Speed are not affected.
Worked Example: Armor Changes the Outcome
The Same Longsword Hit Against Different Armor
A longsword strike lands with 3 Degree of success . The longsword’s damage factor is 20, so: 3 × 20 = 60 raw damage. The defender has Physical Toughness 2 (10 points). After toughness: 60 − 10 = 50.
Against Leather (10 absorption): 50 − 10 = 40 damage. The defender drops from 100 to 60 — into the Wounded band.
Against Full Plate (50 absorption): 50 − 50 = 0 damage. The hit lands and does nothing. The plate ate the entire strike.
Leather lets 40 through. Full Plate stops the hit entirely. But the knight in Full Plate pays triple for movement and suffers heavy stealth penalties. Armor is a trade, not a free upgrade.