Each armor in this book includes its name, base damage thresholds, and base Armor Score. Some armor also has a feature. For example, the chainmail starting armor has the following statistics:

Name

In your character’s early adventures, most early armor names are the same as their type, such as chainmail armor. As your character levels up, they might acquire special armor, such as veritas opal armor.

Base Score

An armor’s base score represents the short-term protection it provides and how many Armor Slots you can mark (before any bonuses from other features). For example, if an armor’s base score is 4, you have 4 available Armor Slots you can mark. Your character’s Armor Score, with all bonuses included, can never exceed 12. Once you add all other bonuses to an armor’s base score, the final total is referred to as your character’s Armor Score.

Base Thresholds

An armor’s base damage thresholds represent the long-term protection your armor provides, and determine your damage thresholds (before any bonuses from other features). When recording your character’s damage thresholds in the “Damage & Health” section of your character sheet, you always add your character’s level to those values. For example, if your level 1 character has base thresholds of 7/15 with no other bonuses, they would have a Major damage threshold of 8 and a Severe damage threshold of 16.

Feature

Armor features describe any special rules that apply only to that particular armor. For example, some reduce or increase your character’s statistics, and others give you special ways to use your character’s Armor Slots. A set of armor’s features apply only to that specific armor; you can’t apply its features to different armor. Your character can benefit from a set of armor’s features only while armor is equipped.

Reducing Damage

When your character takes damage, you can negate some (or all) of it by marking an available Armor Slot next to the large Armor shield on your character sheet, then reducing the severity of the damage by one threshold (Severeto Major, Major to Minor, Minor to Nothing). Each time your character takes damage, you can only mark 1 Armor Slot (as long as you have one available). Once all available Armor Slots are marked, your character’s armor can’t be used again in this way until they repair it, usually as a move during downtime.

Armor Score of 3 with 2 Armor Slots marked

If your character has an Armor Score of 0, you can’t mark Armor Slots. If an effect gives your character a temporary Armor Score (such as the “Tava’s Armor” spell), you can mark that many additional Armor Slots while the temporary armor is active. When the temporary armor ends, clear a number of Armor Slots equal to the temporary Armor Score.

Unarmored

Going unarmored does not give your character any bonuses or penalties, but while unarmored, they have an Armor Score of 0, their Major threshold is equal to their level, and their Severethreshold is equal to twice their level.

Reflavoring Armor

As with weapons, class abilities, and domains, you can reflavor your character’s armor to suit them. A wizard using full plate armor might describe their protection as coming from heavily enchanted robes and protective rings, while their penalty to Evasionand Agilityis due to the intense focus required to maintain such powerful protective magic.