Adventuring is dangerous work; sometimes you find yourself on the wrong end of a spear, and in times like those you'll be thankful for the defenses provided by Armour and Shields. Armour provides you a flat bonus to your Armour Class, which in turn makes you more difficult to hit against most attacks. Shields provide you a means to more actively defend yourself - whilst using a Shield, you may attempt to Parry incoming attacks. If your roll exceeds the total of the incoming attack, you successfully deflect it away! This benefit even applies to spells, as long as an attack roll is involved.
An Armor Check Penalty is a global penalty applied to all Strength and Dexterity based Skill checks, as well as to Parry attempts - it emulates the way in which armor impedes your movement due to its weight and bulk. Heavier armor has a higher check penalty.
Below is a list of common Armour and Shields that you may expect to find in most settlements in a typical PathRunner world. Note that the prices listed below are guideline values intended for use by your Game Master - these prices are very unlikely to be encountered during gameplay. However, if you selected a sufficient amount of Resources from the Priority Chart, you may buy any items listed below at the listed prices during character creation.
| Armor | Type | TU Cost | AC Bonus | Maximum DEX Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Somatic Spell Failure Chance | Maximum Speed | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silken Ceremonial | Light | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0% | 30 ft. | 8 lbs. |
| Padded | Light | 2 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 5% | 30 ft. | 10 lbs. |
| Leather | Light | 4 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 10% | 30 ft. | 15 lbs. |
| Studded Leather | Light | 5 | 3 | 10 | -1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 lbs. |
| Chain Shirt | Light | 12 | 4 | 9 | -2 | 20% | 30 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Hide | Medium | 7 | 4 | 8 | -3 | 20% | 25 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Scale Mail | Medium | 13 | 5 | 7 | -4 | 25% | 25 ft. | 30 lbs. |
| Chainmail | Medium | 14 | 6 | 6 | -5 | 30% | 25 ft. | 40 lbs. |
| Breastplate | Medium | 17 | 6 | 5 | -4 | 25% | 25 ft. | 30 lbs. |
| Splint Mail | Heavy | 16 | 7 | 4 | -7 | 40% | 20 ft. | 45 lbs. |
| Banded Mail | Heavy | 19 | 7 | 3 | -6 | 35% | 20 ft. | 35 lbs. |
| Half-Plate | Heavy | 22 | 8 | 2 | -7 | 40% | 20 ft. | 50 lbs. |
| Full-Plate | Heavy | 27 | 9 | 1 | -6 | 35% | 20 ft. | 50 lbs. |
| Shield | Type | TU Cost | Parry Count | Maximum DEX Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Somatic Spell Failure Chance | Maximum Speed | Weight |
| Light Shield | Shield | 4 | 1 | — | — | 5% | — | 6 lbs. |
| Heavy Shield | Shield | 8 | 2 | — | — | 15% | — | 15 lbs. |
| Tower Shield | Shield | 10 | 4 | 2 | — | 50% | — | 45 lbs. |
Armor and Shields may gain increased defensive bonuses through Enchantment, up to +10 to their AC or Parry bonus, for Armor or Shields respectively. Armor and Shields may also be Masterworked, but keep in mind that Masterwork bonuses and Enchantment bonuses do not stack. Due to this, many adventurers Enchant their defensive items for greater bonuses, and Masterwork them to ease the Armor Check Penalty, or to raise the maximum Dexterity allowed by the armor. Rather then Using the armor's base price, they are Masterworked based on class of Armor. Light armor has a calculated price of 8, Medium has a calculated price of 12, Heavy has a calculated price of 16, and Shields possess a calculated price of 6.
Below are the TU values of magical Armor and Shields during Character Creation. As with other purchases, procuring magical equipment in-game is often significantly more expensive - spend wisely!
| Armor or Shield Enchantment Tier | TU Value |
|---|---|
| +1 Armor/Shield | 20 |
| +2 Armor/Shield | 80 |
| +3 Armor/Shield | 180 |
| +4 Armor/Shield | 320 |
| +5 Armor/Shield | 500 |
| +6 Armor/Shield | 720 |
| +7 Armor/Shield | 980 |
| +8 Armor/Shield | 1,280 |
| +9 Armor/Shield | 1,620 |
| +10 Armor/Shield | 2,000 |