What you wear between yourself and the blade. Armor decides which of your attributes your Deflection is built from, and what it costs you to wear it.
Deflection and Armor
Your Deflection is 10 + an attribute + your Deflection proficiency. The armor you wear chooses the attribute.
| Category | Attribute | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Unarmored | Dexterity | adventurer's clothing, or nothing at all |
| Light | Dexterity | padded armor, leather, chain shirt |
| Medium | Strength or Dexterity, whichever is higher | hide, scale mail, breastplate |
| Heavy | Strength | splint mail, half plate, full plate |
You add your Deflection proficiency only while wearing a category of armor you are trained in. Your class says which categories those are, and feats can add more, as described under Training in Equipment. In armor you are not trained in, your Deflection is 10 + the attribute, and the armor's check penalty applies to your attack rolls as well as to your skill checks.
What Armor Gives You
A lightly armored character and an unarmored one of the same Dexterity have the same Deflection. What armor adds is everything else: the traits it carries, the runes it can hold, and for a strong character in medium or heavy armor, a Deflection built on Strength instead of Dexterity. Heavy armor also carries the bulwark trait.
Wearing Armor
Putting armor on or taking it off takes time, and you usually can't do it in a fight.
| Category | Don | Remove |
|---|---|---|
| Light | 1 minute | 1 minute |
| Medium | 5 minutes | 1 minute |
| Heavy | 5 minutes | 1 minute |
You can sleep in armor with the comfort trait. Sleeping in any other armor leaves you fatigued the next day.
Armor Statistics
Every entry in Table 8-6 lists the following.
Price is what the armor costs, as described in Price.
Strength is the Strength you need to wear the armor without its check penalty. If your Strength is at least this value, you ignore the check penalty.
Check Penalty applies to Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks, unless the skill action has the attack trait.
Speed Penalty is subtracted from all your Speeds. If your Strength meets the armor's Strength value, reduce this penalty by 5 feet.
Bulk is how heavy the armor is to carry, as described in Bulk. Worn armor counts as 1 less Bulk.
Group sorts armor by the way it is made. Some class features and runes refer to the group.
Traits are listed below the table.
| Armor | Category | Price | Strength | Check Penalty | Speed Penalty | Bulk | Group | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventurer's clothing | Unarmored | 1 sp | — | — | — | L | Cloth | comfort |
| Padded armor | Light | 2 sp | +0 | — | — | L | Cloth | comfort |
| Leather armor | Light | 2 gp | +0 | −1 | — | 1 | Leather | — |
| Studded leather armor | Light | 3 gp | +1 | −1 | — | 1 | Leather | — |
| Chain shirt | Light | 5 gp | +1 | −1 | — | 1 | Chain | flexible, noisy |
| Hide armor | Medium | 2 gp | +2 | −2 | −5 ft. | 2 | Leather | — |
| Scale mail | Medium | 4 gp | +2 | −2 | −5 ft. | 2 | Composite | — |
| Chain mail | Medium | 6 gp | +3 | −2 | −5 ft. | 2 | Chain | flexible, noisy |
| Breastplate | Medium | 8 gp | +3 | −2 | −5 ft. | 2 | Plate | — |
| Splint mail | Heavy | 13 gp | +3 | −3 | −10 ft. | 3 | Composite | bulwark |
| Half plate | Heavy | 18 gp | +3 | −3 | −10 ft. | 3 | Plate | bulwark |
| Full plate | Heavy | 30 gp | +4 | −3 | −10 ft. | 4 | Plate | bulwark |
Adventurer's clothing is not armor, but it is reinforced enough to hold runes as armor does. A character who fights unarmored usually wears it for that reason.
Armor Traits
Bulwark. The armor covers you so completely that it turns aside what would have found a gap. You gain a +1 item bonus to your Deflection while wearing it.
Comfort. The armor is comfortable enough to rest in normally.
Flexible. The armor moves with you. Its check penalty doesn't apply to Acrobatics or Athletics checks.
Noisy. The armor is loud. Its check penalty applies to Stealth checks even if your Strength meets the armor's Strength value.
Still Being Written
More armor traits are being written, and armor group specializations will come with them. Until then, the traits above are the whole list.