Armor and Shields

Body armor is a necessity of those wanting to adventure across the stars. The Light Armor of the basic rules is available with only a cost change. The higher tiers of armor diverge slightly as they focus on either kinetic or energy based weapons. Very few armor types can protect equally against both at higher amounts.

Light Armor

Made from supple and thin materials, light armor favors agile adventurers since it offers some protection without sacrificing mobility. If you wear light armor, you add your Dexterity modifier to the base number from your armor type to determine your Armor Class. Unless otherwise noted, Light Armor can have a maximum of 2 upgrade slots. Adding an upgrade slot costs 500EC per slot and 2 hours of work by an expert (6 hours per slot by a non-expert).
Padded. Padded armor consists of quilted layers of cloth and batting.
Leather. The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by being boiled in oil. The rest of the armor is made of softer and more flexible materials.
Studded Leather. Made from tough but flexible leather, studded leather is reinforced with close-set rivets or spikes.

Medium Armor

Medium armor offers more protection than light armor, but it also impairs movement more. If you wear medium armor, you add your Dexterity modifier, to a maximum of +2, to the base number from your armor type to determine your Armor Class. Unless otherwise noted, Medium Armor can have a maximum of 4 armor upgrade slots and costs 800 EC per slot and 2 hours of work by an expert (or 6 by anyone else).
Synthetic Polymer. Made of tightly woven fibers of synthetic textile, this chest piece offers greater resistance to all forms of attacks. The material is lightweight so as not to encumber the wearer.
Scale Mail. This armor consists of a coat and leggings of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish. The suit includes gauntlets.
Reinforced Vest. This armor consists of a fitted chest piece of metal and synthetic polymers. Although it leaves the legs and arms relatively unprotected, this armor provides good protection for the wearer's vital organs while leaving the wearer relatively unencumbered.

Heavy Armor

Of all the armor categories, heavy armor offers the best protection. These suits of armor cover the entire body and are designed to stop a wide range of attacks. Only proficient warriors can manage their weight and bulk.
Heavy armor doesn't let you add your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class, but it also doesn't penalize you if your Dexterity modifier is negative. Unless otherwise noted, Heavy Armor can have a maximum of 6 upgrade slots. Adding an upgrade slot costs 1000EC and 2 hours of work by an expert (or 6 hours by anyone else).
Combat Gear. Combat gear is basic protection for the body. There is enough to provide decent protection of the body, but it won't last long under prolonged exposure to attacks. This is the lowest quality given out to even the most basic of grunts to operate in the field.
Carbon Fiber. Carbon Fiber armor has several pads and components for full body wear with a tough exterior resistant to scratches, dents, and moderate energy discharges. Slightly more costly, but the most practical armor for stellar adventurers.

Armor Upgrades and Environmental Effects

Armor upgrades are special items that can affect your armor in various unique ways. Some upgrades require power and add the Powered attribute to your armor for them to function. Armor upgrades take up an upgrade slot, sometimes multiple slots. Standard armor typically does not start with any upgrade slots, however you can add slots to armor up to the max allowed slots after 10 hours of work and 500EC of resources per slot.
Armor also comes with helmets and are sealed so you can wear your armor in the vaccum of space. Characters who do not wear armor would still need a Space Suit to enter the vacuum of space. Each suit has an independent protected power and filtration system to provide 12 hours of clean air. This system cannot be used to power upgrades and cannot be disabled by class features or spells.
See the Armor Upgrades page for more details.

Ablative Gear. This ablative armor is reinforced to withstand physical attacks. It has the base capabilities of Carbon Fiber armor, but excels at kinetic damage resistance. This enhancement gives the wearer a +2 bonus AC to attacks dealing kinetic damage (for AC 18).
Magnesite Gear. This armor made from rare magnesite ore has special properties that generate a weak electromagnetic field to resist energy based attacks. It has the base capabilities of Carbon Fiber armor, but excels at energy damage resistance. This enhancement gives the wearer a +2 bonus AC to attacks dealing energy damage (for AC 18).
Bellimar Armor. The epitome of armor making. This set of armor is by far the most capable of defense. Refined Bellamite is smelted and forged into this armor. It's gleam and resistance capacity is unparalleled. Many have sought armor of this caliber but few have achieved it.

Shields

Shields are special armor pieces that are not integrated into the main gear.
Archaic Shield. An archaic shield is an old style shield of reinforced wood or metal. Modern weapons, especially energy weapons have rendered these mostly out of date, but they still do offer a small amount of protection.
Energy Shield. This shield has dominant mechanical components that expand to form a force field between them. This shield is powered by a self contained source that refreshes itself with ambient energy, but can still be targeted by features and spells that disable powered items (even if it would normally not affect powered armor).

Armor	Cost	Armor Class (AC)	Strength	Stealth	Weight	Max Upgrade Slots	Note
Light Armor
Space Suit	10EC	10 + Dex Mod	-	-	5 lb.	-	This does not count as armor for the purposes of un-armored features and cannot have upgrade slots.
Padded	30EC	11 + DEX Mod	-	Disadvantage	8 lb.	-	-
Leather	50EC	11 + DEX Mod	-	-	10 lb.	1	-
Studded Leather	75EC	12 + DEX Mod	-	-	13 lb.	2	-
Medium Armor
Synthetic Polymer (Chain Shirt)	100EC	13 + DEX Mod (Max 2)	-	-	8 lb.	3	-
Scale Mail	250EC	14 + DEX Mod (Max 2)	-	Disadvantage	25 lb.	4	-
Reinforced Vest (Breatplate)	300EC	14 + DEX Mod (Max 2)	-	-	15 lb.	2	-
Heavy Armor
Combat Gear (Ring Mail)	40EC	14	-	Disadvantage	30 lb.	4	-
Carbon Fiber (Chain Mail)	80EC	16	14	Disadvantage	50 lb.	6	-
Ablative Gear (Splint)	350EC	16	15	Disadvantage	60 lb.	5	+2 AC (18AC) Against Attacks Dealing Kinetic Damage.
Magnesite Gear (Splint)	350EC	16	15	Disadvantage	60 lb.	5	+2 AC (18AC) Against Attacks Dealing Energy Damage.
Bellimar Armor (Full Plate)	3000EC	18	15	Disadvantage	70 lb.	8	-
Shields							-
Archaic Shield	50EC	+1	-	-	30 lb.	-	-
Energy Shield	350EC	+2	-	-	20 lb.	-	Powered