Protective Items

Protective Items are formed through a variety of different forms and methods, because of their varied nature, most, if not all protective items given in this book are assuming they are made for creatures of Medium size. Additionally, most protective items will have a core list of properties that improve the effectiveness of the protective item given in the item’s description. Protective Items have the following game statistics:

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• Name: The name of the protective item.
• Cost: The base market cost of the protective item.
• AC: The Competence bonus to Armor Class (AC) that the protective item provides. This stacks with the Competence bonus that a suit of armor provides.
• Bash: The bash rating of a protective item is only given if the item possesses the Bashing protective item property or the Spiked armor property. It is a value that allows the item to make an off-handed attack with the protective item, as given under the Bashing or Spiked protective item or armor property respectively.
• Parry: This is further altered based on the base Protective Item property used by your item, see the given PI property for full rules on Parry. Parry is a measure of a protective item’s ability to deflect oncoming attacks. While wielding a protective item, you can expend 1 point of Stamina to roll the Parry dice of the protective item and increase your Physical DR against the oncoming attack by this amount; however, should you roll max on the Parry dice, the attack is instead negated. If the attack is a critical hit, this instead converts a confirmed critical into a standard hit. Parry dice used by a buckler, guard, shield, or tower shield item causes any damage negated by the Parry dice to instead target the Protective Item as if through a Sunder maneuver. Parry cannot be used against attacks targeting your Touch AC.
• Agility: Agility is a measure of the armor’s maneuverability and reactivity. At base Agility, provides a bonus or penalty to all Initiative checks equal to the Agility score of the armor and a bonus, if positive to Stamina, equal to half of the Agility score of the armor. This stacks with a suit of armor’s Agility bonuses/penalties to these statistics.
• Bulk: The total Strength score that a creature wielding a protective item must meet or exceed to not suffer penalties from the Bulk armor property.
• WT: The weight of the protective item, broken down by the different materials used in the item itself. M refers to metal, W refers to wood, C refers to cloth or fiber, B refers to bone, H refers to hide, and S refers to Stone.
• Craft: The craft DC or Score that a creature must meet or exceed to craft the given item.
• Time: This is split into two different values; the first value before the I indicates the minimum amount of time required to craft the protective item, given in 1-hour increments. While the second value after the I indicates the total number of 1-hour increments that must be spent to craft the protective item. This value can be modified, reducing the actual time required to craft the given protective item, though it cannot be reduced lower than the minimum.
• Complexity: The complexity of the protective item. This is also used to determine the cost of lost materials and miscellaneous purchases required to craft the given protective item. This is paid regardless of if you are the crafter or not.
• Training: The training level required to craft the given protective item. This is also used to determine the market cost of the crafter’s time when selling this protective item.
• Tool: The initial tool required to craft this protective item. This will change based upon the main type of material used to craft the protective item. For example, a wooden shield would normally be Woodcarver’s Tools, but if made using Steel, it’d require Smith’s Tools instead.

Table 2-27: Protective Items

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Protective Item Descriptions

Parrying Cloak

A parrying cloak is a heavy cloak designed to confuse and entangle your opponent’s attacks, deflecting an otherwise lethal blow to that of a superficial cut to the cloak itself.

• Durability: ac 10; hp 9/6/4; hardness 3; threshold 6; burst 13
• Components: 1 Cloak cloth
• Benefits: Cloaks at Rating I possess no additional benefits beyond their base properties.

Bracers

A pair of bracers designed for dueling. They are capable of deflecting an oncoming blow by parrying it to the side, deflecting a would be fatal hit.

• Durability: ac 14; hp 8/6/4; hardness 5; threshold 10; burst 19
• Components: 1 Bracer metal, 1 Bracer Reinforcement hide
• Benefits: Bracers at Rating I possess no additional benefits beyond their base properties.

Helm

A simple helm designed to protect the bearers skull from deadly impacts by deflecting these attacks that would otherwise result in lethal strikes.

• Durability: ac 14; hp 8/6/4; hardness 5; threshold 10; burst 19
• Components: 1 Helm metal, 1 Helm Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Helmets at Rating I possess no additional benefits beyond their base properties.

Round Shield

A round shield is one of the simplest of shield designs, yet this does not draw away from its effectiveness, capable of parrying attacks to the side, deflecting oncoming blows, and stopping attacks entirely, the round shield does what it was designed to do.

• Durability: ac 13; hp 27/20/13; hardness 4; threshold 8; burst 23
• Components: 1 Shield wood, 1 Shield Reinforcement metal, 2 Shield Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Shields at Rating I possess no additional benefits beyond their base properties.

Buckler

A buckler is a simple round shield gripped in hand or strapped to the forearm of the bearer, allowing them to fight with some defensive capabilities while still maintaining the offense of a one-handed or even a two-handed weapon along with the deflective nature of a shield.

• Durability: ac 14; hp 15/11/7; hardness 5; threshold 10; burst 21
• Components: 1 Buckler metal, 1 Buckler Reinforcement metal, 1 Buckler Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Bucklers at Rating I possess no additional benefits beyond their base properties.

Pavise

A pavise is a large tower shield designed to protect the entire body of its wielder and those nearby. Often used in sieges for crossbowers to line up behind as a form of portable cover, the pavise is a sturdy and capable shield.

• Durability: ac 13; hp 44/33/22; hardness 4; threshold 8; burst 25
• Components: 1 Tower Shield wood, 1 Tower Shield Reinforcement metal, 3 Tower Shield Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Tower shields at Rating I possess no additional benefits beyond their base properties.

Heater Shield

A heater shield is a highly defensible shield capable of deflecting and blocking blows with ease, and often bears the heraldic symbology of nobility and factions of the world.

• Durability: ac 14; hp 28/21/14; hardness 5; threshold 10; burst 25
• Components: 1 Shield metal, 2 Shield Reinforcement metal, 3 Shield Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Shields at Rating I possess no additional benefits beyond their base properties.

Duelist Cloak

A duelist cloak is a heavy cloak designed to confuse and entangle your opponent’s attacks, deflecting an otherwise lethal blow to that of a superficial cut to the cloak itself.

• Durability: ac 13; hp 10/7/5; hardness 3; threshold 6; burst 16
• Components: 1 Cloak hide, 3 Cloak Reinforcement hide
• Benefits: While wielding a cloak at Rating II and you would successfully roll max on your Parry die when parrying an attack, you can redirect the attack back at the attacker, or make a free Disarm, Shove, or Trip maneuver against the triggering creature.

War Bracers

A pair of war bracers are designed for war. They are capable of deflecting an oncoming blow by parrying it to the side, deflecting a would be fatal hit.

• Durability: ac 14; hp 8/6/4; hardness 5; threshold 10; burst 19
• Components: 1 Bracer metal, 1 Bracer Reinforcement metal, 1 Bracer Reinforcement hide
• Benefits: Bracers at rating II are able to utilize the reflective nature of the guard item to strike back at their attacker when they would utilize the guard item’s Parry dice. Whenever you would roll max on your Parry dice, you can make a single attack against your attacker.

Targe

A Targe is a simple round shield gripped in hand or strapped to the forearm of the bearer, allowing them to fight with some defensive capabilities while still maintaining the offense of a one-handed or even a two-handed weapon along with the deflective nature of a shield.

• Durability: ac 13; hp 14/10/7; hardness 4; threshold 8; burst 19
• Components: 1 Buckler wood, 1 Buckler Reinforcement metal, 3 Buckler Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Bucklers at Rating II no longer need to spend a Bonus Action to ready the buckler property for a new reactionary defensive action. So long as the wielder has Reactions available, they may take the action to deflect oncoming attacks.

Great Helm

The great helm is a decorated and intimidating piece of armor, designed to protect the bearers skull and face from deadly impacts by deflecting these attacks that would otherwise result in lethal strikes.

• Durability: ac 14; hp 8/6/4; hardness 5; threshold 10; burst 19
• Components: 1 Helm metal, 3 Helm Reinforcement metal, 1 Helm Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Helmets at rating II are able to utilize the reflective nature of the guard item to strike back at their attacker when they would utilize the guard item’s Parry dice. Whenever you would roll max on your Parry dice, you can make a single attack against your attacker.

Kite Shield

A kite shield is a triangular shield that covers the body and legs of its bearer, capable of deflecting blows and parrying strikes, the kite shield was designed with mounted combat in mind, providing protection to the rider’s whole body while mounted, while bearing the heraldry of their wielder.

• Durability: ac 13; hp 27/20/13; hardness 4; threshold 8; burst 23
• Components: 1 Shield wood, 4 Shield Reinforcement metal, 1 Shield Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Shields at Rating II are able to roll twice on their Parry dice and take the more favorable result.

Scutum

A scutum is a large tower shield designed to be wielded in legion to protect the soldier beside and behind you. Highly defensible, the scutum is an excellent defensive item, however, its weight does factor into its maneuverability.

• Durability: ac 14; hp 46/34/23; hardness 5; threshold 10; burst 27
• Components: 1 Tower Shield metal, 2 Tower Shield Reinforcement metal, 2 Tower Shield Reinforcement wood
• Benefits: Tower shields at Rating II can activate the tower shield property as a Bonus Action and can retrieve the tower shield as an Item Interaction instead of as a Bonus Action. Additionally, your tower shield, now provides all creatures within 5 feet, except for the three front-facing spaces Partial Cover, regardless of if it is planted or not, this does not benefit you, unless planted.