Armor
The Dragon’s Lair
Armor Descriptions (from the 3e Player's Handbook)
Armor Spikes: You can have spikes added to your armor. They allow you to deal 1d6 points of piercing damage (x2 crit) with a successful grapple attack. The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you suffer a –4 penalty on grapple checks when you try to use them. You can also make a regular melee attack (or off-hand attack) with the spikes, and they count as a light weapon in this case. An enhancement bonus on a suit of armor does not improve the spikes’ effectiveness, but the spikes can be made into magical weapons in their own right.
Banded Mail: This armor is made of overlapping strips of metal sewn to a backing of leather and chainmail. The strips cover vulnerable areas, while the chain and leather protect the joints and provide fredom of movement. Straps and buckles distribute the weight evenly. It includes gauntlets.
Breastplate: A breastplate covers your front and your back. It comes with a helmet and matching greaves (plates to cover your lower legs). A light suitor skirt of studded leather beneath the breastplate protects your limbs without restricting movement much.
Buckler: This small metal shield is strapped to your forearm, allowing you to wear it and still use your hand. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty. You can also use an off-hand weapon but you suffer a –1 penalty on attack rolls because of the extra weight on your arm. This penalty stacks with those for fighting with your off-hand, and if appropriate, for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon with your off-hand, you don’t get the bucklers AC for the rest of the round. You can’t effectively bash someone with a buckler.
Chain Shirt: A shirt of chainmail protects your torso while leaving your limbs free and mobile. A layer of quilted fabric underneath it prevents chafing and cushions the impact of blows. It comes with a steel cap.
Chainmail: This armor is made of interlocking metal rings. It includes a layer of quilted fabric to prevent chafing and cushion the impact of blows. Several layers of mail are hung over vital areas. Most of the armor’s weight hangs from the shoulders, making chainmail uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. It includes gauntlets.
Full Plate: This armor consists of shaped and fitted metal plates riveted and interlocked to cover the entire body. It includes gauntlets,heavy leather boots, and a visored helmet. You wear a thick layer of padding underneath it (included). Buckles andd straps distribute the weight over the body, so full plate hampers movement less than splint mail even though splint is lighter. Each suit of full plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armorsmith, although a captured suit can be resized to fit a new owner at a cost of 200 to 800 (2d4 x 100) gold pieces. Full plate is also known as field plate.
Gauntlet, Locked: This armored gauntlet has small chains and braces that allow the wearer to attach his weapon so that it cannot be dropped easily. It adds a +10 bonus to any roll to keep from being disarmed in combat. Removing a weapon from a locked gauntlet or attaching a weapon to a locked gauntlet is a full-round action that prrovokes attacks of opportunity. The price given is for a single gauntlet. The weight given only applies if you are wearing breastplate, light armor, or no armor. Otherwise, the gauntlet replaces a gauntlet you have as part of the armor.
While the gauntlet is locked, you can’t use the hand wearing it for casting spells or employing skills (you can still cast spells with somatic components provided that your other hand is free).
Like a normal gauntlet, a locked gauntlet allows you to deal normal damage rather than subdual damage with an unarmed strike.
Half-Plate: This armor is a combination of chainmail with metal plates (breastplate, epaulettes, elbow guards, gauntlets, tasses, and greaves) covering vital areas. Buckles and straps hold the suit together and distribute the weight, but the armor still hangs more loosely than full plate. It includes gauntlets.
Hide: This armor is prepared from multiple layers of leather and animal hides. It is stiff and hard to move in. Druids, who only wear nonmetallic armor, favor hide.
Leather: The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by boiling in oil. The rest of the armor is softer and more flexible leather.
Padded: Padded armor features quilted layers of cloth and batting. It gets hot quickly and can get foul with sweat, grime, lice, and fleas.
Scale Mail: This is a coat and leggings (and perhaps a separate skirt) of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish. It includees gauntlets.
Shield, Large or Small, Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand.
Small Shield: A small shield’s light weight lets you carry other items in that hand (although you can not use weapons).
Large Shield: A large shield is too heavy for you to use your shield hand for anything else.
Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to special attacks (such as warp wood and heat metal).
Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. A Medium-size creature deals 1d4 points of damage (x2 crit) with a large shield or 1d3 (x2 crit) with a small one. A Small character deals 1d3 points of damage with a large shield (x2 crit), or 1d2 (x2 crit) with a small one. Used this way, the shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For purposes of attack penalties, treat a shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonuse until your next action (usually until the next round).
Shield Spikes: When Added to your shield, these spikes turn it into a martial piercing weapon that deals 1d6 points of damage (x2 crit) no matter whether the shield is small or large. You can’t put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like a shield bash attack.
Shield, Tower: This massive wooden shield is nearly as tall as the wielder. Basically, it is a portable wall meant to provide cover. It can provide up to total cover, depending on how far out you come from behind it. A tower, however, does not provide cover against targeted spells; a spellcaster can cast a spell on you by targeting the shield you are holding. You cannot bash with a tower shield.
Splint Mail: This armor is made of narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a backing of leather that is worn over cloth padding. Flexible chainmail protects the joints. It includes gauntlets.
Studded Leather: This armor is made from tough but flexible leather (not hardened leather as with normal leather armor) reinforceed with close-set rivets.
