Combat Gear Basics

Characters may equip themselves with gear to assist them in combat. Each Quality Level of gear (often denoted as “Tier [value]” or as “T[value]”) will increase the damage or armor rating.

Combat Gear – Armor & Shields

Armor reduces the amount of damage receive against most attacks by it’s Tier value. To equip armor, the character must have a Body stat higher or equal to the armor’s Tier. A character may not stack armor to this limitation (ie: Body:5 would allow up to a single T5 armor to be worn. But not a T2 & a T3. However, Cloaks (see bushcraft) can stack & work in such a way that they may wear a T2 armor & three T1 Cloaks with a Body stat value of 5).

Shields work the same as Armor, & also require a Body stat of that Shield’s Tier or higher to equip, however must be equipped in their hand, reducing available weapon combinations, & only reduces damage when receiving attacks from the front. Shields have no effect when worn(or carried) on the body to armor rating –only when equipped in hand.

Neither Armor nor Shields require any skill to use. They apply static effects while equipped to the character using them.

Yes. You can have a +20 total front armor from equipping a Tier 10 armor & a Tier 10 shield. It is a lot. It is supposed to be.

Combat Gear – Weapons

Weapons will increase the damage that can be dealt whenever a character wins a Contested combat roll. Weapons require a Body stat equal or higher than the Tier of the weapon used, unless stated otherwise in the skill description.

While Weapons don’t technically require any skill level to use them, they benefit greatly from having a skill to apply to them when throwing dice in any contested combat roll. Especially since the roll difference can have a massive weight in the total damage dealt, & that winning the roll is required to even apply damage for most weapons.

The Gist

The relationship between weapons & armor are similar; both require Body stat higher than them to equip, & both give +1 to their effect in combat for each Tier value that they are. Weapons adding to damage, & Armor subtracting damage received.

If a character’s gear exceeds their body stat, they cannot move it. They cannot wield nor sheath weapons or shields that are too heavy. If the armor tier is too high, they cannot move in it. Their move becomes 0. This may be the case when adding cloaks, to survive the cold, to a armor set that is already on the cusp of being overweight.