Armor and Shields of Andrus
AX.GAN.09.02 - Armor & Shields
This file names and describes the armor and shields of Andrus. Mechanical weights, Defense contribution and Armor Penalty, are defined in Core Part 10. Catalog entries name specific armor types, note cultural origin, and record any setting-specific properties.
Core armor framework:
| Weight | Armor Value | Defense Contribution | Armor Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | 0 | None | |
| Light | +1 | Part of Defense formula | −1D to Athletics, Acrobatics, and Odd Talent pools |
| Medium | +2 | Part of Defense formula | −2D to Athletics, Acrobatics, and Odd Talent pools |
| Heavy | +3 | Part of Defense formula | −3D to Athletics, Acrobatics, and Odd Talent pools |
Defense = 1 + (Speed Value + Armor Value) ÷ 3, round down. Armor Penalty to Acrobatics can be offset by the Endurance talent (Core Part 4.1).
Shields: +1 Defense, one-handed. Bulwark (with adjacent shield-ally, both have full cover against ranged attackers). Shield Bash (Speed + Strike, Touch, treat as Light weapon; lose shield's +1 Defense until start of next Turn).
Light Armor
Light armor prioritizes mobility over protection. The −1D Armor Penalty is low enough that most trained fighters accept it without modification. Light armor is the most culturally varied weight class in Andrus, every lineage has developed its own interpretation of the balance between coverage and freedom of movement.
Wind-Treated Leather
Aedyn aerial culture, flight-compatible
Leather treated with a process developed by Aedyn crafters to minimize air resistance and drag during flight. The treatment compresses the leather's surface and reduces bulk without reducing coverage. Non-Aedyn fighters can wear it, the construction confers no lineage requirement, but the treatment is primarily distributed within Aedyn communities.
Weight: Light (+1 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: −1D Athletics and Odd Talents Special: The −1D Armor Penalty does not apply to Acrobatics checks made while airborne. The armor's reduced drag profile is specifically optimized for aerial movement.
Salt-Cured Leather
Sereindal maritime culture, waterproofed, marine conditions
Hardened through extended salt treatment in maritime brine. Completely waterproof and resistant to the gradual leather degradation that moist conditions produce. Salt-cured armor costs more than standard leather but requires minimal maintenance in coastal and ship environments where untreated leather would crack and fail within a season.
Weight: Light (+1 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: No movement penalty on wet, wave-washed, or slick surfaces, the salt curing process leaves a texture that grips while remaining waterproof. In maritime conditions specifically, the wearer is not considered to be on unstable footing.
Calri Costume Armor
Calri murder-clan networks, concealed protective panels
Flexible protective panels distributed within what appears to be performance dress, traveling clothes, or everyday Calri costume. The panels cover vital areas without creating an armored silhouette. A Calri Shinekeeper may be wearing full light armor protection and appear to observers to be in entertainment dress. The construction is sophisticated, the concealability is the craft.
Weight: Light (+1 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: The armor does not appear to be armor. Identifying it as protective equipment requires a Notice check at Th3. Characters without specific knowledge of Calri concealment techniques make this check at Disadvantage.
Kerroshi Concealment Wrap
Kerroshi urban culture, under-clothing protection
Lightweight flexible protection designed to be worn under ordinary street clothing. Narrower coverage than the Calri version, the Kerroshi version prioritizes complete invisibility over maximizing protected area. A fighter in Kerroshi concealment wrap appears entirely unprotected; the protection is concentrated at the most critical locations (vital organs, major arteries).
Weight: Light (+1 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: The armor does not appear to be armor. Identifying it as protective equipment requires a Notice check at Th4. The narrower coverage is the trade-off for greater concealability.
Kyne Daas Reach-Coat
Kyne Daas culture, Blasted Reach environmental protection
A long, treated coat designed for extended exposure to the Blasted Reach environment. Heat-resistant layers, ash-filtering collar and cuffs, reinforced panels at the torso. Developed across three generations of Reach observation by Kyne Daas scouts who needed protection from both physical hazards and environmental exposure. Functional as light armor in any environment; provides significant environmental protection in the Reach specifically.
Weight: Light (+1 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: In Blasted Reach environments, the wearer has Advantage on Fortitude and Endurance checks against environmental hazards, heat exposure, fissure gases, ash inhalation, altitude-related conditions. The coat's filtering and insulation are purpose-built for these conditions.
Medium Armor
Medium armor provides substantial protection while preserving enough mobility for skilled fighters. The −2D Armor Penalty to Athletics and Acrobatics is significant, characters relying on those pools need to account for it, either through the Endurance talent offset or by accepting the reduced pool. Cultural medium armor designs in Andrus frequently solve specific mobility problems: Misa articulated armor preserves combat acrobatics; Sereindal fleet plate addresses ship-deck footing; Ashari hearth-worked armor handles tradition-fire exposure.
Misa Articulated Plate
Misa jaguar culture, full range of motion
Plate constructed with overlapping articulated segments at every joint, allowing a Misa fighter to maintain their full range of combat motion. The Misa fighting style includes acrobatic elements that standard medium armor prohibits, the articulated design was specifically engineered to eliminate that prohibition. Significantly more expensive than equivalent protection in a rigid design; the craft cost reflects the design complexity.
Weight: Medium (+2 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: −2D Athletics only Special: The −2D Armor Penalty does not apply to Acrobatics checks. The articulation preserves full range of motion for Acrobatics-dependent combat techniques. Athletics remains penalized, the armor's weight cannot be fully overcome.
Voren Lodge-Marked Mail
Voren Compact Warden culture, authority-marked
Heavy interlocked ring mail with Compact lodge insignia worked into the pauldrons, collar, and often the chest plate. The marking is not decorative; it communicates institutional identity at a distance. A Compact Warden in lodge-marked mail is identifiable as a Compact authority figure from across a room, which is part of its function. The armor's protection is standard for medium weight; its real utility is the social statement it makes.
Weight: Medium (+2 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: No mechanical special beyond standard properties. A Compact Warden wearing lodge-marked mail in a setting where the Compact has authority is recognized as an authority figure by any character who would reasonably know what Compact insignia looks like; this affects social rolls at GM discretion.
Ashari Hearth-Worked
Ashari culture, fire-tradition adapted
Medium plate or mail treated through Ashari forge-working processes that make the metal resistant to conducted and radiant heat. Not enchanted, the resistance is a material property. Hearthspeakers wear it to work in proximity to their own tradition's effects; Ember Sworn wear it to survive the environments their combat role places them in. Non-Ashari can wear hearth-worked armor; the protection applies regardless of the wearer's tradition access.
Weight: Medium (+2 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: Incidental fire damage, torches, campfires, non-tradition sources, does not affect the wearer. Against tradition-based fire (Elemental Fire, Draconic Essence with fire application, equivalent effects), the wearer gains +1D on any Body Save triggered by the attack.
Ekhari Merchant Guard
Ekhari commercial culture, professional standard
Function-first medium armor produced to Ekhari workshop standards for House enforcers, Merchant Council guards, and commercial professionals who require visible protection without cultural affiliation marking. The design is deliberately neutral, identifiable as Ekhari-manufactured but not House-specific. Widely available in any Ekhari settlement.
Weight: Medium (+2 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: Standard properties. The most common medium armor in Ekhari commercial territory; no premium for cultural variant status.
Sereindal Fleet Plate
Sereindal maritime culture, ship-adapted medium armor
Medium armor with a lower center of gravity than standard medium plate, grip-textured boot-fittings, and a design philosophy oriented around maintaining footing on moving ship decks. Sereindal sailors who fight don't need armor that makes them better at standing still; they need armor that makes them better at fighting while the deck pitches under them.
Weight: Medium (+2 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: −2D Athletics only Special: The −2D Armor Penalty does not apply to Acrobatics checks made on ship decks, rigging, or similarly unstable moving surfaces. On land, standard Armor Penalty applies. The grip-texture design is specific to the ship environment.
Heavy Armor
Heavy armor provides the maximum available protection at the maximum available cost to mobility. The −3D Armor Penalty to Athletics and Acrobatics is severe, characters in heavy armor accept that they will not be doing either in combat, or they invest significantly in Endurance to offset it. Andrus produces heavy armor primarily in Durakai and Voren communities. The weight of the armor communicates something about its wearer: commitment to a defensive role, institutional backing that provides logistics support, or simply the physical capability to move in it at all.
Durakai Stone-Set Plate
Durakai lodge culture, maximum protection, lodge-forged
Full plate constructed by Durakai lodge-smiths and distinguished by stone inlays worked into the chest plate, pauldrons, and helm face. The stone is not merely decorative, each inlay is a specific material from the lodge's home ground, selected for significance and worked in using Earth tradition techniques to ensure permanent bonding. The armor communicates Durakai cultural identity as clearly as any marking. Protection is maximum; mobility is minimum.
Weight: Heavy (+3 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: When the wearer is Prone, standing requires only a Minor Action rather than a Primary Action, the stone-ground connection of the armor provides a stable base for rising that conventional heavy armor lacks. Stoneholders in lodge plate get up faster than a fighter wearing them would expect.
Voren Ironback
Voren culture, full coverage, maximum weight
Heavy plate of Voren construction, named for the complete rear-coverage that distinguishes it from armor systems that compromise the back for weight reduction. Voren design philosophy: protection should be complete, or the gap in it will be the thing that matters. Less culturally elaborate than Durakai stone-set plate; Ironback is a working armor rather than a statement armor, though Compact Wardens who wear it are making a statement about their commitment to their role.
Weight: Heavy (+3 Armor Value) | Armor Penalty: Standard Special: Standard heavy armor properties. No mechanical special, the Ironback's distinction is complete coverage rather than any particular innovation.
Shields
Shields in Andrus are one-handed defensive tools providing +1 Defense and access to two tactical options: Bulwark (full cover against ranged attacks when adjacent to another shield-carrier) and Shield Bash (Speed + Strike, Touch range, treat as Light weapon; forfeits the +1 Defense until start of next Turn). Cultural variants modify these baseline properties.
Standard Shield
Cross-cultural, no single origin
A round or rectangular hand-carried shield. Every lineage culture that produces medium or heavy armor also produces shields to accompany them. The specific form, materials, and ornamentation vary; the mechanics are universal.
Defense: +1 | Bulwark: Yes (adjacent shield-ally) | Shield Bash: Yes
Aedyn Wing-Buckler
Aedyn aerial culture, flight-compatible defense
A small round buckler designed for aerial use. Full-size shields create aerodynamic interference and weight imbalance during flight; the Wing-Buckler minimizes both while still providing meaningful hand protection. The arm-mount keeps the wrist free for bow operation.
Defense: +1 | Bulwark: No (too small for effective cover) Shield Bash: Yes, same mechanics as standard, with the buckler's reduced size. Special: Compatible with flight. The standard shield is too large for aerial maneuvering; the Wing-Buckler imposes no flight restriction. Compatible with the Aedyn Dive-Bow, can be worn simultaneously with bow operation.
Sereindal Boarding Shield
Sereindal maritime culture, wave-facing, ship-deck optimized
A curved rectangular shield designed for the specific environment of ship boarding and coastal defense, one face deflects waves as readily as blades. The curve is calculated for maritime projectile deflection, and the grip allows one-handed use even in wet conditions.
Defense: +1 | Bulwark: Extended range, Near rather than adjacent when used on a ship deck or coastal defensive position. Shield Bash: Yes, standard mechanics. Special: The Bulwark tactical option functions at Near range (rather than requiring adjacency) when the user is on a ship deck, dock, or equivalent maritime defensive position. The curved shape redirects projectiles at angles that standard shields cannot match.
Quick Reference
Armor by Weight
| Name | Weight | Armor Value | Armor Penalty | Notable Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind-Treated Leather | Light | +1 | −1D Athletics + Odd | No Acrobatics penalty while airborne |
| Salt-Cured Leather | Light | +1 | −1D Athletics + Odd | No unstable-surface movement penalty |
| Calri Costume Armor | Light | +1 | Standard | Notice Th3 to identify as armor |
| Kerroshi Concealment Wrap | Light | +1 | Standard | Notice Th4 to identify as armor |
| Kyne Daas Reach-Coat | Light | +1 | Standard | Advantage on Reach environmental saves |
| Misa Articulated Plate | Medium | +2 | −2D Athletics only | No Acrobatics penalty |
| Voren Lodge-Marked Mail | Medium | +2 | Standard | Social recognition in Compact territory |
| Ashari Hearth-Worked | Medium | +2 | Standard | Fire resistance; +1D vs. tradition fire |
| Ekhari Merchant Guard | Medium | +2 | Standard | Standard |
| Sereindal Fleet Plate | Medium | +2 | −2D Athletics only | No Acrobatics penalty on ship deck |
| Durakai Stone-Set Plate | Heavy | +3 | Standard | Stand from Prone = Minor Action |
| Voren Ironback | Heavy | +3 | Standard | Standard |
Shields
| Name | Defense | Bulwark | Notable Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Shield | +1 | Adjacent ally | Standard |
| Aedyn Wing-Buckler | +1 | None | Flight-compatible; no Bulwark |
| Sereindal Boarding Shield | +1 | Near range (ship) | Extended Bulwark range on deck |
By Culture
| Culture | Signature Armor |
|---|---|
| Aedyn | Wind-Treated Leather, Wing-Buckler |
| Calri | Calri Costume Armor |
| Durakai | Stone-Set Plate |
| Ekhari | Merchant Guard |
| Kerroshi | Concealment Wrap |
| Kyne Daas | Reach-Coat |
| Misa | Articulated Plate |
| Sereindal | Salt-Cured Leather, Fleet Plate, Boarding Shield |
| Voren | Lodge-Marked Mail, Ironback |
| Ashari | Hearth-Worked |