Armor protects you in battle—soaking the first blows and keeping you standing through the worst of it. It doesn’t make you invincible, but it does buy time. Each type grants a pool of Guard at the start of an encounter, absorbing damage before your health is touched.
Wearing armor also affects your movement: light armor keeps you swift, heavy armor slows you down, and medium splits the difference.
Guard: 4 Speed: +2
Leather harnesses, padded coats, barkweave—favored by scouts, duelists, and those who strike fast and move faster. You’re exposed, but rarely where it counts.
Guard: 6 Speed: +1
Lamellar plates, chainmail, bone-scales—worn by warband leaders and mercenaries alike. You can take a hit and keep moving.
Guard: 8 Speed: +0
Steel carapace, dwarven stoneplate, or arcane-forged plate. Heavy armor turns blades and breaks arrows, but every step is earned.
Guard: +4 Hands: 1
Wooden bucklers, tower shields, hexcraft wards—a shield requires one free hand. It adds its Guard to the armor you wear, protecting you from flanking strikes, sudden bursts, and incoming missiles.