Enhance Armor

Enhance Armor

Enhance armor reinforces a suit of armor (which must have a standard armor prop), raising its physical armor value by one point for the duration of the spell. If the armor is repaired with mend armor during the duration of enhance armor this bonus point will also be repaired. When the enhance armor spell wears off reduce the wearer's current armor points by one.

For example, a two point suit of leather armor would be worth three points when affected by enhance armor. If the character wearing the armor took 3 damage, the armor would have no points remaining. Mend armor would repair the armor back to 3 armor points. If the character wearing that armor later took 2 damage, leaving one point remaining, and did not mend it, when the enhance armor spell wears off they will have a suit of leather armor worth 2 armor points again at maximum, with 0 armor points currently available to soak damage with.

Detailed Information

Armor (aka Physical Armor) Points

When a player wears armor as part of their garb their character gets to enjoy the benefit of gaining points of "armor". Armor points are sometimes also called "physical armor points" in order to differentiate them from magic armor or natural armor.

Points of physical armor only benefit you in places the armor covers. If an opponent hits a part of your body that is not covered by the armor you are wearing, you may not apply the damage to your armor points. Some rare magic items may give "floating" coverage which covers even places the armor does not.

Should your character take damage, physical armor soaks that damage. Attacks with the "Pierce" combat call, ignore any physical armor you might have (as well as any other armor such as magic armor or natural armor).

Your total physical armor is based on the armor you are wearing plus any effects that specifically improve your armor, such as a helmet, spells like enhance armor, or special magic items. Wearing a chain shirt and a leather vest will not stack together for a better armor value

Physical armor has a cap of 4 points.

Wearing a helmet allows a character to break the physical armor cap and have 5 points of physical armor.

Armor Rules

Armor is something that a character must physically wear to benefit from. It must pass safety inspection to ensure safety for both the user and other combatants. Characters in armor must still also wear appropriate costuming. This includes wearing racial make up under helmets. Wearing multiple armors at once will only give you the bonus of your best armor.

It is the responsibility of those wearing armor to learn when a legal hit takes place even if the armor prevents them from feeling it.

Different armors grants between 1 and 4 points of protection in the form of armor points also called physical armor points. Should armor be made of ineffective material or be visibly damaged it may have its armor points downgraded.

These points of protection only apply to where the armor is physically on your body. A hit to a spot where the armor is not covering cannot be applied to your armor points.

Helmets

You can gain an additional universal armor point for a helmet. Because the head is not a legal hit location, the point of armor from a helmet works like body and covers any possible hit location. The point from a helmet can break the cap on armor points making the maximum possible benefit from armor 5 armor points.

Plate and Half-Plate

Half-plate and plate armors count as monstrous armor. This benefit only applies in hit locations where you are wearing the half-plate or plate armor. If at least 75% of the location is covered by half-plate or plate the entire hit location counts as covered by that half-plate or plate.

When less than 75% of a hit location has plate or half-plate and some of the rest of that hit location is covered by other types of armor, a hit to that other type of armor will not benefit from monstrous armor. Damage in full will be subtracted from armor points, which is likely disadvantageous.

Limbs cannot benefit from monstrous armor if the armor on a player's torso isn't of at least the same quality.

Players wearing plate armor are required to wear some form of padding or safety equipment that is hidden (such as modern safety equipment like elbow pads) or props approved (such as a padded gambeson or arming jack).

Armor Values

One point armors include:

• A full costume approved by staff. (may not be combined with a helmet or other armor)
• Studded Leather (Leather too thin to count as light leather must have studs to count as anything)
• Light Leather
• Fur (Real animal hides with the fur on, unless the leather itself counts for a higher value)
• Brigandine (Light leather backing with light plates)

Two point armors include:

• Studded Light Leather
• Heavy Leather
• Scale Armor/ Lamellar (Overlapping light leather pieces)
• Brigandine (Leather or light leather with heavy leather plates)
• Riveted Aluminum Chain Mail

Three point armors include:

• Studded Heavy Leather
• Scale Armor/ Lamellar (Overlapping heavy leather pieces)
• Chain Armor (Interlocking butted or riveted metal wire, note that aluminum is only 2 points)
• Metal Scale or Lamellar Armor
• Brigandine (Heavy leather backing with heavy leather plates)
• Brigandine (Any backing with metal plates)
• Half-Plate (Metal armor, no articulated joints, up to 25% chain/leather)
  • Lorica Segmentata is half-plate armor.
  • A 2-piece back-and-breast is half-plate armor
  • Half-Plate armor counts as monstrous armor.

Four point armors include:

• Articulated Plate Armor
  • Plate armor with flexible joints that can bend and move with the movements of the player while still providing complete coverage. Must be a complete harness. For example articulated arms would contain a full vambrace, articulated elbow, rerebrace, and pauldrons.
  • Wearing incomplete articulated plate (such as wearing a back-and-breast without fauld, tassets, and a gorget) make it half plate armor.
  • Plate armor counts as monstrous armor.

Related Spells

Mend Armor

The mend armor spell will repair damaged armor or shield. When cast on armor it will repair any physical armor points lost from battle, restoring the armor back to its full value. This includes any bonuses the armor may have from being enhanced by magical effects.

Alternatively it can be cast on a shield that has been destroyed by "acid" damage. mend armor will return the shield to working condition. When cast this way you must role-play repairing the shield.

Mend armor can also repair natural armor points if a character has them with a separate cast of the spell.

Categories: Enchantment Spells | Spells | Level One Spells | Potions