Armor
For most, armor is the simplest way to protect themselves in a world of rampant threats and dangers. Many characters can wear only the simplest of armors, and only some can use shields.
The armor entries in the Armor and Shields table contain the following information.
Cost: The cost in gold pieces of the armor for Small or Medium humanoid creatures. See the Armor for Unusual Creatures table for armor prices for other creatures.
Armor/Shield Bonus: Each type of armor grants an armor bonus to armor class (AC), while shields grant a shield bonus to AC. The armor bonus from a suit of armor doesn't stack with other effects or items that grant an armor bonus. Similarly, the shield bonus from a shield doesn't stack with other effects that grant a shield bonus. In each armor category (light, medium, or heavy), the armors are listed in order from worst AC bonus to highest AC bonus.
Maximum Dex Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to AC that this type of armor allows. Dexterity bonuses in excess of this number are reduced to this number for the purposes of determining the wearer's AC. Heavier armors limit mobility, reducing the wearer's ability to dodge blows. This restriction doesn't affect any other Dexterity-related abilities. A dash indicates the armor does not affect a character's maximum Dexterity bonus.
Even if a character's Dexterity bonus to AC drops to 0 because of armor, this situation does not count as losing his Dexterity bonus to AC.
A character's encumbrance (the amount of gear carried, including armor) may also restrict the maximum Dexterity bonus that can be applied to his Armor Class.
Shields: Shields do not affect a character's maximum dexterity bonus, except for tower shields.
Armor Check Penalty: Any armor heavier than leather, as well as any shield, applies an armor check penalty to all Dexterity- and Strength-based skill checks. A character's encumbrance may also incur an armor check penalty.
Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, both armor check penalties apply.
Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he is not proficient takes the armor's (and/or shield's) armor check penalty on attack rolls as well as on all dexterity- and strength-based ability and skill checks. the penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for shields.
Sleeping in Armor: A character who sleeps in medium or heavy armor is automatically fatigued the next day. He takes a –2 penalty on strength and dexterity and can't charge or run. sleeping in light armor does not cause fatigue.
Arcane Spell Failure Chance: Armor interferes with the gestures that a spellcaster must make to cast an arcane spell that has a somatic component. Arcane spellcasters face the possibility of arcane spell failure if they're wearing armor. Bards, magi, and summoners have class features which allow them to wear certain armors or even shields without incurring any arcane spell failure chance for casting spells from their class spell list.
Casting an Arcane Spell in Armor: A character who casts an arcane spell while wearing armor must usually make an arcane spell failure check. The number in the arcane spell failure chance column in the Armor and Shields table is the percentage chance that the spell fails and is ruined. if the spell lacks a somatic component, however, it can be cast with no chance of arcane spell failure.
Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, add the two arcane spell failure chances together to get a single arcane spell failure chance.
Speed: Medium or heavy armor slows the wearer down. The number in the Armor and Shields table is the character's speed while wearing the armor. Humans, elves, half-elves, and half-orcs have an unencumbered speed of 30 feet. They use the first column. Dwarves, gnomes, and halflings have an unencumbered speed of 20 feet. They use the second column. Remember, however, that a dwarf's land speed remains 20 feet even in medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Shields: Shields do not affect a character's speed.
Weight: This column gives the weight of the armor sized for a Medium wearer. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armor for Large characters weighs twice as much.
Armor Special Features
Some armors, particularly those made out of primitive materials, are inferior compared to standard equipment. These armors have the fragile special feature.
Fragile: Armor with the fragile quality falls apart when hit with heavy blows. if an attacker hits a creature wearing fragile armor with an attack roll of a natural 20 and confirms the critical hit (even if the creature is immune to critical hits), the armor gains the broken condition. if already broken, the armor is destroyed instead. Fragile armor is broken or destroyed by only critical threats that are generated by natural 20s.
Masterwork and magical fragile armor lacks these flaws unless otherwise noted in the item description or the special material description.
If armor gains the broken condition in this way, that armor is considered to have taken damage equal to half its hit points +1. This damage is repaired either by something that addresses the effect that granted the armor the broken condition (like the Field Repair feat) or the repair methods described in the broken condition. When an effect that grants the broken condition is removed, the armor regains the hit points it lost when the broken condition was applied. Damage done by an attack against armor (such as from a sunder combat maneuver) cannot be repaired by an effect that removes the broken condition.
Masterwork Armor
Just as with weapons, you can purchase or craft masterwork versions of armor or shields. Such a well-made item functions like the normal version, except that its armor check penalty is lessened by 1.
The masterwork transformation spell transforms a non-masterwork weapon into a masterwork weapon. Without using magic, you can't add the masterwork quality to armor or a shield after it is created; it must be crafted as a masterwork item (see the Craft skill).
A masterwork suit of armor or shield costs an extra 150 gp over and above the normal price for that type of armor or shield.
The masterwork quality of a suit of armor or shield never provides a bonus on attack or damage rolls, even if the armor or shield is used as a weapon.
All magic armors and shields are automatically considered to be of masterwork quality.
Even though some types of armor and shields can be used as weapons, you can't create a masterwork version of such an item that confers an enhancement bonus on attack rolls. However, you can create masterwork armor spikes and shield spikes, which do confer their enhancement bonus on attack rolls to attacks made with the spikes.
Variant Rule: Armor as DR
The armor and Armor Class system is an abstraction where an attack roll that "misses" represents actual misses as well as attacks that fail to hit the target hard or accurately enough to cause harm. Some players and GMs may prefer a different system where a failed attack roll is an actual miss, and armor absorbs points of damage from successful attacks.
A variant set of rules for this game mechanic is presented in Ultimate Combat. In this system, a creature has a defense score instead of an armor class (representing how easy or difficult it is to hit a creature), and the armor's armor class value indicates how many points of dr it grants against incoming attacks. This increases the bookkeeping burden for creatures with armor, but may give more satisfying results.
Variant Rule: Piecemeal Armor
All armor in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game assumes you're dealing with a full suit of armor that you're either wearing in its entirety or not wearing at all. However, sometimes you don't have time to put on an entire suit of armor or don't have access to a complete suit, and must make do with wearing only part of a complete set. A variant set of rules for this option is presented in Ultimate Combat.
Armor for Unusual Creatures
Armor and shields for unusually big creatures, unusually little creatures, and non-humanoid creatures (such as horses) have different prices and weights from those given in the Armor and Shields table. Refer to the appropriate line on the table below and apply the multipliers to price and weight for the armor type in question.
Armor for Unusual Creatures
| Size | Humanoid
Price Weight | Non-Humanoid
Price Weight |
|---|
| Tiny or smaller* | ×1/2 | ×1/10 | ×1 | ×1/10 |
| Small | ×1 | ×1/2 | ×2 | ×1/2 |
| Medium | ×1 | ×1 | ×2 | ×1 |
| Large | ×2 | ×2 | ×4 | ×2 |
| Huge | ×4 | ×5 | ×8 | ×5 |
| Gargantuan | ×8 | ×8 | ×16 | ×8 |
| Colossal | ×16 | ×12 | ×32 | ×12 |
| *Divide armor bonus by 2. |
Getting Into and Out of Armor
Putting on or taking off armor is a sometimes complicated procedure. The time required to don armor depends on its type; see the table below.
Don: This column tells how long it takes a character to put the armor on. (One minute is 10 rounds.) Readying (strapping on) a shield is only a move action.
Don Hastily: This column tells how long it takes to put the armor on in a hurry. The armor check penalty and armor bonus for hastily donned armor are each 1 point worse than normal.
Remove: This column tells how long it takes to get the armor off. Removing a shield from your arm and dropping it is only a move action.
Donning Armor
| Armor type | Don | Don Hastily | Remove |
|---|
| Shield (any) | 1 move action | N/A | 1 move action |
| Padded, leather, hide, studded leather, or chain shirt | 1 minute | 5 rounds | 1 minute1 |
| Breastplate, scale mail, chainmail, banded mail, or splint mail | 4 minutes1 | 1 minute | 1 minute1 |
| Half-plate or full plate | 4 minutes2 | 4 minutes1 | 1d4+1 minutes1 |
1 If the character has some help, cut this time in half. A single character doing nothing else can help one or two adjacent characters.
Two characters can't help each other don armor at the same time.
2 The wearer must have help to don this armor. Without help, it can only be donned hastily. |
Armor and Shields
| Light Armor | Price | Armor/Shield
Bonus | Max
Dex Bonus | Armor
Check Penalty | Arcane Spell
Failure Chance | Speed
30 ft. 20 ft. | Weight1 |
|---|
| Haramaki | 3 gp | +1 | — | 0 | 0% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 1 lb. |
| Padded | 5 gp | +1 | +8 | 0 | 5% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 10 lbs. |
| Quilted cloth | 100 gp | +1 | +8 | 0 | 10% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 15 lbs. |
| Silken ceremonial | 30 gp | +1 | — | 0 | 0% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 4 lbs. |
| Lamellar cuirass | 15 gp | +2 | +4 | 0 | 5% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 8 lbs. |
| Leather | 10 gp | +2 | +6 | 0 | 10% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 15 lbs. |
| Parade | 25 gp | +3 | +5 | –1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 20 lbs. |
| Studded leather | 25 gp | +3 | +5 | –1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 20 lbs |
| Wooden | 20 gp | +3 | +3 | –1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Chain shirt | 100 gp | +4 | +4 | –2 | 20% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Lamellar (leather) | 60 gp | +4 | +3 | –2 | 20% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Medium Armor | Price | Armor/Shield
Bonus | Max
Dex Bonus | Armor
Check Penalty | Arcane Spell
Failure Chance | Speed
30 ft. 20 ft. | Weight1 |
|---|
| Armored coat | 50 gp | +4 | +3 | –2 | 20% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 20 lbs. |
| Hide | 15 gp | +4 | +4 | –3 | 20% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Do-maru | 200 gp | +5 | +4 | –4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lbs. |
| Kikko | 30 gp | +5 | +4 | –3 | 20% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Lamellar (horn) | 100 gp | +5 | +3 | –4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lbs. |
| Scale mail | 50 gp | +5 | +3 | –4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lbs. |
| Agile breastplate | 400 gp | +6 | +3 | –4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Breastplate | 200 gp | +6 | +3 | –4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lbs. |
| Chainmail | 150 gp | +6 | +2 | –5 | 30% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 40 lbs. |
| Four-mirror | 45 gp | +6 | +2 | –5 | 30% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 45 lbs. |
| Lamellar (steel) | 150 gp | +6 | +3 | –5 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 35 lbs. |
| Mountain pattern | 250 gp | +6 | +3 | –4 | 30% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 40 lbs. |
| Heavy Armor | Price | Armor/Shield
Bonus | Max
Dex Bonus | Armor
Check Penalty | Arcane Spell
Failure Chance | Speed
30 ft. 20 ft. | Weight1 |
|---|
| Banded mail | 250 gp | +7 | +1 | –6 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 35 lbs. |
| Kusari gusoku | 350 gp | +7 | +1 | –7 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 45 lbs. |
| Lamellar (iron) | 200 gp | +7 | +0 | –7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 50 lbs. |
| Splint mail | 200 gp | +7 | +0 | –7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 45 lbs. |
| Tatami-do | 1,000 gp | +7 | +3 | –6 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 45 lbs. |
| Agile half-plate | 850 gp | +8 | +0 | –7 | 40% | 20 ft.3 | 15 ft.3 | 55 lbs. |
| Half-plate | 600 gp | +8 | +0 | –7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 50 lbs. |
| Lamellar (stone) | 500 gp | +8 | +0 | –7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 45 lbs. |
| O-yoroi | 1,700 gp | +8 | +2 | –6 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 45 lbs. |
| Full plate | 1,500 gp | +9 | +1 | –6 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 50 lbs. |
| Stoneplate | 1,800 gp | +9 | +1 | –6 | 35% | 15 ft.2 | 10 ft.2 | 75 lbs. |
| Shields | Price | Armor/Shield
Bonus | Max
Dex Bonus | Armor
Check Penalty | Arcane Spell
Failure Chance | Speed
30 ft. 20 ft. | Weight1 |
|---|
| Buckler | 5 gp | +1 | — | –1 | 5% | — | — | 5 lbs. |
| Klar | 12 gp | +1 | — | –1 | 5% | — | — | 6 lbs. |
| Light steel quickdraw | 59 gp | +1 | — | –2 | 5% | — | — | 7 lbs. |
| Light steel | 9 gp | +1 | — | –1 | 5% | — | — | 6 lbs. |
| Light wooden quickdraw | 53 gp | +1 | — | –2 | 5% | — | — | 6 lbs. |
| Light wooden | 3 gp | +1 | — | –1 | 5% | — | — | 5 lbs. |
| Madu (leather) | 40 gp | +1 | — | –2 | 5% | — | — | 5 lbs. |
| Madu (steel) | 50 gp | +1 | — | –2 | 5% | — | — | 6 lbs. |
| Heavy steel | 20 gp | +2 | — | –2 | 15% | — | — | 15 lbs. |
| Heavy wooden | 7 gp | +2 | — | –2 | 15% | — | — | 10 lbs. |
| Tower | 30 gp | +44 | +2 | –10 | 50% | — | — | 45 lbs. |
| Extras | Price | Armor/Shield
Bonus | Max
Dex Bonus | Armor
Check Penalty | Arcane Spell
Failure Chance | Speed
30 ft. 20 ft. | Weight1 |
|---|
| Armor spikes | +50 gp | — | — | — | — | — | — | +10 lbs. |
| Locked gauntlet | +8 gp | — | — | Special | N/A5 | — | — | +5 lbs. |
| Shield spikes | +10 gp | — | — | — | — | — | — | +5 lbs. |
1 Weight figures are for armor sized to fit Medium characters. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armor fitted for Large characters weighs twice as much.
2 When running in heavy armor, you move only triple your speed, not quadruple.
3 When running in agile half-plate, you can still move quadruple your speed, instead of the normal triple speed for heavy armor.
4 A tower shield can instead grant you cover. See the description.
5 Hand not free to cast spells. |
Agile Breastplate
Price 400 gp
Armor Bonus +6
This breastplate is specially crafted in a manner that allows extra maneuverability for some physical activities. The armor check penalty for Climb checks and jump checks is only –1 (masterwork and mithral versions of this armor reduce this penalty as well as the normal penalty).
Agile Half-Plate
Price 850 gp
Armor Bonus +8
This style of half-plate is specially crafted in a manner that allows extra maneuverability for some physical activities. The armor check penalty for Climb checks and jump checks is only –4 (masterwork and mithral versions of this armor reduce this penalty as well as the normal penalty). In addition, unlike with most heavy armors, the wearer can still run at quadruple speed instead of triple speed.
Armor Spikes
Price +50 gp
Armor Bonus —
You can have spikes added to your armor, which allow you to deal extra piercing damage on a successful grapple attack (see "spiked armor" in the Martial Weapons Table). The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you take 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. (You can't also make an attack with armor spikes if you have already made an attack with another off-hand weapon, and vice versa.) An enhancement bonus to a suit of armor does not improve the spikes' effectiveness, but the spikes can be made into magic weapons in their own right.
Armored Coat
Price 50 gp
Armor Bonus +4
This sturdy leather coat is reinforced with metal plates sewn into the lining. An armored coat is more cumbersome than light armor but less effective than most medium armors. The advantage of it is that a person can don it or remove it as a move action (there is no "don hastily" option for an armored coat). If worn over other armor, use the better AC bonus and worse value in all other categories; an armored coat has no effect if worn with heavy armor. The only magic effects that apply are those of armor, clothing, or items worn on top.
Banded Mail
Price 250 gp
Armor Bonus +7
Banded mail is made up of overlapping strips of metal, fastened to a sturdy backing of leather and chain. The size of the metal plates, interconnected metal bands, and layers of underlying armor make it a more significant defense than similar armors, like scale mail or splint mail.
Breastplate
Price 200 gp
Armor Bonus +6
A breastplate protects a wearer's torso with a single piece of sculpted metal, similar to the core piece of a suit of full plate. Despite its sturdiness, its inflexibility and open back make it inferior to complete suits of metal armor, but still an improvement over most non-metal armors.
Buckler
Price 5 gp
Shield Bonus +1
This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a –1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can cast a spell with somatic components using your shield arm, but you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can't make a shield bash with a buckler.
Chain Shirt
Price 100 gp
Armor Bonus +4
Covering the torso, this shirt is made up of thousands of interlocking metal rings.
Chainmail
Price 150 gp
Armor Bonus +6
Unlike a chain shirt, which covers only the chest, chainmail protects the wearer with a complete mesh of chain links that cover the torso and arms, and extends below the waist. Multiple interconnected pieces offer additional protection over vital areas. The suit includes gauntlets.
Do-Maru
Price 200 gp
Armor Bonus +5
The lightest of armors typically favored by samurai, do-maru wraps around the wearer's body like a short armored coat. It consists primarily of lamellar and lacks a solid breastplate or sleeves, leaving the shoulders and upper body somewhat exposed, but permitting the wearer greater flexibility than do the majority of heavier armors.
Four-Mirror
Price 45 gp
Armor Bonus +6
This armor consists of four plates harnessed together with leather shoulder straps. Two round plates protect your front and back, while two smaller rectangular plates cover the sides of the torso. Four-mirror armor is worn over chainmail to provide added protection, and comes with a spiked helmet with a chainmail hood.
Full Plate
Price 1,500 gp
Armor Bonus +9
This metal suit comprises multiple pieces of interconnected and overlaying metal plates, incorporating the benefits of numerous types of lesser armor. A complete suit of full plate (or platemail, as it is often called) includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and a thick layer of padding that is worn underneath the armor. 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 × 100) gold pieces.
Half-Plate
Price 600 gp
Armor Bonus +8
Half-plate armor combines elements of full plate and chainmail, incorporating several sizable plates of sculpted metal with an underlying mesh of chain links. While this suit protects vital areas with several layers of armor, it is not sculpted to a single individual's frame, reducing its wearer's mobility even more than a suit of full plate. Half-plate armor includes gauntlets and a helm.
Haramaki
Price 3 gp
Armor Bonus +1
Also called a belly-warmer, a haramaki is a simple silken sash lined with chainmail or articulated metal plates and tied about the stomach to protect it.
Heavy Steel Shield
Price 20 gp
Shield Bonus +2
You strap a heavy steel shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A heavy steel shield is so heavy that you can't use your shield hand for anything else. Whether wooden or steel, a heavy shield offers the same basic protection and attack benefits, though the two versions respond differently to some spells and effects (such as rusting grasp). A druid can use a heavy wooden shield, but not a heavy steel shield.
Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a heavy shield. See "heavy shield" on the Martial Weapons table for the damage dealt by a shield bash with a heavy shield. Used this way, a heavy shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next turn. An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
Heavy Wooden Shield
Price 7 gp
Shield Bonus +2
A heavy wooden shield is essentially the same as a heavy steel shield, except that it responds differently to some spells and effects (such as rusting grasp). A druid can use a heavy wooden shield, but not a heavy steel shield.
Hide
Price 15 gp
Armor Bonus +4
Hide armor is made from the tanned skin of particularly thick-hided beasts, stitched with either multiple overlapping layers of crude leather or exterior pieces of leather stuffed with padding or fur. Damage to the armor is typically repaired by restitching gashes or adding new pieces of hide, giving the most heavily used suits a distinctively patchwork quality.
Kikko
Price 30 gp
Armor Bonus +5
Kikko armor consists of a clever arrangement of hexagonal plates made from iron and sewn to cloth, granting the wearer greater flexibility than that provided by many armors that afford similar defense. The plates may be left exposed or hidden by a layer of cloth.
Klar
Price 12 gp
Shield Bonus +1
The traditional form of this tribal weapon is a short blade bound to the skull of a large horned lizard, but a skilled smith can craft one entirely out of metal. A traditional klar counts as a light wooden shield with armor spikes; a metal klar counts as a light steel shield with armor spikes.
Kusari Gusoku
Price 350 gp
Armor Bonus +7
Kusari gusoku is similar to tatami-do armor; however, a katabira—a type of chain jacket—is worn in place of the chest armor.
Lamellar
| Material | Price | Armor Bonus |
|---|
| Leather | 60 gp | +4 |
| Horn | 100 gp | +5 |
| Steel | 150 gp | +6 |
| Iron | 200 gp | +7 |
| Stone | 500 gp | +8 |
Lamellar is a type of armor in which small plates of various types of materials are strung together in parallel rows using fine cord. Lamellar plates can be constructed from lacquered leather, horn, or even stone, though suits of iron and steel are the most common. Lamellar armor can be crafted into various shapes, including partial pieces such as breastplates, greaves, or even entire coats. The properties of specific suits and pieces of lamellar armor are determined by their material.
Lamellar Cuirass
Price 15 gp
Armor Bonus +2
This armor consists of a light breastplate and shoulder guards made from lacquered leather plates bound together and fitted over a silk shirt.
Leather
Price 10 gp
Armor Bonus +2
Leather armor is made up of multiple overlapping pieces of leather, boiled to increase their natural toughness and then deliberately stitched together. Although not as sturdy as metal armor, the flexibility it allows wearers makes it among the most widely used types of armor.
Light Steel Quickdraw Shield
Price 59 gp
Shield Bonus +1
This light steel shield is specially crafted with a series of straps to allow a character proficient in shields to ready or stow it on her back quickly and easily. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you may don or put away a quickdraw shield as a swift action combined with a regular move. If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw a light or one-handed weapon with one hand and a quickdraw shield with the other in the time it would normally take you to draw one weapon. If you have the Quick Draw feat, you may don or put away a quickdraw shield as a free action.
Light Steel Shield
Price 9 gp
Shield Bonus +1
You strap a light steel shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A light steel shield's weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it. Whether wooden or steel, a light shield offers the same basic protection and attack benefits, though the two varieties respond differently to some spells and effects (such as rusting grasp). A druid can use a light wooden shield, but not a light steel shield.
Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield. See "light shield" in the Martial Weapons table for the damage dealt by a shield bash with a light shield. Used this way, a light shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a light shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next turn. An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
Light Wooden Quickdraw Shield
Price 53 gp
Shield Bonus +1
A wooden quickdraw shield is essentially the same as a steel quickdraw shield, except it responds differently to some spells and effects (such as rusting grasp). A druid can use a heavy wooden quickdraw shield, but not a steel quickdraw shield.
Light Wooden Shield
Price 3 gp
Shield Bonus +1
A light wooden shield is essentially the same as a light steel shield, except it responds differently to some spells and effects (such as rusting grasp). A druid can use a light wooden shield, but not a light steel shield.
Locked Gauntlet
Price +8 gp
Armor Bonus —
This armored gauntlet has small chains and braces that allow the wearer to attach a weapon to the gauntlet so that it cannot be dropped easily. It provides a +10 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense 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 provokes attacks of opportunity.
The price given is for a single locked gauntlet. The weight given applies only if you're wearing a breastplate, light armor, or no armor. Otherwise, the locked gauntlet replaces a gauntlet you already 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 lets you deal lethal damage rather than nonlethal damage with an unarmed strike.
Madu
| Material | Price | Shield Bonus |
|---|
| Leather | 40 gp | +1 |
| Steel | 50 gp | +1 |
The madu is a round, light leather shield with two animal horns—usually from an antelope—extending from opposite edges of the shield. If you are proficient with the madu, you may use it to fight defensively with a –2 penalty instead of the normal –4, and your attack penalty for using Combat Expertise improves by +1 (minimum –1 penalty). You cannot hold anything else in the hand that bears a madu. If you are not proficient with the madu, treat it as a light spiked shield. A madu can't be disarmed. While traditional madus are crafted from leather and animal horn, they can be made entirely out of metal. Whether leather or steel, a madu offers the same basic protection and attack benefits, though the two varieties respond differently to some spells and effects (such as rusting grasp). A druid can use a leather madu, but not a steel madu.
Mountain Pattern
Price 250 gp
Armor Bonus +6
This medium armor consists of hundreds of small, interlocking pieces of steel shaped to resemble an ancient symbol for the word "mountain." The mail is then riveted to a cloth or leather backing. It is worn like a mail coat and covers your torso, shoulders, and thighs.
O-Yoroi
Price 1,700 gp
Armor Bonus +8
Worn almost exclusively by high-ranking samurai, o-yoroi—or "great armor"—is a heavy combat armor that consists of various supplementary components that include both plate and lamellar elements. Each suit is crafted for a specific individual and displays the owner's aesthetic. Upon completion, the suit is colored and sealed with a final lacquer finish. The centerpiece of o-yoroi is a cuirass consisting of two parts—a separate reinforcement for the right side called a waidate, and a kikko cuirass. The upper part of the waidate consists of a leather-covered iron plate. The cuirass's leather shoulder straps—called watagami—are likewise armored with metal plates. Affixed to the cuirass are a number of supplementary pieces, including wide lamellar shoulder guards, a kikko sleeve for the shield arm, lacquered iron greaves worn over padded silk leggings, and a groin protector. The signature component of each suit of armor is the tiered kabuto helmet and its accompanying ho-ate mask. Ho-ate masks can be made of hardened leather or metal and are fashioned into fearsome visages such as oni, dragons, or other mythical beings.
Padded
Price 5 gp
Armor Bonus +1
More than simple clothing, padded armor combines heavy, quilted cloth and layers of densely packed stuffing to create a cheap and basic protection. It is typically worn by those not intending to face lethal combat or those who wish their maneuverability to be impacted as little as possible.
Parade
Price 25 gp
Armor Bonus +3
Most wealthy countries with standing armies have a different uniform for use in showy noncombat situations such as parades, coronation ceremonies, and so on. The appearance of this armor varies by the country of origin and the branch of the military, but still provides some protection in case the soldier needs to fight while in parade dress. For example, one country's parade armor may be a chain shirt, tabard, leather greaves, and a winged helm. If you're wearing a country's parade armor, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks to influence a person from that country. Depending on the country, parade armor may be crafted from leather, metal, or a mixture of both.
Quilted Cloth
Price 100 gp
Armor Bonus +1
This enhanced form of padded armor has internal layers specifically designed to trap arrows, bolts, darts, shuriken, thrown daggers, and other small ranged piercing weapons. When these kinds of weapons strike you, they tend to become snagged in these layers and fail to harm you. Wearing quilted cloth armor gives you DR 3/— against attacks of this kind. The special layers of the armor have no effect on other kinds of weapons.
Scale Mail
Price 50 gp
Armor Bonus +5
Scale mail is made up of dozens of small, overlapping metal plates. Similar to both splint mail and banded mail, scalemail has a flexible arrangement of scales in an attempt to avoid hindering the wearer's mobility, but at the expense of omitting additional protective layers of armor. A suit of scale mail includes gauntlets.
Shield Spikes
Price +10 gp
Shield Bonus —
Deadly spikes and bladed projections extend from some shields, transforming such pieces of armor into weapon in their own right. Shield spikes turn a shield into a martial piercing weapon and increase the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger (see "spiked light shield" and "spiked heavy shield" in the Martial Weapons table). You can't put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack.
An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
Silken Ceremonial
Price 30 gp
Armor Bonus +1
Used for ceremonial displays or occasionally worn (albeit with no additional benefit) over heavier armor, these robes consist of several layers of cloth and an outer layer of silk intricately woven with gold brocade designs and covered with metal studs.
Splint Mail
Price 200 gp
Armor Bonus +7
Splint mail is made up of overlapping layers of metal strips attached to a backing of leather or sturdy fabric. These splints are of greater size and durability than those that compose a suit of scale mail, improving the protection they afford the wearer, but at the cost of flexibility. A suit of splint mail includes gauntlets.
Stoneplate
Price 1,800 gp
Armor Bonus +9
This armor is crafted by dwarven stonesmiths from alchemically strengthened plates of basalt. Stoneplate is heavy and unwieldy, but offers incredible protection to its wearer. It is primarily used by dwarven druids who cannot wear metal armor.
Studded Leather
Price 25 gp
Armor Bonus +3
An improved form of leather armor, studded leather armor is covered with dozens of metal protuberances. While these rounded studs offer little defense individually, in the numbers they are arrayed in upon such armor, they help catch lethal edges and channel them away from vital spots. The rigidity caused by the additional metal does, however, result in less mobility than is afforded by a suit of normal leather armor.
Tatami-Do
Price 1,000 gp
Armor Bonus +7
Worn by samurai as a lighter-weight alternative to o-yoroi, tatami-do is a full-body field armor that combines both metal lamellar and kikko components into a suit of mail with a cloth backing. It typically includes a collapsible kabuto helmet or an armored hood, as well as arm, shoulder, and thigh guards.
Tower Shield
Price 30 gp
Shield Bonus +4
This massive wooden shield is nearly as tall as its user. In most situations, it provides the indicated shield bonus to your AC. As a standard action, however, you can use a tower shield to grant you total cover until the beginning of your next turn. When using a tower shield in this way, you must choose one edge of your space. That edge is treated as a solid wall for attacks targeting you only. You gain total cover for attacks that pass through this edge and no cover for attacks that do not pass through this edge (see cover). The shield does not, however, 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, nor can you use your shield hand for anything else.
When employing a tower shield in combat, you take a –2 penalty on attack rolls because of the shield's encumbrance.
Wooden
Price 20 gp
Armor Bonus +3
This suit of leather armor has plates of fire-treated wood sewn over vital areas. Though not as effective as metal armor, it offers better protection than leather alone. Unlike metal armor, the wood is slightly buoyant, and the armor check penalty for swimming in this armor is 0.
