Attire (PSR Supplement)
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Common Hazards
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| Proficiency. Armor never requires proficiency. A shield increases your defense, but proficiency with a shield increases it further.
Sleeping in Armor. There is no “penalty” for sleeping in attire. Any routine attire change is part of downtime. |
Attire is a term for what you’re wearing, from common clothes to plate mail. This world is perilous, and many adventurers always wear armor. Armor is any attire that increases your defense.
You Are Clothed. You are wearing a set of common clothes unless stated otherwise. Common clothes don't count as attire, don't count against your carry limit, and have no trade value.
Attire Slots. As detailed in carry slots, you have four attire slots: Head, Arms, Torso, and Legs. Any appropriate attire carried in one of these slots is worn on the corresponding part of your body.
Changing Attire. You can change your head's attire with a single Use action. Changing any or all other attire requires an entire phase activity.
Armor
Any attire you wear that provides an increase to your defense is called armor. The increase to your defense is called an armor bonus. All armor bonuses you have stack with each other.
For example if you’re wearing four pieces of armor—let's say a tunic, helmet, gauntlets, and boots—which each add +1 defense, you add them all together for +4 defense. The sum of all your armor bonuses is called your total armor bonus.
If you aren't wearing any attire that provides an armor bonus, you are unarmored.
Heavy Attire & Dexterity
When using PSR with content designed for 5e, you may need to categorize a creature's armor level as follows:
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Like any heavy item, a piece of heavy attire occupies 5 carry slots when you aren't wearing it. A piece of heavy attire only occupies 1 slot while you're wearing it, but has other drawbacks. Wearing heavy attire limits how much of your Dexterity modifier you can add to your AC, and can interfere with spellcasting.
One Piece. Normally you add your full Dexterity modifier to your defense. However, while you’re attired with at least one heavy item, you can’t add a Dexterity modifier of more than +2 to your defense. For example while wearing heavy chain mail, if you have a Dexterity modifier of +3 or more you only add a +2 to your defense. Few folks have such high Dexterity, anyway.
Multiple Pieces. If you’re wearing more than one heavy item, you don’t add your Dexterity modifier to your defense at all, even if the modifier is negative.
Dexterity Alternatives. There are some effects which let you add another ability modifier to your defense instead of Dexterity. If you benefit from such an effect, this modifier is still limited by heavy attire in the same way.
Casting in Heavy Attire. Wearing heavy attire may restrict your ability to cast spells, as detailed on that page.
Attire Properties
In addition to the heavy property, some attire have properties like these:
Loud. Your Stealth mark is lowered by 5, and you have disadvantage on ability checks made to move quietly.
Steel. Steel armor is harder to damage, and some game effects work differently if you're wearing steel.
Attire (Example)
The attire below is only a basic example of attire likely to be commonly available in any fantasy world. Your narrator’s campaign likely features more or different attire. This list is just an example.
| Attire | Armor Bonus |
Properties | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | |||
| Pointed Hat | — | Special | 5 gold |
| Cap | +1 | — | 10 gold |
| Full Helm | +2 | Special, Steel | 100 gold |
| Torso | |||
| Furs | +1 | Heavy | 10 gold |
| Leather | +1 | — | 35 gold |
| Chain Shirt | +2 | Heavy, Loud, Steel | 100 gold |
| Scale Mail | +3 | Heavy, Steel | 400 gold |
| Knight's Plate | +3 | Heavy, Special, Steel | 1000 gold (uncommon) |
| Arms | |||
| Gloves | — | — | 5 gold |
| Gauntlets | +1 | Heavy, Steel | 200 gold |
| Legs | |||
| Boots | — | — | 5 gold |
| Sabaton with Greaves | +1 | Loud, Heavy, Steel | 200 gold |
Special Properties
- Boots & Gloves. While these don't provide an armor bonus, wearing attire in these slots can still provide protection — such as against thorns.
- Full Helm. A full helm completely encloses the head for great protection, but muffles senses. While wearing one you have disadvantage on Perception checks.
- Knight's Plate. Attuning to this special breastplate requires Strength 13 or higher. While attuned to it and wearing it alongside 3 other pieces of steel attire, you gain an additional +1 armor bonus.
- Pointed Hat. While not protective, the shape of this witch's hat can help focus magic power. While wearing it, if you make an attack roll with a cantrip and hit, add +1 expert damage for one of the hit targets.
Attire for Unusual Creatures
The preceding rules are for Small and Medium-sized folk.
- Attire for a Tiny creature weighs 1⁄4 as much.
- Attire for a Large creature weighs 4 times as much, and costs double.
Creatures of inhuman shape can usually still wear attire and still have the same attire slots. Attire made for such a creature is called barding, and costs double. Barding for a Large horse for example costs 4 times as much (2 x 2). Necessary translations are made for these creatures. A horse doesn’t wear “gloves” for example, but it could wear armor on two legs that provide as much protection as gloves.
Your narrator arbitrates if a creature can wear barding. An ooze or a ghost might not be solid enough to support attire, for example.