Historical Norse armour consisted of helmets, round shields, and chain hauberks or leather tunics. Heavier plate armour had not yet been invented, and Viking helmets were certainly not horned.
In Dwarven Glory, the available types of armour are expanded to reflect both the ingenuity of dwarves as well as the fantasy milieu. And horned helmets are de rigueur as a post-Ragnarök fashion statement.
As noted in the Core Rules, a lower AC makes you harder to hit, but is detrimental in other ways. Listed here are additional armour types and special options. The expanded armour table also provides movement rates for humans, dwarves, and elves.
Class Restrictions: Fighters may use all armour and shield types without restriction. A thief cannot use thieves’ tools while wearing heavy armour or using a shield. A runecaster cannot prepare or trigger runes while wearing medium or heavy armour or using a shield.
Expanded Armour Table
Cost | Armour | Movement Rate | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class | Human | Dwarf | Elf | ||
Light Armour: | |||||
Unarmoured | – | 9 | 12″ | 9″ | 15″ |
Skins / Furs | 5 gp | 8 | 12″ | 9″ | 15″ |
Soft Leather | 10 gp | 8 | 12″ | 9″ | 15″ |
Hide Armour | 15 gp | 7 | 12″ | 9″ | 15″ |
Leather Jerkin | 20 gp | 7 | 12″ | 9″ | 15″ |
Medium Armour: | |||||
Ring Mail | 40 gp | 6 | 10½” | 8″ | 10½” |
Chain Byrnie | 75 gp | 6 | 10½” | 8″ | 10½” |
Chain Hauberk | 150 gp | 5 | 9″ | 7½” | 9″ |
Breastplate | 250 gp | 5 | 9″ | 7½” | 9″ |
Heavy Armour: | |||||
Double Chain | 400 gp | 4 | 7½” | 7″ | 7½” |
Plate & Chain | 750 gp | 4 | 7½” | 7″ | 7½” |
Dwarven Plate | 1500 gp | 3 | 6″ | 6″ | 6″ |
Shields: | |||||
Small Shield | 10 gp | –1 * | – | – | – |
Large Shield | 20 gp | –1 | – | – | – |
Tower Shield | 40 gp | –2/–3 † | ‡ | ‡ | ‡ |
* A small shield’s AC bonus can only be used against a single attack per round.
† A tower shield provides a –2 bonus to AC against melee attacks and –3 against ranged attacks.
‡ Movement rate is reduced by a half ‘step’ when carrying a tower shield.
Expanded Shield Rules
The expanded armour table adds small shields. Shields are typically divided into the following three categories, depending on size:
Small Shield: A small shield’s AC bonus can only be used against a single attack per round. You can hold a torch or similar in your shield hand without penalty. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (including those requiring two hands), but take a –1 penalty to hit while doing so.
Large Shield: These ‘standard’ shields provide a –1 improvement to AC. You cannot use 2-handed weapon when employing this type of shield.
Tower Shield: A tower shield provides a –2 bonus to AC against melee attacks and –3 against ranged attacks. (Consider the –2 AC when modifying adventuring feats.) When carrying a tower shield your speed is reduced by a half ‘step’, and you take a –1 penalty to hit because of the shield’s encumbrance.
Special Armour Qualities
In general, the following qualities do not stack with one another. You cannot, for example, have dwarfcraft mastercraft adamantine dwarven plate armour.
Dwarfcraft Armour: These dwarf-made armour suits function like the normal versions except that they improve the armour’s AC by 1. Only metal armour can have the dwarfcraft quality. Cost: Standard armour price + 300 gp.
Mastercraft Armour: These well-made armour suits function like the normal versions except that they are considered a half ‘step’ lighter than normal (equal to 1 AC point) for purposes of movement. Cost: Standard armour price + 150 gp.
Mithral Armour: Mithral is a very rare silvery, glistening metal that is lighter than iron but just as hard. It can be worked like steel and is a wonderful material from which to create armour. Mithral armour is considered one full ‘step’ lighter than normal (equal to 2 AC points) for purposes of movement. Cost: Standard armour price + 1000 gp for light armour, + 4000 gp for medium armour, and + 9000 gp for heavy armour.
Adamantine Armour: This ultrahard metal adds to the deflective quality of a suit of armour. Metal armour made from adamantine grants its wearer Damage Reduction of 1 (DR 1/-). This DR is non-magical in nature. Cost: Standard armour price + 5000 gp.
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