Armor
Body armor comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, providing varying degrees of coverage and varying heaviness of materials.
Three feats cover proficiency in the use of armor: Armor Proficiency (light), Armor Proficiency (medium), and Armor Proficiency (heavy).
Armor Table
Armor is described by a number of statistics.
Type: Armor comes in four types: archaic, impromptu, concealable, and tactical.
Archaic armor is old-fashioned armor, such as medieval chainmail and plate mail.
Impromptu armor includes items that provide protection even though they weren’t designed for that purpose, such as leather biker’s jackets and football pads.
Concealable armor is modern body armor designed to fit underneath regular clothing. It can be worn for extended periods of time without fatiguing the wearer.
Tactical armor is modern body armor that fits over clothing and can’t be easily concealed. Its weight and bulk make it impractical to wear all the time, and it’s generally only donned when a specific dangerous confrontation is likely. Because it’s worn over clothing in tactical situations, tactical armor often has pockets, clips, and velcro attachment points for carrying weapons, grenades, ammunition, flashlights, first aid kits, and other items.
Equipment Bonus: The protective value of the armor. This bonus adds to the wearer’s Defense.
Nonproficient Bonus: The maximum amount of the armor’s equipment bonus that can be applied to the wearer’s Defense if the wearer is using armor with which he or she isn’t proficient (doesn’t have the appropriate feat).
Maximum Dex Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to Defense that this type of armor allows. Heavier armor limits mobility, reducing a character’s ability to avoid attacks.
Even if a character’s Dexterity bonus drops to +0 because of armor, the character are not considered to have lost his or her Dexterity bonus.
Armor Penalty: The heavier or bulkier the armor, the more it affects certain skills. This penalty applies to checks involving the following skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble.
Speed (30 ft.): Medium and heavy armor slows a character down. The number in this column is the character’s speed while in armor, assuming his or her base speed is 30 feet (the normal speed for most human beings).
Weight: This column gives the armor’s weight.
Purchase DC: This is the purchase DC for a Wealth check to acquire the armor. This number reflects the base price and doesn’t include any modifier for purchasing the armor on the black market.
Restriction: The restriction rating for the armor, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the armor on the black market.