Armor

Although many Exalted have Charms that allow them to fight without armor, most use some sort of protective gear, even if it's no more than a shield. Mortals, without the luxury of magic, are heavily reliant on armor in battle. Armor's protection is a double-edge sword, however. Though it defends the character against blows, it is fatiguing, and its bulk makes any sort of graceful maneuver—such as running, climbing or acrobatics—more difficult.

Body Armor

Donning Armor

Armor is not a simple thing. It takes a number of minutes equal to the mobility penalty of a suit of armor to put it on (-0 penalty is treated as 30 seconds). A character who rushes can do it in half that time, but any botch her player later rolls almost certainly indicates that something has gone wrong with her armor. A poorly fastened strap may have come undone, or an inadequately tightened greave may have turned around. At the Storyteller's discretion, this botch can deprive a character of the armor's benefits or cause her significant penalties as the shifting armor deprives her of full mobility. Removing armor takes half as long as donning it, which may be important if the character is busy trying to get out of her armor in a hurry, to avoid drowning or to hide armor from the guards outside in the corridor. Rushing armor removal halves the time again but creates the opportunity for unfortunate botches.

Body armor is a character's primary protection against attacks. A character without armor or protective Charms will not live long in battle.

All armor has three important statistics. The first is its soak. Soak is represented by two numbers, separated by a slash and followed by a letter (L or B). The number with the L is the armor's protection against lethal damage, and the number with the B is its protection against bashing damage. When a character wears the armor, these numbers are added to her natural soak, and the result is subtracted from the raw damage of attacks made against her.

The second important number is the armor's mobility penalty. This is the number of dice subtracted from the character’s dice pools when she tries to do anything requiring agility or physical dexterity. This penalty is an internal penalty, and it doesn’t normally apply to attacks or parries, but it does apply to dodges and Athletics rolls for feats that require whole-body ability. The Storyteller can also apply this penalty to anything else she deems becomes difficult in 20 or more pounds of protective gear. Mobility penalties always apply to attempts to swim, and trying to swim in armor is very fatiguing.

The third important number is the armor's fatigue value. Player's must make a (Stamina + Resistance) roll when their characters wear armor, with a difficulty equal to the armor's fatigue value. If a player fails the roll, his character takes a -1 internal penalty to all actions due to soreness and fatigue. This penalty continues to accumulate as the character continues to fail Resistance rolls. Accumulated penalties dissipate at the rate of one point of penalty per eight hours of rest outside the armor.

The frequency with which the character has to make these rolls is determined by the weather conditions and the exercise in which the character is engaging. If a character is engaging in normal activity under a partly cloudy sky on a cool day, the player will have to make a roll every four hours of game time that passes. Characters in very hot weather, characters exposed to prolonged sun or characters engaging in strenuous labor will cause their players to have to make a fatigue roll more frequently. For each of those factors (extreme heat, sun and activity), halve the time between checks. The player of a character fighting a battle in a desert under a bright sun would be making (Stamina + Resistance) rolls every 30 minutes of game time.

Characters in the shade, in cold weather, or those not exerting themselves at all, double the time between checks. These factors can offset aforementioned the negative factors. For example, the player of a character exerting himself in cold weather would make Resistance rolls every four hours of game time—four hours, halved for hard labor and doubled for cold weather. The maximum amount of time a character can go between checks is eight hours. Even sleeping in armor is tiring to some degree. Exalted characters have access to Resistance Charms that offset the negative effects of armor, and jade artifact armor is also known for being less fatiguing.

Light Armor

Breastplate

Nothing more than a pair of fitted metal plates that cover the character's chest and back, this armor provides excellent protection for the character's vitals. Breastplates are common among military officers and scouts, both of whom need more protection than a chain shirt offers but still need a full range of motion and an armor that can be worn without causing too much fatigue.

Soak	Mobility	Fatigue	Cost	Tags
+4L/2B	-1	1	••	May be concealed under heavy jacket or cloak.

Buff Jacket

One of the most common types of armor in the world of Exalted, the buff jacket is a knee-length leather garment typically made from the hide of a mammoth or yeddim. The front of the coat overlaps completely—the inner and outer layer both fasten at the opposite shoulder. This setup doubles the jacket's protection across the wearer's vitals, as well as making it impossible to slip a blade through the seam where the jacket fastens. Most buff jackets have high, overlapping collars as well, to protect the wearer’s neck.

Soak	Mobility	Fatigue	Cost	Tags
+3L/4B	-1	2	•	—

Chain Shirt

A chain shirt is a pullover shirt made from links of extremely fine mail. This garment protects the wearer’s chest, abdomen, shoulders and back. The armor's sleeves reach only halfway down the upper arm. Because they are unobtrusive and can be worn beneath most clothing, chain shirts are common among those who have reason to fear assassins.

Soak	Mobility	Fatigue	Cost	Tags
+3L/1B	-0	1	••	May be concealed under normal clothes.

Chain Hauberk

A long-sleeved chain shirt, covering the character's arms, chest, abdomen and upper legs, the hauberk also typically includes greaves, to protect the character's lower legs. Chain hauberks are not worn directly against the skin—they typically include a layer of padding underneath to spread the impact of blows.

Soak	Mobility	Fatigue	Cost	Tags
+6L/7B	-3	2	•••	—

Reinforced Buff Jacket

A heavier version of the buff jacket, the reinforced buff jacket is a common armor among light cavalry, post-riders in dangerous territory, heavy scouts, brigands and mercenary infantry. It is also the standard armor of the Realm's light infantry.

The reinforced buff jacket is cut along the same pattern as the standard buff jacket, but the shoulders, neck and vitals are armored with swatches of chain or small metal plates. The overall effect is a heavier, more protective armor that isn’t much more fatiguing than the standard buff jacket.

Concealed versions of this jacket are available, with the plates and chain sewn to the inside of the jacket. This armor is considerably more fatiguing to wear (+1 fatigue rating), but it also conceals the fact that the character is dressed for conflict and muffles the inevitable clank of the armor (mobility penalty for Stealth rolls is only -1 rather than the normal -2).

Soak	Mobility	Fatigue	Cost	Tags
+5L/8B	-2	2	•• to •••	—

Articulated Plate

Articulated plate covers the wearer in interlocking metal plates held together by hinges and pins. Chain is only used to cover areas such as the armpits, groin and the back of the knees, where there's no way to plate armor to mimic the human range of motion. Articulated plate provides superior protection and maneuverability to plate-and-chain and is less fatiguing to wear. The only disadvantages are the vast skill necessary to forge it and the absurd prices such skilled craftsmen charge for their labor. This armor is commonly available only in the Realm and in the cities of Nexus and Lookshy.

Soak	Mobility	Fatigue	Cost	Tags
+9L/9B	-3	2	•••••	—

Plate-and-Chain

Plate-and-chain is similar to a reinforced breastplate, except that chain and padding is added to the armor to cover the areas that would otherwise be exposed. Plate-and-chain is the strongest commonly available armor and is the standard of heavy cavalry outside the Realm.

Soak	Mobility	Fatigue	Cost	Tags
+8L/10B	-4	3	••••	—

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Helmets

In the real world, the helmet is of critical importance because it protects the warrior's brain and sense organs. However, Exalted is a dramatic game, not a realistic one. Helmets are largely a cosmetic matter—a substitute for a striking hair style.

If a Storyteller is running a gritty game, he may wish to penalize characters who don't wear helmets by allowing a called shot at -1 external penalty to strike an unarmored head. Storytellers should make sure players know what kind of game they'll be playing in before killing a character with a shot to his unprotected skull.

Regardless of the game's genre, all helms are considered mechanically identical.

Masked Helm

The masked helm is the standard for completing heavy armor. The design is a thicker pot helm, usually without a spire. An armored plate is affixed in front of the wearer's face. This plate has holes for the wearer's eyes and mouth but is usually decorated with some sort of ferocious beast. In the Realm, draconic images are common, while in the Threshold, the faces are typically those of dangerous beings—war spirits or predators such as wolves and tigers.

Pot Helm

This helm is a rounded bowl that fits over the wearer's head. Typically, it is longer in the back than in the front, protecting the wearer's ears. These helms usually have a nosepiece and a neck guard in the back. The neck guard is either an extension of the helm itself or a drape of chain or armored leather. These helms also often have a so-called spire, a point cast into the helm that slopes gently downward into the body of the helmet, to make it difficult to land a stunning blow atop the crown.

Slotted Helmet

One of the simplest and most durable helms, the slotted helmet is a cylinder, rounded at one end and open at the other, that fits over the wearer's head. The bottom is typically fluted to allow the wearer to move her head. A T-shaped slot in the front of the helm allows the wear to see, breathe and speak clearly. Slotted helmets are usually cast as a single piece, making them very strong, and are often used in areas where the craftsmanship is not up to forging a masked helm.

Shields

Shields are tools used to block attacks. They vary in size and shape, but they all have the same purpose and function—they are strapped to the character's arm (NOTE: NOPE, NEVER STRAPPED! Just held.) and interposed between the character's body and attacks. Some are made of light plywood with a metal rim around them, while others are made from layered ox-hide or even from hardwood faced with metal. Sturdiness is also a liability where shields are concerned; the heavier the shield's construction, the slower it is to block attacks. Few exceptional or enchanted shields exist—by their nature, shields have short life spans. Carrying a shield adds to a character's Defense rating, but shields and cover are not cumulative.

Buckler

A buckler is a small shield, between one and two feet across, used to actively parry incoming blows. It raises the DV against hand-to-hand combat by one but does nothing to protect the character from ranged weapons.

Target Shield

A large shield, able to effectively block missile fire. Target shields are usually round or roundly triangular in shape, and they are often emblazoned with a device or logo significant to the character or her cause. A target shield raises the DV against hand-to-hand or ranged attacks by one, but the character using the shield suffers an additional -1 mobility penalty to her armor (or suffers a mobility penalty of -1 if she is using no other armor).

Tower Shield

Twice as tall as a target shield and at least as wide, a tower shield offers excellent protection against missile fire. Using a tower shield gives a +1 DV against hand-to-hand combat and a +2 DV against ranged attacks.

The user of a target shield suffers an additionally -2 mobility penalty or suffers a -2 mobility penalty if he is using no other armor. Most tower shields have a series of straps that allow the user to attach the shield to his body during use. In this configuration, the shield provides the same protection as a target shield, but the character has both hands free. While this is useful, it is a cumbersome arrangement—adding one to the fatigue value of the character’s armor.