Armor Categories and Shields
Four armor categories (unarmored through heavy) with increasing AC but more penalties. Shields require [[compendium:action:Raise a Shield]] action for AC bonus and [[compendium:feat:Shield Block]] for damage reduction.
Armor is divided into four categories. Each grants different AC bonuses, Dexterity caps, check penalties, and Speed penalties.
Unarmored: +0 item bonus to AC. No Dex cap, no penalties. Used by Monks and characters relying on Dexterity.
Light Armor: +1 to +3 item bonus. Dex cap of +3 to +5. Minimal or no check/speed penalty. Examples: Leather (+1, Dex cap +4), Studded Leather (+2, Dex cap +3), Chain Shirt (+2, Dex cap +3, noisy).
Medium Armor: +3 to +5 item bonus. Dex cap of +1 to +2. Check penalty -2 to -3, speed penalty -5 ft. Examples: Chain Mail (+4, Dex cap +1), Scale Mail (+3, Dex cap +2), Breastplate (+4, Dex cap +1).
Heavy Armor: +5 to +6 item bonus. Dex cap +0 to +1. Check penalty -3 to -4, speed penalty -10 ft. Examples: Full Plate (+6, Dex cap +0), Half Plate (+5, Dex cap +1). Requires Strength 16+ to avoid additional penalties.
Armor Proficiency Progression: Most martials reach Expert armor at mid levels and Master at high levels. Monks reach Legendary in unarmored. Casters typically stay at Trained.
Shields: Shields are held equipment, not armor. They do NOT grant AC passively — you must use the Raise a Shield action (1 action) to gain the circumstance bonus (+1 for Buckler, +2 for most shields). After raising, you can use Shield Block as a reaction. Shields have Hardness (damage reduction), HP, and a Broken Threshold. When a shield takes damage exceeding its BT, it becomes broken and unusable until repaired.
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