Armor
Armor in Alliance is measured in Armor Points, which help to preserve body points in battle for as long as possible. Armor provides protection against damaging attacks, other than specific effects that bypass armor. There are two categories of Armor: Base Armor and Bonus Armor.
Base Armor
The three types of Base Armor are Physical, Arcane, and Natural. Only one type of Base Armor can be utilized at a time. Base Armor can be restored to its full value after being refit.
Physical Armor consists of any worn armor with an appropriate physrep. The amount of protection provided by this type of Base Armor will vary based on what it is made of and how much area it covers. The details of how Physical Armor is evaluated are found below. Beyond the actual components of this Armor, its protective value is also impacted by the character’s class and purchased levels of the Wear Extra Armor skill.
Arcane Armor is created via Ritual magic and does not require a specific physrep to be worn, but you must carry the item that the Ritual has been cast upon. The protection provided by this Ritual will vary based on the difficulty the Ritual is cast at, the class of the character benefitting from it, as well as that character’s purchased levels of High Magic and Wear Extra Armor skills.
Natural Armor can come from any number of sources, but is typically indicative of toughed hide or other natural protections. While this type of armor is typically found on monsters, its protective value is not limited by the class of the character benefitting from it.
Certain abilities can provide additional Base armor, which allows the character to exceed their class maximum, and is simply added to the value of protection provided by the Armor they have.
Bonus Armor
Bonus armor can be provided by certain abilities and effects. A character may only benefit from one source of Bonus armor at a time. These armor points are temporary, lasting only 10 minutes, and cannot be refit, mended, or restored in any way.
Armor Evaluation
There are multiple ways to get Armor Points, and the most common is costuming. To determine your Armor Rating, a Marshal must look at the eight body locations listed in the following section, and assign each one a Material Value of zero to four. The sum of all these values and any incentive points you are awarded becomes your Armor Rating.
Your character may be limited on how much of this armor they can effectively use based on the Max Armor of their class, Purchased Skills, Armor tag, or changes to their costuming as pieces of armor are added or removed.
Armor Locations
Each of the following Armor Locations receives a value of one Armor Point multiplied by the material value and coverage:
Hands/Forearms: This includes the area from the tip of the fingers to elbow.
Upper Arms/Shoulders: This includes the area from the elbow to neck.
Feet/Lower Legs: This includes the area from the toes to the knee. Upper Legs/Groin: This includes the area from the knee to the waist.
Each of the following Armor Locations receives a value of two Armor Points multiplied by the material value and coverage:
Belly: This includes the area from the waist to the bottom of the sternum.
Upper Chest: This includes the area from the bottom of the sternum to the neck.
Back: This includes the entire back from the waist to the neck.
Head: This includes the area from the back of the neck to the forehead.
Armor Coverage
The Armor Locations listed above will be evaluated for overall coverage. Covering less than half of any Armor Location will result in half as many Armor Points being awarded for that Armor Location.
Armor Material Values
0 points: Costume. Costume is any sort of period costume made from cloth or any other material that does not at all resemble armor.
1 point: Light, Non-Metallic Armor. This level is awarded for simple materials which give a modicum of protection, such as leather, leather scale, padded cloth, Naugahyde, suede, doeskin, heavy canvas, and rope.
2 points: Heavy, Non-Metallic Armor. This level is awarded for simpler materials which have been specifically thickened or upgraded to provide real protection, such as studded leather or the equivalent of 10 oz or heavier thick leather. It can also be given for harder materials such as wood and bone depending on how the armor is made. To meet this level of award, studded leather (or a similar material) must have a minimum of ¼” wide metal studs 1" apart or less (or the equivalent level of upgraded protection).
3 points: Chain/Scale/Brigandine. The material must appear to be one of the following: chain mail tight enough to provide protection, metallic scale of at least 1/16" thick, or brigandine with plates of at least 1/16" woven within. At a marshal’s judgment, similar/alternative armor construction may meet this threshold, but please be aware that the armor must appear to be solidly built and upgraded to qualify for this level of protection and the default is to assign the lower 1 or 2 point values if the protective value is not obvious
4 points: Plate Armor. This level is awarded only for solid plate protection on an area. The material must appear to be plate mail of sufficient thickness to absorb blows (excessively thin or light plate may be downgraded by a Marshal to 3 point per location or lower Armor Points). Please keep in mind that this armor level is intended to help balance the weight and restriction associated with plate armor.
Different values of armor materials may be layered to gain additional points, but in no case may any location go over the maximum of four points. Incentive points are only given for a location once, and only if all materials used meet the incentive requirements.
Incentive Points
The following incentive points are awarded if the costume or suit of armor meets the specified criteria.
In Genre: No jeans, sneakers, watches, or other obvious anachronisms. Modern footwear (such as hiking boots) and glasses may be used for safety reasons without being penalized. You can receive up to two incentive points if none of these types of items are visible in your costuming.
Master Crafted: Finely crafted costumes, real armor, or armor that is visually impressive. You can receive up to four incentive points for armor that fulfills these requirements.
Authentic Material: This bonus of one point per location may be given for use of authentic materials. For example, metal plate (as opposed to alternative material such as plastic, latex, or the like) would garner this bonus, as would metal chain mail (instead of plastic or vinyl) and real leather (instead of latex or plastic). The material does not necessarily need to be historically accurate—for example, stainless steel or aluminum are acceptable instead of more historically accurate alloys—but it does need to be a material which is true to the armor type it is representing. Note that this bonus does not double for vital locations as incentive points are calculated after a suit has been otherwise evaluated, and this bonus will only apply to a location with layered armor if all layers comply.
Safety
Armor cannot be taped together. It must have integral fastenings. Any metal plates must have round-filed edges or the edges must be covered to avoid injury. Jutting edges on sheet metal armor are not allowed.
Protruding spikes are similarly prohibited. Any armor that is deemed unsafe cannot be used. Head protection may need to be padded to prevent injury while being worn. Ultimately, concerns regarding safety will be left to the discretion of local marshals during event check in and armor evaluations.
Armor Points
Once a Marshal has assigned your Armor Rating, you may use any armor tag, up to the value of your Armor Rating or the tag value, whichever is lower. If you remove a piece of armor at any time during the game, your Armor Rating is reduced by the appropriate amount.
When struck for damage in battle, your Armor Points will be deducted before your Body Points. There are some magical effects like Mend Armor that may restore damaged Armor Points.
Refitting
Any character can refit Base Armor, restoring it to full Armor Point value with two uninterrupted minutes of Focus. During this time no Game Abilities may be used and the player must kneel or crouch and adjust their armor to represent the act of refitting.
If you are refitting someone else’s armor, the target must kneel while the other character role plays fixing the armor. This might involve pulling out a small bag of tools and accessories, or at least by roleplaying adjusting the fit of the armor, or otherwise taking actions to make it clear that you are refitting armor and not just kneeling down. Do not actually touch another player without permission. The Smithing skill, among other skills and abilities, can decrease this time for certain types of armor. Details about these abilities can be found in the appropriate descriptions.