Playing the Game: Combat

Q
ARMOR AVAILABLE IN
THE KNOWN WORLD
The Armor on this list (a partial list, at that) is described by the ‘suit,’ in effect a complete outfit that is usually called a harness. Armor is not that different
from clothing (and indeed clothing is included on this list), in the sense that it not only has a function to protect the wearer but also reflects the style and
fashions of the material Culture in which the wearer lives. It’s also simpler to describe armor as a suit or harness rather than having you buy and track
each individual piece of armor that you are wearing, which can get very complicated with as many Hit Locations as there are in Artesia AKW. There is,
however, a short list of individual pieces with which you can customize the harnesses listed here. The listings include a description of the outfit, its base
weight, the protective value of the outfit, and its cost. Armor Type is listed in cases where the armor shapes damage; this is Mail, Scale, or Plate, and refers
to the predominant armor type used. Guides should use discretion in applying Armor Type to individual hit locations; some common sense can be applied
(a warrior wearing leather gloves should receive a leather Armor Type benefit when hit in the hands, regardless of the armor worn). The protective value
is listed as Cut/Puncture/Impact protection. Each harness has an Overall Protective Value, but may also have Exposed body parts (with no protection),
Weak Points, and Strong Points. The armor listed here is pre-manufactured munition armor – bought off the rack, so to speak. Custom fitted armor
costs 1.5 times the list price, and weighs 5 lbs less. The costs listed here are the base costs for the region in which the armor is made, and you should roll to
determine the availability and quality of armor when you go to buy it; an item whose name is listed in italic must be imported into the Middle Kingdoms
region (see Appendix C).

Simple Clothing
Culturally appropriate mild weather gear: a shirt or
sleeved tunic with breeches or pants for men, blouse
and skirt or dress for women, with leather-soled shoes.
Weight 5 lbs. Cost by SL of outfit (see Appendix C).
Overall: 1/1/1
Exposed: Head, Face, Neck, Hands 0/0/0
Strong: Feet (shoes) 2/2/1
Reinforced Clothing
Culturally appropriate layered clothing: perhaps
pourpoint doublets for men or brocaded or embroidered
outer dresses for women, providing somewhat better
protection. Can include outdoor gear, work clothes,
and elaborate Courtly clothing. Weight 10 lbs. Cost by
SL of outfit (see Appendix C).
Overall: 2/2/2
Exposed: Head, Face, Hands 0/0/0
Winter Clothing
Culturally appropriate winter clothing: a thick jacket or
overcoat or wool sweater, and includes boots, a hat, and
perhaps a scarf. Weight 15 lbs. Cost by SL of outfit (see
Appendix C).
Overall: 3/3/3
Exposed: Face, Hands 0/0/0
Strong: Legs, Feet (leather boots) 4/2/3 Cuirboilli Panoply
An archaic form of armor that can still be found amongst
Leather Clothing
barbarians or in treasure troves or as heirlooms: a cuirass
Culturally appropriate leatherwear, either as outdoor
with tassets (protection for stomach and thighs),
gear, hunting wear, or even tooled and embossed
vambraces (for the forearms), greaves (for the legs), and
Courtly wear in some Cultures: a leather jacket or tunic,
a casque helmet, all made from boiled leather. Weight
leather breeches or pants, and light boots, or perhaps a
30 lbs. Cost 3g.
padded jacket with leather sleeves. Weight 12 lbs. Cost
Overall: 5/4/3
2s/SL of outfit.
Overall: 3/2/2 Exposed: Face, Neck, Shoulders, Hands, Thighs 0/0/0
Exposed: Head, Face, Neck, Hands 0/0/0 City Company harness
Leathers and furs Light infantry armor common to urban militias in the
Middle Kingdoms and the League of Cities: a jack with
Barbarian-wear from the Far North: leather clothes
a few plate pieces such as poleyns or elbow cops tied to
either layered or backed by fur, designed primarily for
quilted cloth, with a light celata. Weight 30 lb. Cost
winter weather and usually including a plushy fur hat.
5g5s.
Weight 30 lbs. Cost 30s.
Overall: 4/2/3
Overall: 4/3/4
Exposed: Face, Neck 0/0/0
Exposed: Face, Hands 0/0/0
Weak: Legs (cloth) 1/1/1 Feet (shoes) 2/2/1
Leather Hauberk Strong: Head, Chest (helmet & jack) 9/4/5
Perhaps the most basic kind of armor: a leather hauberk
worn over a light layer of quilted cloth, with wrist guards
Brigandine
and stiff leather boots. Weight 18 lbs. Cost 1g. Light field armor for poor soldiers or brigands: a
brigandine with quilted sleeves, perhaps plate or
Overall: 4/2/3
cuirboilli pieces, leather pants and boots, and a light
Exposed: Head, Face, Neck, Hands 0/0/0

A courtesan A Djar Mael raider A crossbowman of A mercenary of An Av-Ruad warrior,

A corsair in
in simple (but in a studded leather the City Company the Marauder Free of the Black, in
leather clothing.
expensive) garb. hauberk. of Collywn, in their Company, in a a heavy irregular
typical harness. highland pike harness. harness.

180 Adventures in the Known World

 Playing the Game: Combat

helmet such as a bascinet or casque or a mail hood.
Type: Scale. Weight 33 lbs. Cost 6g5s.
Overall: 4/2/3
Exposed: Face, Neck 0/0/0
Strong: Head, Chest (helmet & brigandine) 10/6/7
League Pikeman’s harness
Buff coat with steel cuirass, reinforced leather gauntlets,
morion or kettle hat, and leather shoes; generally found
only in the League’s city pike companies. Type: Plate
(helmet & cuirass only). 35 lbs. Cost 7g.
Overall: 6/5/4
Exposed: Face, Neck 0/0/0
Weak: Legs (cloth) 1/1/1 Feet (shoes) 2/2/1
Strong: Head, Chest (helmet & cuirass) 11/6/6
Light Irregular harness
A patchwork armor often worn by poor soldiers,
bandits, brigands, or pirates; a Penny-plate coat or heavy
reinforced lamellar hauberk with vambraces and boots,
worn over light quilted cloth or leathers, with hat or
bandana. Type: Scale. Weight 30 lbs. Cost 4g10s.
Overall: 6/3/5
Exposed: Face, Neck, Hands 0/0/0
Weak: Head, Arms, Legs, Feet (Leathers) 4/2/3
Heavy Irregular harness
A basic armor for poor soldiers: a mail hauberk or jack
with leather backings and boots and a simple bascinet or
mail hood. Type: Mail. Weight 40 lbs. Cost 5g.
Overall: 7/4/5
Exposed: Face, Hands 0/0/0
Weak: Legs, Feet (Leather Boots) 4/2/3
Mail harness
A slightly better armor for irregular foot soldiers: a mail
hauberk with leather backings or quilted gambeson,
greaves, and open helmet. Type: Mail. Weight 45 lbs.
Cost 6g.
Overall: 7/5/5
Exposed: Face, Hands 0/0/0
Plate-and-mail
Armor on the cusp of full plate protection, but still with
an antiquated air: a mail hauberk with wrought-iron
plate or cuirboilli bracers, cuisses, poleyns, and greaves,
and an open helmet. Type: Mail. Weight 50 lbs. Cost
7g.
Overall: 8/5/5
Exposed: Face, Hands 0/0/0
Light Imperial Line harness
Armor made for the foot soldiers of the Thessid-Golan
Empire: a mail-and-plate hauberk worn over a gambeson
and greaves, with reinforced boots and a mail-coifed
nasal-bar helm. Type: Mail. Weight 43 lbs. Cost 8g.
Overall: 9/5/5
Exposed: Hands 0/0/0
Weak: Face (nasal bar) 3/0/2 Feet (boots) 3/2/3
Highland pike harness
Foot armor for pikemen common to the Daradj
Highlands: a full collar w/spaulders, reinforced gambeson
or brigandine, cuisses and poleyns, leather gauntlets and
boots, and a bascinet or casque. Type: Scale (some Plate
pieces). Weight 40 lbs. Cost 8g10s.
Overall: 10/6/7
Exposed: Face 0/0/0
Weak: Hands, Arms, Legs, Feet (sleeves, gloves & boots)
4/2/3
Plate-and-brigandine
Armor built around a brigandine: a long brigandine,
plate collar, bracers, cuisses, and poleyns, leather
gauntlets and boots and a casque helmet. Type: Scale
(some Plate pieces). Weight 45 lbs. Cost 9g.
Overall: 10/6/7
Exposed: Face 0/0/0
Weak: Hands, Legs, Feet (gloves & boots) 4/2/3
Horseman’s plate-and-brigandine
Armor built around a brigandine: a long brigandine,
plate bracers, cuisses, and poleyns, leather gauntlets and
boots and a visored bascinet with mail aventail. Type:
Scale (some Plate pieces). Weight 48 lbs. Cost 9g12s.
Overall: 10/6/7
Weak: Hands, Legs, Feet (gloves & boots) 4/2/3
Panoply
An archaic form of armor once popular throughout the
Mera Argenta during the Golden Age, of either bronze
or wrought iron: cuirass with tassets, tassets at the
shoulders, vambraces, greaves, and barbuta. Type: Plate.
Weight 45 lbs. Cost 7g.
Overall: 9/5/5
Exposed: Neck, Shoulders, Hands, Thighs 0/0/0
Infantry half-harness
Common form of plate armor for foot soldiers: a half-
harness with reinforced breeches, leather boots, and a
bascinet or casque. Type: Plate. Weight 40 lbs. Cost
9g10s.
Overall: 11/6/6
Exposed: Face, Hands 0/0/0
Weak: Groin, Thighs, Legs, Feet (breeches & boots)
3/2/3
Infantry officer harness
Superior form of plate armor for foot soldiers: a half-
harness with mail or jack skirt, gauntlets, cuisses &
poleyns, light leather boots, and a bascinet or casque.
Type: Plate. Weight 48 lbs. Cost 11g.
Overall: 11/6/6
Exposed: Face 0/0/0
Weak: Stomach, Groin (mail skirt) 7/5/5 Legs, Feet
(boots) 3/2/3
Daradj three-quarter harness
Armor common to the Daradjan Highlands: a three-
quarter-harness over pourpoint with leather boots and
gauntlets and a casque or open helmet. Type: Plate.
Weight 55 lbs. Cost 11g10s.
Overall: 11/6/6
Exposed: Face 0/0/0
Weak: Hands, Legs, Feet (gloves & boots) 4/2/3
Daradj three-quarter bannerman’s harness
Armor common to the Daradjan Highlands, often worn
by Citadel bannermen: a three-quarter-harness over
pourpoint with leather boots and gauntlets and a visored
bascinet, with or without aventail. Type: Plate. Weight
59 lbs. Cost 14g.
Overall: 12/7/7
Weak: Hands, Legs, Feet (gloves & boots) 4/2/3

A bannerman of A bannerman of A bannerman of Heth A priestess of A bannerman of A kmight of Uthage

Dor-Dorodin in An-Taral in plate- Moll in enchanted Hathhalla in an Finleth in a Daradj in heavy Sun Court
plate-and-mail. and-bridgandine. bronze Daradj three- infantry officer’s three-quarter three-quarter harness.
quarter harness. harness. bannerman’s harness.

Adventures in the Known World 181


Legionare foot harness
Infantry armor for the Palatian legions: a laminated
three-quarter Palatian Copper harness with anime
cuirass over pourpoint with leather gauntlets and boots
and a burgonet. Type: Plate. Weight 54 lb. Cost 10g.
Overall: 12/7/9
Weak: Face (partial helm) 6/3/4 Hands, Legs, Feet
(gloves & boots) 4/2/3
Legionare horse harness
Cavalry armor for the Palatian legions: a laminated
three-quarter heavy Palatian Copper harness with
anime cuirass with plate gauntlets, leather boots, and a
burgonet. Type: Plate. 58 lb. Cost 13g.
Overall: 13/8/10
Weak: Face (partial helm) 6/3/4 Legs, Feet (boots)
4/2/3
Legionare heavy harness
Heavy armor for the Palatian legions: a laminated full
field Palatian Copper harness with full plate cuirass and
a burgonet with buffe. Type: Plate. Weight 66 lb. Cost
15g.
Overall: 14/9/11
Danian Spiked three-quarter harness
Slightly antiquated Knight’s and men-at-arm’s armor
common to the Western Middle Kingdoms: a three-
quarter-harness with non-articulated pauldrons or
guardbrace, with or without spikes, over pourpoint with
plate gauntlets, leather boots and a visored sallet. Type:
Plate. Weight 55 lbs. Cost 12g10s.
Overall: 11/6/6
Weak: Legs, Feet (boots) 4/2/3
Danian Spiked field harness
Slightly antiquated Knight’s and men-at-arm’s armor
common to the Western Middle Kingdoms: a full field
harness with non-articulated pauldrons or guardbrace,
with or without spikes, over pourpoint with plate
gauntlets and a visored sallet with bevor. Type: Plate.
Weight 62 lbs. Cost 13g10s.
Overall: 12/7/7
A Palatian cavalry A knight of the Grand
officer of the 3rd Black Duke’s household, in
Arrow Guard, in Sun Court three-
legionare horse harness. quarter harness.
182 Adventures in the Known World
Playing the Game: Combat
Sun Court Knight’s three-quarter harness close-helmet. Type: Plate. Weight 70 lb. Cost 35g
Knight’s and men-at-arm’s armor common throughout (only custom-made, weight and cost already factored).
the Middle Kingdoms and League of Cities: a three- Overall: 15/10/10
quarter-harness over pourpoint with plate gauntlets,
leather shoes and a visored sallet. Type: Plate. Weight Tournament Jousting harness
53 lbs. Cost 12g. Heavy armor for the Tournament for jousting, found
Overall: 11/6/6 usually in either the Middle Kingdoms or the League of
Weak: Legs (cloth) 2/2/2 Feet (shoes) 3/2/3 Cities: a heavy full harness with visored Great Bascinet.
Type: Plate. Weight 85 lb. Cost 40g (only custom-
Sun Court Knight’s heavy three-quarter harness made, weight and cost already factored).
Heavier armor for knights found in the Middle Overall: 17/12/12
Kingdoms and League of Cities: a three-quarter harness
with or without haute-pieces over pourpoint with plate Heavy Tournament Jousting harness
gauntlets, leather shoes and a visored sallet with bevor. The heaviest armor made: a heavy full harness with a
Type: Plate. Weight 60 lbs. Cost 15g. bolted-on Jousting Helm. Type: Plate. Weight 95 lb.
Overall: 12/7/7 Cost 50g (only custom-made, weight and cost already
Weak: Legs (cloth) 2/2/2 Feet (shoes) 3/2/3 factored).
Overall: 20/15/15
Cavalonian Knight’s field harness
Heaviest field armor for knights found in the League
of Cities and imported into the Middle Kingdoms: a
full field harness, with or without haute-piece, over
Some Armor Terminology
pourpoint with plate gauntlets and a visored sallet,
usually with bevor. Type: Plate. Weight 65 lbs. Cost
18g. Sallet
Overall: 13/8/8
Éduins-style field harness Haute-piece
A slightly archaic form of full field armor: a full field
harness with deep shell fauld over pourpoint with plate
Bevor
gauntlets and a visored bascinet with or without a mail
aventail. Type: Plate. Weight 66 lb. Cost 16g.
Pauldron
Overall: 13/8/8
Breastplate
Amoran Field Harness
Heavy Knight’s armor from Amora: a full field harness
over pourpoint with plate gauntlets and a close-helmet.
Type: Plate. Weight 62 lb. Cost 20g.
Overall: 14/9/9 Rerebrace&
Vambrace
Tournament Foot harness
Heavy armor for the Tournament for fighting in the
lists, found usually in either the Middle Kingdoms or
the League of Cities: a heavy full harness with visored
Couter
Tasset Gauntlet
Codpiece Cuisse
Greave Poleyn
A champion for the A Düméghal in an
King of Dainphalia, Éduins-style field
in Tounament foot harness. Sabaton
harness.
 Playing the Game: Combat

SELECTED ARMOR BY THE PIECE

Q ARMOR Armor
Stiff Leather Boots
Locations?
Legs, Feet
Cut
4
Pct
2
Ipt
3
Weight
5 lbs
Cost
2s
PIECE-MEAL
The following is a table Cuirboilli Greaves Legs 5 4 3 6 lbs 15s
of a few pieces that Leather Codpiece Groin 4 2 3 -- 1s
you might with to add Mail Codpiece Groin 7 4 5 .5 lb 2s4p
to the harnesses listed Plate Codpiece Groin 11 6 6 1 lb 3s6p
above. In general a Leather Gauntlets Hands 4 2 3 1 lb 10p
piece of armor from Mail Gauntlets w/leather Hands 7 5 5 2 lb 3s6p
this list should only Plate Gauntlets w/leather Hands 11 6 6 3 lb 4s4p
be used to upgrade a Leather Cowl Head, Neck 3 2 3 2 lb 1s6p
piece of the harness
Leather Hood Head, Face, Neck 3 2 3 3 lb 1s10p
package that you wish
Aventail Neck, Shoulders 7 5 5 4 lb 3s
to improve by replacing
something already a Mail Cowl Head, Neck 7 5 5 5 lb 4s
part of the package; Mail Hood Head, Face, Neck 7 5 5 6 lb 4s4p
layering should not be Mantle Neck, Shoulders, Chest 7 5 5 9 lb 5s
allowed. Cuirboilli helm Head 5 4 3 3 lb 2s
Gorget or Collar Neck 11 6 6 2 lb 3s
Full Collar Neck, Shoulders 11 6 6 5 lb 4s
Bevor or Buffe Face 11 6 6 1.5 lb 2s
Spangenhelm Head 11 6 6 2.5 lb 2s6p
Kettle Hat Head 11 6 6 4 lb 3s
Morion Head 11 6 6 4 lb 3s4p
Bascinet Head 10 5 6 4 lb 6s
Bascinet, visored Head, Face 11 6 6 6 lb 6s6p
Bascinet, visored hounskull Head, Face 12 7 7 7 lb 6s8p
Bascinet, Great Head, Face, Neck 14 9 9 12 lb 8s
Barbuta Head, Face 12 8 8 3.5 lb 3s8p
Casque Head, Face (partial) 11 6 6 2.5 lb 3s6p
Celata or Sallet Head 11 6 6 2 lb 3s
Sallet, closed Head, Face 11 6 6 5.5 lb 5s
Sallet, visored Head, Face 11 6 6 6 lb 6s
A champion knight, in Burgonet Head, Face (partial) 11 6 6 4 lb 4s
elaborately decorated Siege Burgonet Head, Face, Neck 14 9 9 17 lb 10s
Cavalonian field Close-Helmet, visored Head, Face 12 8 8 7 lb 6s
harness. Jousting Helm Head, Face, Neck 20 15 15 15 lb 18s

First column, top to bottom:

Umati sallet, Aurian sallet,
Great Bascinet, Palatian
burgonet, Palatian siege
burgonet.
Second column, top to bottom:
Bascinet with mail aventail,
simple celata or sallet, kettle
hat, Amoran morion, Palatian-
Labiran casque.
Third column, top to bottom:
Simple bascinet, barbuta,
old-style spagenhelm with mail
aventail, Daradjan casque from
Dara Dess.
Fourth column, top to bottom:
Visored hounskull bascinet
from Daradja, old-style visored
bascinet, Middle Kingdoms
jousting helm, Amoran visored
close-helmet.
Q A NOTE ON
HELMS & VISORS
Helmets that protect the Face
give a –2 Penalty to all Skills;
they’re difficult to see out of
and muffle the voice. Helmets
that are described as having a
Visor (as “visored”) may have
the Visor worn up or down;
if the Visor is worn down,
in place before the Face, the
wearer receives a –2 Penalty to
all Skill attempts. If the Visor
is worn up, the wearer forgoes
the Penalty but leaves his or her
face Exposed to attacks.

Adventures in the Known World 183