Spellcasters are the focus of legend and envy. Weapon masters are flashy and famous. Armor masters?
Armor masters are survivors.
The reason the best offense is a good defense is the undefended die, which tends to end any effort at offense. The life of adventurers, crusaders, and champions of any cause is filled with dangers and enemies. Hammers seek to crush heads, spears seek to pierce flesh. Unless you've mastered some esoteric fighting style likely to allow you to dodge crossbow bolts, or have the skill (and time) to defend yourself with spells, you need armor. And anything you depend on to save your life is worth learning to master.
So who are the armor masters of the Inner Sea?
The horse tribe nomads of Karazh have learned to balance the weight of their armor in the saddle, so it does not hamper their skilled riding.
The Knights of Arnisant follow in the footsteps of the famous general who was crucial to the defeat of the Whispering Tyrant. They depend on their shields to guard not just their bodies, but also their minds and souls against incorporeal undead, curse-flinging witches, and the death magic of necromancers.
The Kortos Cavalry are Absalom's only mounted troops, protecting the island's hinterlands as well as the Westgate district and training to fight to the last.
The yojimbos are samurai dedicated to protecting others, and their resolve is not focused on just their own needs. Each can act as a living shield, standing between a chosen ally and a deadly foe, but through force of will can also inspire an ally to overcome fatigue, or at higher levels allow and ally to stave off fear, nausea, and even death.
And anyone trusting armor from leather to plate can learn at least a few armored tricks to help themselves survive, whether it's combinging the power of your attacks with the weight of your armor with Intense Blow, expending stamina to more effectively use Redirect Attack, or just learning to fight from rafters and walls while wearing an arachnid harness.
Illustrations by Manuel Castanon
Most characters wear at least some armor—get the most from it with the Armor Master's Handbook!
Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer
