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Pathfinder Player Companion: Armor Master's Handbook (PFRPG)

3.10/5 (based on 13 ratings)
Pathfinder Player Companion: Armor Master's Handbook (PFRPG)
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Test Your Metal!

The most experienced combatants know the best offense is a good defense—and the best defenders get the most from their armor with Pathfinder Player Companion: Armor Master's Handbook! From methods of scribing spells onto pieces of armor to a plethora of different ways to use a shield, this guide has new options for every iron-clad hero, giving steely nerved adventurers all the tools they need to escape any scrap unscathed.

Inside this book, you'll find:

  • Durable new archetypes to help combatants survive any assault, including the armored battlemage, the shieldbearer, the yojimbo, and more!
  • Magic armor and shields of every shape and size, from the sprightly arachnid harness to the unstoppable clockwork armor.
  • New methods to get the most out of your armor, from fighter armor training to combat style feats that emphasize your chosen type of protection.

This Pathfinder Player Companion is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be incorporated into any fantasy world.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-829-8

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Hero Lab Online
Archives of Nethys

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3.10/5 (based on 13 ratings)

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Lots of good stuff

5/5 —

The low reviews had me worried, but after buying and reading this book, I really like it. This book provides a solid selection of new feats and styles that most martial classes will be interested in at least looking at. My favorite is the Feat Unhindering Shield, which lets you use and keep your buckler AC bonus while fighting with a 2 handed weapon. My Greatsword fighter loves it.

The armory mastery system makes the fighter armor training class feature a lot better, providing several good options. My favorite here is Armored Juggernaut, which gives the fighter damage reduction that stacks with adamantine armor DR, which is awesome.

Another person who loves this book ...

5/5 —

After reading the early reviews for this product, my expectation for this product was middling to low. Perhaps this is why I find myself loving this book! (And contrasting that to the very high expectation of the early reviewers expecting another Weapon Master's Handbook and then feeling let down).

I find a ton of options that make a previously niche build much more usable.

Want to use the cover feature of a tower shield more economically (and generally make the tower shield a very usable option)? Get Mobile Bulwark Style and Tower Shield Specialist. This is looking very good for the Castellan Cavalier Archetype

Want to get Spring Attack without Dodge and Mobility? Get Defended Movement

Want access to improved combat maneuver feats without Power Attack at STR 13 (for all those swashbucklers out there)? Get Guarded Charge

Want to make Overrun a cool ability that you might actually use and specialize in? Get Bulette Charge Style

And my personal favourite I've been waiting years for ... Want to be the Greek Phalanx Fighter from antiquity without need one niche fighter archetype? Get Shield Brace.

I also love the Advanced Armor Training options. Not as powerful as Advanced Weapon Training, but armor training was not as good as weapon training, so it balances.

And finally, continuing to add stamina options to other combat feats outside the core rule book line is magnificent. I'll keep hope that this continues and one day I'll see a stamina option for Phalanx Formation.

It's no Weapon Master's Handbook

2/5 —

After the excellent and fun to read Weapon Master's Handbook I had high hopes for the Armor Master's Handbook. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near the level of crunch as was in the previous. Where Weapon Master's set a very high bar I don't expect in every product, I was hoping for something better than what was presented, both content-wise, and visually. It's almost as if the entire product was hastily pulled together with far less consideration.

In terms of specific examples, feats generally offer little in the way of bonuses, or seem to be just "missing it" when it comes to final content. While this is my subjective opinion and very generally, objectively I found the errors more annoying/present than in previous products. In particular there's a style feat mid book (please forgive me not having the book with me). In this style chain, just like every style chain, the first feat is required for the second feat, is required for the third feat. The desk-meet-head moment though was seeing that feat 1 had a 13 Dex requirement, feat 2 had a 15 dex requirement, and feat 3 was back down to a 13 dex requirement. There are little inconsistencies all over this book.

Lastly, and this requires special commentary and a section all on its own. The art is bad. Not just "huh, this isn't good" bad but atrociously bad. Not bad in that subjective way that art can be bad, but in a way where the artist clearly doesn't understand perspective (a group of four different people I know independently said this as their first comment when I showed them the particularly awful elf picture from later in the book). So while there are some of the typical quality Pathfinder artwork images we see in a lot of their products, a good chunk of it in this book doesn't even evoke the feelings that it was intended to.

Sorry Paizo

1/5 —

But until you nerf Shield Brace and Unhindering Shield (2 feats that just kill sword & shield combat style, cause they basically allow you to fight with your trusted Power Attack buffed two-handed weapon and still have a nice shield bonus) I will not give this book more than 1 star.

If new content just devalues a huge junk of old content - it's bad, horrible game design.

Nothing useful...

1/5 —

Unless you've got three or more feats lying around looking to facilitate a highly situational minor bonus, this book is useless. It's like they had a bunch of flavour ideas they wanted to express, then had the crunch added to the flavour after the fact by someone who's never played the game.

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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

"Shipping soon" email! Eeeeeee!

Just let me know if you see anything good Nate! :)

How long do you think it would be until we have it in downloads then?
Darche Schneider wrote:
How long do you think it would be until we have it in downloads then?

According to April's shipping thread, they're planning to start shipping on the 11th and end on the 22nd. So depending on how lucky you are, could be as early as three days or as late as two weeks.

Same here, I had to cancel my companion subscription for a while because of money reasons. So I would like to know what are in these books before I even think of spending anymore.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

I typically get my "shipped, here's your pdf" email within a week of the "shipping soon" one. :)

Got my shipping soon email as well...what a tease that is!

I only got the "order processed" email :(
FedoraFerret wrote:
I only got the "order processed" email :(

Aren't they the same thing?

Silver Crusade Contributor
Jack of Dust wrote:
FedoraFerret wrote:
I only got the "order processed" email :(
Aren't they the same thing?

Nope. "Order processed" means you're in the queue and your order is finalized. "Order shipped" means it's in the mail - and more importantly, means you can download your pdfs. ^_^

Kalindlara wrote:
Jack of Dust wrote:
FedoraFerret wrote:
I only got the "order processed" email :(
Aren't they the same thing?
Nope. "Order processed" means you're in the queue and your order is finalized. "Order shipped" means it's in the mail - and more importantly, means you can download your pdfs. ^_^

Right, to clarify, I meant "isn't the Order Processed email the same thing as the Shipping Soon email people have been talking about?"

I have my PDF, if anyone wishes to be enlightened.

-Skeld

I'm not quite sure how I managed it, but I got my shipping email already and my pdf in hand~

I believe I saw a request for a Table of Contents...
1 person marked this as a favorite.
GM Rednal wrote:
I believe I saw a request for a Table of Contents...

Your wish is my command.

Spoiler:
Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Armor Masters of the Inner Sea 4
Armor Tricks 8
Armor Fighting Styles 10
Shield Fighting Styles 12
Advanced Armor Training 14
Armor Mastery Feats 16
Shield Mastery Feats 18
Armored Combat Tricks 20
Spellscribed Armor 22
Magic Light Armor 24
Magic Medium Armor 26
Magic Heavy Armor 28
Magic Shields 30

Spellscribed Armor? What is it, and why do I want it for my Hellknight Signifier? Also, Armor and shield fighting styles, please and thank you.
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Sorry for stealing your thunder Skeld, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity =p.
2 people marked this as a favorite.
ArcGygas wrote:
Spellscribed Armor? What is it, and why do I want it for my Hellknight Signifier? Also, Armor and shield fighting styles, please and thank you.

Spoiler:

Spellscribed armor allows a caster to inscribe a spell onto armor sorta like a scroll. It requires Craft armor and Scribe Scroll or Brew potion and the number of "scrolls" depends on the base armor bonus.

-Skeld
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Zerri wrote:
Sorry for stealing your thunder Skeld, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity =p.

This book was highly anticipated, so i expect a few questions. And i don't want to spoil your fun, so fire away!

I'll only get to do this for a couple hours tonight anyway. ;)

-Skeld

Edit: Could you answer the Shield fighting Styles question?

Can you please list the archetype names and corresponding classes?
Liberty's Edge

What's Advanced Armor Training like?

How does it work and what sort of bonuses does it provide?
1 person marked this as a favorite.
ArcGygas wrote:
Spellscribed Armor? What is it, and why do I want it for my Hellknight Signifier? Also, Armor and shield fighting styles, please and thank you.

Spoiler:

Armor Fighting Style Feats: Bulette Charge Style, Bulette Leap, Bulette Rampage, Spring-Heeled Reaping, Spring-Heeled Sprint, Spring-Heeled Style, Swift Iron Style, Swift Refuge, Swift Sprint.

-Skeld
1 person marked this as a favorite.

For Shield Styles:

Spoiler:

Mobile Bulwark Style, Mobile Fortress, Mobile Stronghold. Shield Gauntlet Style, Shield Gauntlet Attack, Shield Gauntlet Master. Upsetting Shield Style, Upsetting Strike, Upsetting Vengeance. Vanguard Style, Vanguard Ward, Vanguard Hustle.

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Mythraine wrote:
Can you please list the archetype names and corresponding classes?

Spoiler:

Armored Battlemage (Magus)
Iron Tyrant (Antipaladin)
Knight of Armisant (Cavalier)
Legate (Paladin)
Molthuni Defender (Fighter)
Shieldbearer (Warpriest)
Yojimbo (Samurai)

-Skeld
Silver Crusade

What does the Yojimbo do?
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Deadmanwalking wrote:

What's Advanced Armor Training like?

How does it work and what sort of bonuses does it provide?

Spoiler:

Advanced Armor Training gives you some options to choose from instead of doing the ol' -1ACP/+1Dexmod. There are some options (Adaptable Training, Armor Specialization, Armored Confidence, Armored Juggernaut, Armored Master, Armored Sacrifice, Armored Sprint, Critical Deflection, Master Armorer, Quick Donning, Steel Headbutt, Unmoving) that give bonuses to various aspects of being armored.

There is also an additional advanced armor feats (Armor Training Feat) that gives Fighters earlier access to advanced abilities (from my quick skimming of the section).

-Skeld
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Hrothdane wrote:
What does the Yojimbo do?

Spoiler:

Yojimbo are bodyguards, more of less.

-Skeld

Since Yojimbo is covered, what can you tell me about the Armored Battlemage and Shieldbearer?
3 people marked this as a favorite.
jedi8187 wrote:
Since Yojimbo is covered, what can you tell me about the Armored Battlemage and Shieldbearer?

Spoiler:

Shieldbearers treat their shields like normal Warpriests treat their weapons/armor. In other words, they can use Sacred Weapon/Armor on shilds.
Armored Battlemage can enhance their armor instead of the their weapons using arcane pool.

-Skeld

This may be a bit of a stretch to ask so early, but is there a way for low-DEX sword-and-board users to bypass TWF pre-reqs?
Skeld, PDF Prophet wrote:
jedi8187 wrote:
Since Yojimbo is covered, what can you tell me about the Armored Battlemage and Shieldbearer?

** spoiler omitted **

-Skeld

Thanks, I'm interested in Shieldbearer, I'll have to see Armored Battlemage, but I'm intrigued.

Sharkles wrote:
This may be a bit of a stretch to ask so early, but is there a way for low-DEX sword-and-board users to bypass TWF pre-reqs?

I did a quick search and I didn't see anything, but this will probably take some additional digesting to answer properly.

As more people get PDFs, i expect this will become more clear.

-Skeld
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Armored Battlemage is mind-bendingly awful. It loses Spell Combat for earlier access to Medium and Heavy armor proficiency, and gains Armor Training. They also use their Arcane Pool for armor bonuses and get a few flat GP cost options for completely absurd bonuses (+5 for greater shadow? Seriously?).

Shieldbearer gets Improved Shield Bash instead of Weapon Focus and uses their shield as their sacred weapon. They also, inexplicably, use their Channel Energy as a 30' cone instead of a radius.
Skeld, PDF Prophet wrote:
Sharkles wrote:
This may be a bit of a stretch to ask so early, but is there a way for low-DEX sword-and-board users to bypass TWF pre-reqs?

I did a quick search and I didn't see anything, but this will probably take some additional digesting to answer properly.

As more people get PDFs, i expect this will become more clear.

-Skeld

That's what I thought. Maybe it's hidden in there somewhere!

How about a list of feats instead?

What does the Clockwork Armor do?
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Brew Bird wrote:
What does the Clockwork Armor do?

Field Plate +2 with a +4 enhancement to Str/Con so long as it is wound. It also can have a crossbow or firearm added that it can fire as a standard action, which is not only horrible but something you should be able to add to anything.

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Sharkles wrote:
How about a list of feats instead?

Spoiler:

Advanced Armor Training (Combat)
Armor Focus (Combat)
Armor Trick (Combat)
Bulette Charge Style (Combat, Style)
Bulette Leap (Combat)
Bulette Rampage (Combat)
Improved Armor Focus (Combat)
Improved Shield Focus (Combat)
Mobile Bulwark Style (Combat, Style)
Mobile Fortress (Combat)
Mobile Stronghold (Combat)
Shield Gauntlet Attack (Combat)
Shield Gauntlet Style (Combat, Style)
Shield Gauntlet Master (Combat)
Spring-Heeled Reaping (Combat)
Spring-Heeled Sprint (Combat)
Spring-Heeled Style (Combat, Style)
Swift Iron Style (Combat, Style)
Swift Refuge (Combat)
Swift Sprint (Combat)
Upsetting Shield Style (Combat, Style)
Upsetting Strike (Combat)
Upsetting Vengeance (Combat)
Vanguard Hustle (Combat)
Vanguard Style (Combat, Style)
Vanguard Ward (Combat)

-Skeld

Damn, the armored battlemage had me excited for a moment, but after hearing that I'm much less enthusiastic.
Grand Lodge
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber
Ashram wrote:
Damn, the armored battlemage had me excited for a moment, but after hearing that I'm much less enthusiastic.

It's probably helpful for niche builds and particular character concepts centered around adaptable defensive abilities. If you want a Magus with "moar armor," then it's likely not helpful.

-Skeld
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

what are the details for Arachnid Harness, Iron Tyrant,
Knight of Arnisant?

What does the Cavalier Archetype swap out / gain?
2 people marked this as a favorite.
zergtitan wrote:

what are the details for Arachnid Harness, Iron Tyrant,

Knight of Arnisant?

Spoiler:

Arachnid Harness - +1 leather armor that can sprout spidery legs and let you climb without taking a bunch of penalties for climbing. Taa daa!
Tactician, Expert Trainer,
Iron Tyrant - Gains: Iron Fist (Imp unarmed Strike feat plus bonuses with gauntlet), periodic bonus feats (every 3rd level), unstoppable (not slowed by terrain when wearing heavy armor, unless the terrain is magical), Fiendish Bond (with armor instead of weapon).
Loses: Touch of Corruption, Cruelty, Channel Negative Energy, Fiendish Weapon.

Knight of Arnisant - Gains: Shield Expertise (Shield Focus feat), Deflective Shield (shield bonus to touch AC), Heraldic Banner (use shield as a banner), Soul Shield (shield bonus to saves versus curses), Defensive Challenge (-2 to foes attacks versus anyone but the Knight while threatened), Heart Shield (shield bonus to saves versus death effects).
Loses/Changes: Tactician, Expert Trainer, Banner, Greater Tactician, Demanding Challenge.

-Skeld
Mythraine wrote:
What does the Cavalier Archetype swap out / gain?

Answered above, I think.

-Skeld
Dark Archive

Who are the Armor Masters of the Inner Sea?

Thank you.
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Marco Massoudi wrote:

Who are the Armor Masters of the Inner Sea?

Thank you.

Spoiler:
Gray Maidens, Knights of Ozem, Mercenary League, Hellknights, Golden Legion, Pure Legion, Horse Tribes, and Red Mantis.

Can you share what the Yojimbo trades for what?
Also what to the bullette and shield gauntlet feat lines do?
Marco Massoudi wrote:

Who are the Armor Masters of the Inner Sea?

Thank you.

That's the title of the section concerning Archetypes.

-Skeld
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Adding more detail for Advanced Armor Training

First, many require fighter levels for their abilities, which wasn't typically the case for advanced weapon training, so that has some impact for those archetypes that pick up Armor Training. Ill note in the individual abilities those that require a fighter level, or get a benefit from armor mastery.

Some AAT options reference specific types of armor as in chainmail, fullplate, not light, medium, heavy. To differentiate type will refer to specific type, while weight type will refer to light, medium, heavy.

Advanced Armor Training Options:

Adaptable Training: BAB for 1 of 9 skills, and adds chosen skill to class skills, choose up to 4 times.

Armor Specialization: Choose one type of armor, add scaling bonus based on fighter level to AC, capped by armor weight type

Armored Confidence: Gain bonus to intimidate from armor weight type, additional bonus from fighter levels

Armored Juggernaut: Gain DR/-, varies based on armor weight type and level. Gains large bonus from Armor Mastery. Stacks with adamantine armor only.

Armored Master: Gain armor or shield mastery feat

Armored Sacrifice: Daily use to direct killing damage to armor or shield

Armored Sprint: Gain Run as bonus feat, pseudomithral effect as well

Critical Deflection: Bonus to ac against confirmations, with additional scaling bonus from figher levels

Master Armorer: BAB for craft armor, can craft magic armor

Quick Donning: Faster to don armor and possible to bypass don hastily penalties

Steel Headbutt: Gain headbutt attack as basically a secondary natural weapon, can enchant helm as weapon seperatly

Unmoving: Gain bonus based on armor weight type to CMD against one maneuver, additional scaling bonus from fighter level, penalty from mithral

What are the Armor Mastery and Shield Mastery Feats and what do they do?

Love you guys for posting all this.
In summary, what new Combat Stamina tricks do we see? What are the Armour and Shield mastery feats like and finally can someone summarize the various Shield styles.

And a question to the development team, to get this out of the way before I get my hopes up:
Unlike Gloves of Dueling, which grants a +2 to bonus to Weapon Training, Sash of the War Champion treats his Fighter level as 4 levels higher, how would that interact with Advanced Armour Training?
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