Armor Detail
Buying and using armor for your character can be a daunting task if you are new. This tutorial should answer your questions and make the process as easy as 1-2-3. Just follow the directions, and you should be on your way to getting the items you desire for your character with very little trouble. If you have any questions not covered here, feel free to approach a Lorekeeper in the OOC channel and request assistance.
What is Armor?
Armor is defined as "defensive covering for the body to reduce injuries in combat". Armor is usually pieces of defensive clothing, such as chain mail, mage robe, helmet, gauntlets, and so on. Clothing itself has no defensive value in Lumeris gameplay. If you buy a shirt from the Clothing Store, it won't be counted as armor. Armor is specifically bought from the Weapons and Armor Shop, and only the items listed on the armor list count for legal defense.
What kinds of Armor exist in Lumeris?
Not everything you can think of will count as legally recognized Armor equipment. Only items that appear on the armor list are recognized in gameplay as having a preset defensive value attached to them. To see the up-to-date armor list, check the price list under The Horn and Hammer. To benefit from the defensive powers of armor equipment, your character must buy these items from the Horn and Hammer, or from other characters. The exception is the default items your character chooses at creation. After that initial stage, further armor items must be bought.
Category Classification by Type
Body & Torso: These items usually cover the chest and back and are considered the main armor for a character. They come in wide varieties and materials and are usually the first and most important to buy. Body Armor cannot stack with itself; however, the exception is that a gambeson can be worn with either a robe or traditional Torso armor. Example: Body Plate, Chain Mail, Tunic, Leather Armor, Mage Robe, Robe of the Arch Elysian, etc.
Hand: These items range from palm protection to wrist defense. Some hand items hinder the ability to cast offensive spells unless otherwise stated and can help increase the effectiveness of a punch or hand block. Example: Gauntlets.
Arm: This category covers where Hand armor leaves off, from wrist to elbow. These are a bit more versatile and do not often hinder spellcasting. Popular with archers as guards against the snap of the bowstring from most bows. Example: Vambraces, Bracers.
Legs: This category includes armor worn on the legs for lower body protection. Some body armor extends lower than the waist; some doesn't. Leg protection can come from leggings that cover the full length of legs or guards worn on the shins. Example: Chain Leggings, Greaves.
Feet: Though not often employed in combat, Foot armor is considered almost a miscellaneous item but still nonetheless a category in and of itself. These items usually cover from the ankle down to the toe and offer light to minimal protection. Example: Boots.
Head Gear: Many armor items are available for head and neck protection. Helms are steel helmets that protect the head and part of the face. Example: Helm, Winged Helm, Fanged Helm. A Coif is a flowing mail item that is worn on the head instead of a helmet, and not only protects the head but also covers the neck and part of the shoulders. Example: Coif, Mithril Coif. Additionally, some items provide an Intelligence stat boost, though not physical defense. Example: Circlet.
Misc. Items: Some misc. items also provide specific, location-oriented protection in a small way. Examples: Cod Piece.
Shields: Shields are a little different from your usual armor items, since they are not worn on the body as defensive clothing, but rather carried in hand. Shields usually come in wooden varieties and vary in size and defensive abilities. Some shields have spikes mounted on them and can even cause harm when used in attacks! Shields may have a different defense value for close and ranged physical combat. Example: Buckler, Kite Shield.
Category Classification by Material
Body armor is made from a variety of materials. Leather items are usually the least expensive but also the weakest. Solid steel and woven steel chain mail are usually stronger but more expensive. Mithril, a fantasy material somewhat similar to titanium, is usually the most expensive, but its advantages include much lighter weight (allowing more flexibility in combat), being easier to enchant magically, and requiring very little maintenance.
What does Armor do?
Armor essentially provides your character with defensive ability in combat. Without armor, your character may suffer lower defensive dice roll results, and therefore lower chances of winning a fight. Only the items listed on the armor list page are recognized in gameplay; you cannot assume your character is wearing any special armor that they have not actually purchased in character.
Not everyone requires armor, though. Warriors have more reasons to wear armor compared to Thieves, and Slaves have even fewer reasons. Your character does not necessarily need armor — buy it if you wish to engage in combat.
Combat in Lumeris is based on stats and a dice system. Details are available at the combat explanation pages. To learn more about combat and to practice the rolls, refer to the relevant pages or request the Leaders of the channel to help you.
Armor Explained
Default DEF Rating of Armor
Each piece of armor comes with a default DEF rating. This DEF rating establishes the basic defensive power of that item. For instance, Studded Leather Armor comes with a default DEF rating of 2, as shown on the armor list page. Plate and Chain, on the other hand, comes with a DEF rating of 7, so it's much more powerful in terms of its defensive abilities. However, as you increase power, the price and the strength requirements also rise, so not all items may be within your reach from Day 1.
Cumulative DEF benefit of Armor
You can stack up a number of armor items to benefit from their collective DEF ratings. For instance, let's assume your character wore the following items:
Studded Leather Armor DEF 2
Vambraces DEF 1
Kite Shield DEF 3
By stacking these items, your character's total DEF rating would be 2 + 1 + 3 = 6!
Cumulative STR requirement of Armor
Based on the above analysis, you may be thinking, why not just load up all kinds of items to maximize your character's DEF? Well, the number of items your character can carry depends on a few rules, which are all covered here. Each piece of Armor requires a certain strength, or the STR stat of your character. Let's elaborate on the above example for a moment:
Studded Leather Armor STR 8
Vambraces STR 4
Kite Shield STR 16
By stacking these items, your character's total STR stat must be at least 8 + 4 + 16 = 28! Since the STR stat of your character won't be that high when you start out, you can only carry the armor items that your character's STR allows. As your character promotes to higher levels, you can add more STR and expand their armor inventory.
What do I need to know before buying Armor?
You may need to plan before you start throwing away hard-earned Copper Lumens. Reading this tutorial would be a logical start. Armor shop employees and the channel leaders are also there to guide and advise you. The following points are intended to make this process easier:
Role-playing Aspects of using Armor: First, consider your character's personality and lifestyle. Remember, armor is by no means a necessity. Choose those items that fit your character naturally.
Race Aspects of buying Armor: As you may have realized by now, not all races are created equally strong. Larger, stronger races like Orcs, Centaurs, and Minotaurs are much more suited to wearing heavy armor. Smaller, less physically powerful races like Felari are less likely to wear lots of armor. Some races, like Nymphs and Fae, are not even allowed to wear any armor! The larger races are given a natural STR bonus when it comes to armor. For instance, an Orc gets a x2 bonus to STR, so at STR 10, they can carry armor up to a STR 20 requirement.
Class Aspects of buying armor: Like races, not all classes are created equally either. If your character is a farmer or an entertainer, they wouldn't be wearing armor or engaging in much combat. Warrior class characters, on the other hand, would commonly wear heavy armor. Rangers usually prefer lighter items and usually go for camouflage. Rogues prefer noiseless armor so they can move more discreetly. Magical classes like Shaman, Mage, and Druid face their own set of limitations. For details, refer to the class chart given on the armor list. This shows armor types listed as A, B, C, or D, and each class may be limited in what is allowed for it. Choose your character's armor carefully and logically. For instance, the Warrior class may choose from A, B, C, or D freely, or in other words, all the items. A Druid class may only choose A- or B-type armor. Each item shows whether it is A, B, C or D type in the chart.
Strength Requirements & The Rule of Cumulative Strength Requirement: Each armor item has a specific STR requirement that must be met. As discussed earlier, a Studded Leather Armor requires STR 8; Vambraces require STR 4. Your character must meet the STR requirement of the item you wish to purchase, or the Horn and Hammer Shop employee will not sell it and will suggest something lighter. Also, remember strength requirements are considered cumulative. If you were to choose three items, your character will need to have the total STR requirement of each item before they can buy these.
The Rule of Armor Redundancy: Some armor items cannot be worn together; you can only wear one or the other. For instance, you can't wear two types of Helms at the same time (unless your character has two heads, which I doubt!). This problem is even more common with Body/Torso items than with Helms. As a general rule, you can wear 1 item from each of the categories mentioned above for armor like Body/Torso, Arms/Hands, Head Gear, etc. So if your character had both a Leather Armor and a Mage Robe, only one would count in combat. You can own redundant items if you really want to drop the money. They just won't count together; only the stronger one will. There are some exceptions, though, such as a Gambeson, which is padding worn under body armor, to help the character avoid getting hurt by his own armor biting into his flesh. Another exception is vambraces and gauntlets, as gauntlets are considered full hand covering and vambraces cover the forearm. These items are usually found in a full-body plate as a good reference.
Price: The cost of armor items is naturally a concern. Your character must have enough Copper Lumens to buy the item, or will need to wait till they have enough. Armor items come in a wide range of prices, so there will be something you can afford in the beginning. With time, you can easily upgrade your items, buy newer ones, and trade off the older ones, even sell them to other characters.
Equipment Slots: Equipment slots are another consideration you may need to make as your inventory of weapons, armor, potions, slaves, and animals expands. Each armor item requires at least 1 equipment slot, and some require 2 or 3. At first, your character has 10 equipment slots when you register. As you add items, you may run out of slots. More slots can be added when your character levels up, but they cost 4 points each, so use them carefully! If your character lacks an equipment slot and tries to buy an item, the shop keeper will deny it.
Magic Use: Some armor items hinder the use of spells. This information is also listed on the armor chart for you to consider. Gauntlets, for instance, are armored gloves that hinder spellcasting. To learn more about casting magic in heavy armor, read the section below titled "Casting Magic in Heavy Armor".
Beginner Items: Armor items are generally bought from the Armor Store, but there are some exceptions. One exception is the equipment you get when you register/create a new character. New characters start with basic items, like a whip or dagger as a weapon and leather armor as body armor. You can easily trade these items in for more powerful armor later. Knights get a Long Sword, a Shield, and a horse at the start.
TIP: It's better to carry one armor item worth DEF 4 than four items each worth DEF 1 — a good way to save on equipment slots!
My character is a Knight class. Can someone please give him his equipment?
Knight class characters start off with a Long Sword, a Shield, and a horse. This is an exceptional class compared to all others that start with only the basic items given to them when you create a new character. If your character is a Knight class, approach a Lorekeeper or armor shop employee in the OOC channel, and request that they add these items to your character's inventory manually.
Where do I buy Armor?
The first step is to make up your mind about what you want, and more importantly, what is allowed for your particular character's race/class and what you can afford. Do this through research and discussion with the Horn and Hammer employees. Once you are ready, you can first ask in the OOC channel if an armor shop employee is available to sell the item. If someone is present, they will confirm it. Your character needs to head to the town channel to visit the Horn and Hammer Shop in character to buy armor. Your character will also need Lumens on their person.
Who do I buy Armor from?
The Horn and Hammer Shop has its own set of official employees who are authorized to roleplay as staff. This staff list is available on the website. You are encouraged to see this list of employee names and check with them in the OOC room for availability.
Can I modify my armor? What are the limitations of modifications?
Armor can be modified in a number of ways to suit your character's unique needs. Modifications to armor are an excellent way to make your character's items more unique and personal, provided the modifications are done by the store employees. These modifications include finding the right size, dyeing it the right color, enameling, engraving, etc. Modifications are superficial and do not increase the item's defensive ability. For details, refer to the Modifications page or speak with the Weapons or Armor Shop staff.
How do I trade in my armor for upgrades at the Horn and Hammer? How do I trade my armor with other characters? What is Auctioning?
So your character bought the best armor at the time but would like to upgrade to something stronger after a few levels. What happens to your old stuff? Well, for starters, your character could keep the old armor or give it to someone else. Or your character could trade in the items at the Horn and Hammer Store when you decide to upgrade to more powerful items. Trading in is done at 50% of the original value, including the item's original price and any enchantments. The amount from trading in your old armor can either go to lowering the price of a new armor, or can be paid to your character in cash.
Additionally, your character can pawn off weapons at the General Store if they are in dire need of money. When you pawn items, you can buy them back when your financial circumstances allow. You can sell your armor to other characters for as high a price as you wish, or rather, as much as they are willing to pay. Conversely, you can buy from others too. If your armor has DEF enchantments on it, then trading it in at the Horn and Hammer Shops may not be as lucrative as auctioning it off to others on the Message Board.
Before you exchange an item or trade it with another character, it is advised that you have a word with a Lorekeeper first, and make sure the conditions of armor trading are met. When buying from the Horn and Hammer Shop, employees handle this verification. When trading between characters, you are advised to check with a Lorekeeper to avoid an error.
What do I do to make my armor more effective? A word about DEF enchantments
As discussed above, each Armor item comes with a default DEF rating built into it, as listed on the chart. You can increase this DEF value by getting the item magically enchanted at the Botanica Magica. This is not free, of course, but you can enhance both physical and magical DEF. You cannot enchant a single armor item above +5. For example, each of your character's armor equipment has a default DEF rating, plus it can be enchanted up to +5 additionally from the Botanica Magica. In total, only +15 DEF from enchanted items counts. For more information on enchanting armor, refer to the Enchantments page.
Can Armor be enchanted for offensive powers too?
Yes, armor items can also add to your character's offense. Each item can have up to +5 enchantments on it. Whether it's all ATK, DEF, or a mix and match is up to you. For instance, you could enchant a pair of gauntlets (steel gloves) to have ATK +3 and DEF +2. The ATK would then work just like the ATK enchantments on your weapons! However, one drawback of enchanting armor with ATK enchantments is that it would only work for combat where contact is made.
Can armor be enchanted with magical spells?
Yes, armor can be enchanted with magical spells as well. Most spells would work with armor, but some make more sense than others, like defense spells or appearance change spells. For instance, you can enchant a Studded Leather Armor with the Physical Armor spell to increase defense against physical combat.
You need to keep a few things in mind when it comes to enchanting armor with magical spells. Firstly, armor can have an ATK or DEF enchantment as well as magical spells at the same time, and there are no restrictions on whether the spell is normal, charged, focused, etc (stamina is deducted in accordance with the combat rules of Lumeris).
Secondly, the number of enchantments that an item may contain depends on the material it is made of. Enchanting armor with a spell that already has a DEF enchantment on it will erase the previous one; it helps to get all the enchantments at the same time. Enchanting armor with defensive spells would require a combat turn to activate the enchantment. Lastly, it's important to discuss your requirements with the Magica Botanica staff since not all spells are appropriate for weapons.
What if my character is Dual-Class?
Dual-class characters, or characters with more than one class, are allowed weapons according to the stronger class of the two, and armor according to the weaker class of the two. For example, if your character is a Warrior/Shaman, their weapons will be determined by the Warrior class (which is A, B, C, and D types), and their armor will be determined by the Shaman class (which is A and B type armor items).
Casting magic in heavy armor
Heavier armors can sometimes inhibit spellcasting, denoted in a column as Y or N in the armor list. As long as your character is wearing armor items that allow casting spells, all is fine (items with a Y). The moment they put on any armor that hinders magic, they run into a problem (items with an N). That doesn't mean your character cannot wear any armor that doesn't allow magic, though. Here's a calculation to help you understand what to do when your character mix-and-matches armor items that allow/disallow magic use:
Add up all the strength requirements of the armor being worn that inhibits spellcasting for your character (say Body Plate with a strength requirement of 32 and Fanged Helm with a strength requirement of 10, for a total of 42). If your character is wearing other armor that doesn't inhibit spellcasting, simply ignore it for this calculation (say Vambraces, Gambeson, and Greaves). The rule is, if your character's INT stat is higher than the strength requirement of magic-inhibiting armor, then it's fine. So if your character's INT was 80, we would subtract 42 from it (80 − 42 = 38); a positive number means the character can cast magic even while in such armor.
INT 80 − 42 = 38 → Can cast magic
INT 30 − 42 = −12 → −12 to magical attack modifiers
If the character's INT was 30, then we would subtract 30 − 42 = −12. A negative number denotes that the character will experience a loss of 12 to their magical attack modifiers (both close and ranged). The rationale for why the calculation is in place is simple — the caster is struggling against the weight and encumbrance of the armor to get the needed manual dexterity to perform the required gestures for the conjuration. If spellcasting is your character's main offense, choose your armor wisely, keeping this rule in mind.
My character's inventory shows the armor items, but doesn't list its enchantments
Your armor items will show clearly in inventory once purchased, but it won't show the hard-earned enchantments. A simple workaround is to list your items in the character's description, along with enchantment values. To edit your character's description, go to the Character Edit page.
How do physical armor items react to offensive magical spells?
Physical protection (meaning physical armor equipment such as chain mail and gauntlets, DEF enchantments, and physical armor type spells) wards and defends against Physical Attacks, namely the Close Physical Attacks and Ranged Physical Attacks.
Magical protection (such as DEF enchantments and magical armor type spells) wards and defends against Magical Attacks, namely the Close Magical Attack and Ranged Magical Attack. This means that only spells like Magical Armor and +DEF enchantments will be able to add to the actual rolls when defending against these modes of attack.
+DEF enchantments bought from the Botanica Magica or awarded by Lorekeepers are considered to protect against both physical and magical attacks. The only exception to this is +DEF added to a weapon, which only offers protection from Close Physical Attacks.
How do the modifiers of defensive dice rolls work in physical combat?
The combat pages describe the working of combat dice rolls and stats in detail. Since the defense combat rolls involve modifier values that are directly determined by armor, a simple explanation may be helpful in this comprehensive Armor tutorial.
In physical combat, there are two defensive rolls: Close Physical Defense + M (short-range physical defense) and Ranged Physical Defense + M (long-range physical defense). In both cases, M stands for Modifier, a numeral value which denotes the sum of default DEF values of all physical armor equipment for your character, their DEF enchantments, and any defensive physical armor type spells cast at the time.
To calculate the Modifier, let's assume your character is wearing the following armor: Studded Leather Armor DEF 2 (Enchanted with +5 DEF magically), Vambraces DEF 1, Kite Shield DEF 3.
Armor items: 2 + 1 + 3 = 6
DEF enchantments: + 5
Total DEF Modifier: 6 + 5 = 11
Roll: Close Physical Defense + 11 · Ranged Physical Defense + 11
In addition to the armor and its enchanted DEF abilities, if your character casts 4 slots of a Physical Armor spell (or a similar spell) for further protection, that would increase the Modifier. The base default DEF of this armor combination was 2 + 1 + 3 = 6; the enchanted DEF rating was +5, and there were 4 slots of Physical Armor spell, which would bring our total to 6 + 5 + 4 = 15: Close Physical Defense +15, Ranged Physical Defense +15.
How do the modifiers of defensive dice rolls work in magical combat?
Magical combat determines the Modifier for defensive rolls differently, since physical armor equipment plays no role in defending against magical spells. Magical defense rolls are of two types: Close Magical Defense + M (close range magical defense) and Ranged Magical Defense + M (long range magical defense). In both these cases, M stands for Modifier, a numeral value which denotes only the DEF enchantments on physical armor and any defensive spells cast at the time (not the default base DEF values of the armor itself).
Extending the same example given above, let's assume the base default DEF rating of a character's armor equipment is 6, the total DEF enchantments on this armor is 5, and that 4 slots of Magical Armor are cast for further defense. Since the DEF of armor won't count, we can only add 5 from the enchantments and 4 from the spell:
DEF enchantments: 5
Magical Armor spell: + 4
Total: 5 + 4 = 9
Roll: Close Magical Defense + 9 · Ranged Magical Defense + 9
What are some of the alternatives to Armor?
For physical classes such as Warrior, Ranger, or Rogue, physical armor works well. For characters with magical classes such as Shaman, Druid, Elemental Mage, etc, an alternative exists through magic, since their classes restrict their use of physical armor. In addition to whatever armor items they are eligible for, they can also empower their DEF values with the help of a number of magical spells such as the Physical Armor spell or its variants. Advanced magical classes may have their own set of spells for defense, such as the Necromancer's Dark Armor and the Shaman's Spirit Armor. For details, refer to the spell spheres list page to see what spells are appropriate for your character.
What are some armors in circulation that are not listed on the chart?
Above and beyond the armor that is sold at the Horn and Hammer Shop, some characters may be carrying special armor. These items fall in the Special Items categories of Relics, Legendary Items, and Items of Power. For more information, refer to the Relics section of the Weapons Shop for details.
How do I turn my armor into a Named Item?
So you spent the last six months honing the perfect armor, loaded it with enchantments and magical spells, wrote a great adventure story to show it in use, and want it up there with the "Hall of Fame" Named Items. To do so, talk to one of the Lorekeepers in the OOC room.
How do I suggest new armor developments?
Players are encouraged to suggest new ideas for items. If you have an armor idea that isn't covered in the existing list, you can suggest it in the Suggestions Channel.