Chapter 4 - Equipment
Armour and Shields have been changed in accordance with AC-less Defence. Additionally, Armour Pieces have been introduced to add more variance and to protect against Aimed Strikes, and new Shields have been introduced to provide distinct interactions with Cover and Blocking.
Shields
AC-less: When wielding a shield, you no longer gain Armor Class. Instead, your shield gives you Cover that is appropriate for your size and the size of shield you are wielding.
New Shields: There are now two additional types of shield and dedicated shield properties that are described below.
| Type | Size | Blocking Bonus | Properties | Weight | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckler | Tiny | +6 | Free Hand, Light | 3 lb. | 8 GP |
| Wooden Shield | Tiny | +4 | 6 lb. | 10 GP | |
| Tower Shield | Small | +2 | Heavy, Clunky | 12 lb. | 20 GP |
Shield Properties
Clunky: When wielding a shield with the Clunky property, you roll Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks with Disadvantage.
Free Hand: When wielding a shield with the Free Hand property, you can still use the hand of the arm you are wielding the shield with to grab and hold objects, for somatic components, and for sign language. D20 Tests to use an object or attack with a weapon held with this hand are rolled with Disadvantage.
Heavy: When wielding a shield with the Heavy property and your Strength score not being at least 13, you have Disadvantage on Blocking and your movement reduced by 5 ft.
Light: When Blocking with a shield with the Light property, the damage of the attack is not negated completely, but only reduced by your Dexterity score.
Armour
As explained in AC-less Defence, the Armor Class of an armour will be converted to Damage Reduction. An armour that previously gave an Armor Class of 12, for example, will give +2 Damage Reduction instead of increasing the Armor Class of the wearer from the base Armor Class of 10 by +2.
Armours that allowed the wearer to add their whole or parts of their Dexterity modifier to their Armor Class do not give additional Damage Reduction based on that Dexterity modifier. Instead, Dodging is improved when wearing no Armour or Light Armour, and worsened when wearing Heavy Armour, as listed below.
| Name | Type | Damage Reduction | Dodging Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Padded Armour | Light | 1 | +2 |
| Leather Armour | Light | 1 | +2 |
| Studded Leather Armour | Light | 2 | +2 |
| Hide Armour | Medium | 2 | 0 |
| Chain Shirt | Medium | 3 | 0 |
| Scale Mail | Medium | 4 | 0 |
| Breastplate | Medium | 4 | 0 |
| Half Plate Armour | Medium | 5 | 0 |
| Ring Mail | Heavy | 4 | Disadvantage |
| Chain Mail | Heavy | 6 | Disadvantage |
| Splint Armour | Heavy | 7 | Disadvantage |
| Plate Armour | Heavy | 8 | Disadvantage |
Armour Pieces
The Damage Reduction of an armour will usually only work against attacks that aren't Aimed Strikes. This depends primarily on whether the armour covers the body part the Aimed Strike targets or not. As a default, wearing an armour means that at least the torso and hips are covered by that armour, and attacks that aren't Aimed Strikes are assumed to hit that armour. Every armour set will include coverage for all other body parts, and you may choose whether you wear these other armour pierces or not.
Extending Damage Reduction: An armour piece extends the Damage Reduction of the armour set they belong to to the body part they cover. For example, with a Half Plate Armour giving a Damage Reduction of 5, the armour pieces of the same set would also give a Damage Reduction of 5.
Light Armour Pieces: These pieces require Light Armour Training to protect their body parts and count as Light Armour.
Medium Armour Pieces: These pieces require Medium Armour Training to protect their body parts and count as Medium Armour.
Heavy Armour Pieces: These pieces require Heavy Armour Training to protect their body parts and count as Heavy Armour. The following drawbacks also apply for particular pieces:
- Helmet: Needs a lowered visor to also protect the face. When such a visor is lowered, it gives Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight.
- Gloves: Gives Disadvantage on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks.
Combining Armour Types: It is possible to wear armour pieces of multiple different armour sets at once, with each armour piece giving the Damage Reduction value of its armour set. For example, you can wear a Plate Armour on your torso and hips for 8 Damage Reduction there and Leather Gloves for 1 Damage Reduction on the hands at the same time. Conversely, you can have 1 Damage Reduction on your torso and hips when wearing Leather Armour, and 8 Damage Reduction on your lower arms when wearing Plate Bracers.
Armour Pieces and Dodging: The Dodging Modifier described above is determined solely through the armour pieces that cover the torso and the hips. If those pieces are Light Armour, you gain the +2 to Dodging even when wearing Heavy Armour on all other body parts.
Purchasing Specific Armour Pieces: Instead of receiving armour pieces together with its armour set, it is possible to buy them separately. Depending on how much material and complexity is involved in the making of the armour piece, the cost should be between 5 and 25 of the costs for the full armour set. It is left up to the DM to decide the exact price when the demand arises, and the sum of the parts may be more expensive than the full set depending on the merchant.
When purchasing an armour set to cover only the torso and the hips, without additional armour pieces, the costs should be roughly half of the full cost.
Wearing Armour Pieces without Training: When wearing an armour piece of an armour category you don't have the corresponding armour training for, you have Disadvantage on any D20 Test that relies on the body part covered by that armour piece.
Surgery
When a creature has a disabled or malfunctioning body part, Surgery is the go-to non-magical way to treat it.
Surgery Tools: Surgery Tools are a type of Artisan's Tools that are used in Surgery. Cost: 30 GP. Ability: Intelligence. Skill: Sleight of Hand or Medicine (your choice). Weight: 4 lb. Utilize: Treat disabled body part, as described here.
Performing a Surgery: A Surgery is performed on a singular target creature and lead by one character, the surgeon, that rolls all the required rolls, and takes an hour. To successfully perform a Surgery, the surgeon must succeed on a DC 20 Surgery check three times, utilizing Surgery Tools.
When you have Proficiency or Expertise in both Surgery Tools and an associated skill, you roll with Advantage.
After three Surgery checks succeeded, the treated body part is no longer disabled. Instead, it is wounded until the target takes a long rest. Afterwards, the body part is healthy again.
Rolling a 20: When a 20 is rolled on the d20, the Surgery succeeds without the need for further Surgery checks.
Failing a Surgery check: A failed Surgery check does not make the Surgery fail. Instead, when a Surgery check fails, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw to not take 1d4+1 piercing damage that can not be reduced.
Rolling a 1: When a 1 is rolled on the d20, the Surgery check automatically fails. Instead of the consequences above, the target must roll a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d4+4 piercing damage on a failed save, half as much on a successful one. This damage can not be reduced.
Anaesthesia: The Surgery Tools include anaesthetics that can make the target creature unresponsive, giving them the Unconscious condition. The following effects also apply:
- The surgeon rolls an additional 1d4 on each Surgery check and adds the number rolled to the result.
- The target makes the Constitution saving throw to avoid being damaged by failed Surgery checks with Advantage.
- The target can't be their own surgeon or assist on the surgery.
- The target wakes up 1d4 hours after the surgery is completed.
Assisting a Surgery: Creatures that are proficient with Surgery Tools or with one of the associated skills may take the Help Action on all of their turns during the Surgery to give Advantage on the Surgery checks.
Interrupting a Surgery: When a Surgery is interrupted, the disability remains fully untreated.
The Surgery is interrupted when the following conditions are not met:
- The surgeon must take the Utilize Action on each of their turns, utilizing Surgery Tools on the target body part.
- The surgeon must maintain Concentration on the Surgery.
- The target body part must be sufficiently still.
- The target must stay in the space they occupied at the start of the Surgery.