Armor And Defensive STUFF

Armor is simply anything you put between yourself and harm. In the most rudimentary way, anything can be armor, if only with limited success and perhaps only for a short duration. Of course, materials and items intended specifically to do so are much more effective than improvised forms. That is represented in this short section about armor and defensive STUFF.   In the case of Armor, the Director can choose how detailed, or how abstract they choose to be when dealing with this subject. While all that is necessary is the core types of Armor - Repeated from the Persona Creation Process.   Cosmetic - Clothing meant to provide minimal coverage that appears to be stylized as armor. Most often ornamental, not usually depended on for defense. Provides minimal defense potential and is easily destroyed.   Padded - Layered and quilted to give at least some protection.   Mail - small linked pieces of metal. can look like leaves, scales, rings, even interlinked metal ringlets. Moderate protection at higher production cost.   Brigantine - Combination between mail and some strategic plating. Most versatile and differentiable of the armor types, of moderate cost.   Plated - Interlinking plates that provide maximum physical protection. Usually very expensive as they must be made, fundamentally as custom suits for individuals.   The Director may choose to expand into specifics. Armor by body part, by layer, by quality, by cost... all of these details are not necessary to play, and should be discussed with your Director, to make sure you are operating on the same suppositions.   For those directors that want inspiration, we have a list of possible and historic armor combinations that cover the general gamut. This is far from exhaustive, and only intended as a springboard for ideas on how your Cadre will look at armor in-game. The color coding is to assist in seeing how armor might be layered, and which category of protection each can provide by location being protected.    HEAD

• Cowl - Leather or cloth hood with shoulder-covering apron, fully covering the head and hanging down in front for shade and privacy
• Hood - Cloth cowl, usually combined with a walking or riding cloak
• Mail coif  - Mail hood, often worn with a hauberk. Sometimes made integrally with the hauberk, sometimes a separate piece.
• Spangenhelm  - A metal (usually iron) frame with plates (metal, leather or horn) riveted to the inside; some had hinged or laced cheek guards.
• Nasal helmet  - characterized by a nose guard, or 'nasal', composed of a single strip of metal that extended down from the skull band over the nose
• Enclosed helmet - Covered the entire head, with full protection for the face and somewhat deeper coverage for the sides and back of the head.
• Great helm  - A curved "sugar loaf" pointed top to deflect crushing blows. Has small slits for vision and breathing (Often worn with another helm underneath.)
• Skull Cap -  Worn as a helm or underneath a great helm. Sometimes worn under rather than over the mail coif.
• Bascinet - form-fitting and worn underneath a great helm with a built-in nasal to protect the nose. Worn with an aventail then later with a gorget. Visors have hinges.
• Sallet - A curvaceous helmet with a short tail, and provided with a 'bellows visor'. Distinguished by a long, sometimes laminated, tail that covered the neck.
• Barbute - Close-fitting helmet with a characteristic Y- or T-shaped slit for vision and breathing

NECK

• Aventail  - Detachable mail hung from a helmet to protect the neck and shoulders, often worn with bassinets.
• Bevor - Worn with a sallet to cover the jaw and throat (extending to the sternum). May also cover the back of the neck if worn with a bassinet rather than a sallet.
• Gorget  - Steel collar to protect the neck and cover the neck opening in a complete cuirass. Covers the front and back of the neck, part of the clavicles and sternum front and back.
• Pixane -  A mail or leather collar. In common with a gorget, it is not like a modern shirt collar. Rather, it is a circle with a hole for the neck to like an extremely small poncho.
• Lace or Linen collar - cloth adornment or ornamentation wore around the neck for comfort or presentation of an image of status as a noble or a clergyman

TORSO

• Brigandine - Cloth garment, generally canvas or leather, lined with small oblong steel plates riveted to the fabric.
• Hauberk -  Mail shirt reaching to the mid-thigh with sleeves. Early mail shirts generally were quite long.
• Cuirass  - Covers the chest and the back, together. 
• Breastplate - The plate armor section that specifically covers the breast. 
• Plackart  - Extra layer of plate armor covering the belly.
• Faulds - Metal bands to protect the front waist and hips, usually attached to cuirass.
• Culet - Small, horizontal lames that protect the small of the back or the buttocks, attached to a backplate or cuirass.
• Gambeson - Padded cloth worn under an armory harness, or as lower-level armor by itself.
• Tabard - Cloth or leather overcoat, like a poncho, usually worn over armor or in its stead for courtly situations.
• Jerkin - leather sleeveless vestment
• Surcoat - Cloth sleeveless coat (can be worn over Armor)

ARM

• Couter - Plate that guards the elbow. It may be covered by a gardbrace
• Spaulder - Bands of plates that cover the shoulder and part of the upper arm but not the armpit.
• Pauldron  - Covers the shoulder with a shoulder cop), armpit, and sometimes the back and chest.
• Gardbrace  - Extra plate that covers the front of the shoulder and the armpit, worn over top of a pauldron.
• Brassart  -  Upper Arm Defense that covers the section of the upper arm from elbow to area covered by shoulder armor.
• Besagew  - Circular plate (Rondel) that covers the armpit, typically worn with spaulders.
• Vambrace  -  Forearm Defense, may be solid metal or splints of metal attached to a leather backing. 
• Bracers  - Arm coverings made of leather worn by archers to protect against snapping bowstrings.
• Gauntlet  - Gloves that cover from the fingers to the forearms, made from many materials.
• Gloves - Leather or cloth, usually for protection from weather or rough work.
• Sleeves - Cloth coverings, usually for protection from the heat of the forge or other uncomfortable Conditions

  LEG

• Chausses - Mail coverings, either knee-high or covering the whole leg.
• Poleyn -   Plate that covers the knee,  Worn under mail shirts, articulated to connect with greaves. 
• Schynbald  - Plate that covered only the shins, not the whole lower leg.
• Greave  - Covers the lower leg, front and back, made from a variety of materials, but later most often plate.
• Cuisse  - Plates that cover the thighs, made of various materials depending upon period.
• Sabaton  - Covers the foot, often mail or plate.
• Tasset  - Bands hanging from faulds or breastplates to protect the upper legs.
• Trousers - Cloth or leather coverings from waist to ankles
• Kilt - Cloth coverings from the knee
• Hose / Leggings - tight-fitting cloth from waist to toe