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Armor
Martial artists, especially practitioners of armed styles, often
wear armor. Historical warriors should use the armor on pp. B282-
286. The following items are specialized equipment for competition
or training. Some safety gear costs more than “real” armor that provides
higher DR. This is because it’s built to safeguard both participants,
not simply to protect one from deliberate harm!
Breastplate, Sparring: Upper-body protection for contact sparring.
Foam gives the torso (including vitals) DR 1 vs. crushing damage,
only from the front. $40, 2.5 lbs.
Leather – required for women’s MMA matches – increases DR to
2 vs. crushing (DR 1 vs. other damage). $60, 4 lbs.
Cup: A plastic guard that gives the groin DR 2 vs. crushing (DR
1 vs. other damage), only from the front. Also grants +2 to knockdown
rolls for groin hits. $20, neg. wt.
Foot Guards, Sparring: Foam guards for the top of the foot. DR
2 vs. crushing (DR 1 vs. other damage); only applies on a roll of 1-
3 on 1d if the bottom of the foot could also be hit. Also gives -2 to
kicking damage. $30, 0.5 lb. (pair).
Helmet, Sparring: Used by boxers and karateka. A foam mask
gives the skull and face DR 1 vs. crushing. $40, 1 lb.
A leather-covered padded helmet increases DR to 2 vs. crushing
(DR 1 vs. other damage). $60, 3 lbs.
If using Harsh Realism for Unarmed Fighters (p. 124), either helmet
prevents self-inflicted damage from striking the skull.
Kendo Do: A fiberglass, lacquered-bamboo, or plastic cuirass
that gives the torso (including vitals) DR 3, only from the front, on
a roll of 1-5 on 1d. $100, 4 lbs.
Kendo Kote: Padded, open-palmed gloves with wrist protection.
Give the hands DR 2 vs. crushing (DR 1 vs. other damage). Also protect
the arm on a roll of 1 on 1d. Give Bad Grip 1 (p. B123). $65, 1
lb (pair).
Kendo Men: A steel-grilled helmet with neck protection. Gives
the face and neck DR 3, and the skull DR 1, only from the front.
$150, 5 lbs.
Kendo Tare: A belt of armor that protects the hips and groin from
the front. The center guard is usually decorated with the kendoka’s
name. Gives the groin DR 1, only from the front. $120, 2 lbs.
Mask, Fencing: A metal-grilled mask, used for sport fencing with
the épée, foil, or saber. Gives the skull, eyes, and face DR 2. $50, 3
lbs. Add $50 if insulated for electric scoring.
Mouthguard: A form-fitted plastic mouthpiece worn to protect
the jaw and teeth. Gives +1 to knockdown rolls for face or jaw hits,
but makes speech difficult (treat as Disturbing Voice, p. B132). $20,
neg. wt.
Police Training Suit: A padded training suit with a metal-masked
helmet. Bulky and restrictive (-3 DX, -1 Move), it gives the skull and
face DR 5; the torso and groin DR 3 vs. crushing (DR 1 vs. other
damage); and the arms, legs, hands, and feet DR 2 vs. crushing (DR
1 vs. other damage). A basic suit without hand or head protection
is $500, 7 lbs.; a full suit is $2,000, 15 lbs.
Shin Pads: Padded leather-, vinyl-, or cloth-covered pads that
protect the knee, shin, and top of the foot, giving the legs and feet
DR 2 vs. crushing (DR 1 vs. other damage), only from the front, on
a roll of 1-3 on 1d. Also gives the wearer -2 damage with shin kicks.
$40, 2 lbs. (pair).
Rigid plastic pads raise DR to 2 and don’t affect shin kick damage.
$20, 3 lbs.
234 WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
TRAINING WEAPONS
Training weapons are blunted, less-rigid,
padded, and/or made of softer materials.
Varieties include:
Blunt: A cutting or cut-and-thrust weapon
that isn’t sharpened but could be. Treat as a
good-quality weapon for all purposes but damage,
which becomes crushing.
Flexible: A thrusting-only weapon made
whippy, with a button tip. Treat as a blunt that
gets -2 crushing damage. Use cheap costs for
TL6+ sporting gear. Price anything earlier as
good-quality. Classic examples are the flexible
smallsword and dress smallsword, known as the
épée (p. 215) and foil (p. 215), respectively.
Heavy Blunt: An overweight weapon – blunt
and unable to take an edge, if bladed – designed
to develop the muscles used to control it.
Common historically but rare today; trainers
believe that overcompensating for extra weight
teaches incorrect reflexes. Has 20% of the cost
and 200% of the weight of a good weapon.
Damage becomes crushing, at +1 for swings but
-1 for thrusts. Add +2 to the ST requirement.
Padded: A wooden weapon wrapped with
cloth, foam, etc. Has 5% of the cost and 100% of
the weight of a good weapon. Damage becomes
crushing, at -2 for thrusts and -4 for swings.
Ultra-Light: A light, flexible nonmetallic
weapon for competition – usually aimed at an
armored target to allow full-powered hits without
injury. Has 5% of the cost and 60% of the
weight of a good weapon. Damage becomes
crushing with an armor divisor of (0.5). ST
requirement is 1/3 usual (round down). An
example is the Japanese shinai: a straight-edged
“katana” made of split bamboo held together
with cloth bindings.
Wooden: A hard wooden version of a metal
weapon. Has 5-10% of the cost and 100% of the
weight of a good weapon. Damage becomes
crushing but isn’t reduced – such weapons are
quite capable of beating someone to death or
shattering bones. The best-known example is the
bokken (p. 213): a wooden katana.
WEIGHTS
Barbells and dumbbells are standard tools for
modern martial artists who lift weights. Earlier
warriors did weight training with heavy wooden
clubs, rocks on sticks, and even weighted shoes.
The idea that weight training is “new” to the
martial arts is far from true! Weight gear varies
greatly in cost. Improvised equipment may be
free or nearly so; a full gym, with machines
and/or rubber-coated weights machined to
Olympic tolerances, can cost tens of thousands
of dollars.