Low-Tech: Instant Armor
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The Best Defense
Every low-tech fighter (and every gamer!) knows that the secret to surviving slings and arrows -- not to mention swords¸ musket balls¸ and dragon bites -- is a good suit of armor. GURPS Low-Tech and GURPS Low-Tech Companion 2: Weapons and Warriors deliver handsomely in that department... but it can take a lot of number-juggling to get costs and weights for the bits you want¸ and some page-flipping to find the options you desire. GURPS Low-Tech: Instant Armor offers defenses against both these annoyances and battlefield dangers.
The heart of the work is a complete set of armor tables for torso¸ arm¸ leg¸ head¸ neck¸ hand¸ and foot armor; for sub-locations like the abdomen¸ groin¸ and bits of the arms and legs; and for five helmet patterns. Each table lists only the armor materials that suit the body part in question¸ and adjusts TL when a material is available earlier or later than usual in that role. Every piece of armor comes with DR¸ cost¸ and weight¸ as well as the realistic time needed to don it and a Holdout penalty that accounts for DR¸ flexibility¸ and design.
But that's not all! You also get:
- Materials and Modifications Tables. Handy summaries that let you quickly determine the options available at your TL¸ how they affect cost¸ and how they adjust the stats in the armor tables.
- Helmet Designs. Ready-to-use examples of complicated historical headgear¸ illustrating how the system can be used to create some classic helmets.
- Optional Rules. Answers to a variety of questions¸ from "How much does it cost to armor only my vitals?" to "Can I sleep in armor?"
If you've ever been frustrated trying to armor your TL0-4 warriors¸ then Low-Tech: Instant Armor is for you!
Low-Tech: Instant Armor is a supplement to GURPS Low-Tech¸ but the armor stats within would be useful in any TL0-4 GURPS campaign.