Armor & Shields
Armor and shields are split into LIGHT and HEAVY. While wearing armor or using a shield, you get an adjustment to AC (either a bonus or a flat change) and take a penalty to SPEED and to STR and DEX-based skill checks and any rolls made to use actions or talents that require concentration or finesse.
* When you wear heavy armor, your AC becomes 14 instead of 10 + Dex. You can still get a bonus to it from a shield.
* * Shield penalties are doubled for any action that requires the use of your shield arm.
PROFICIENCY
If you are proficient with the armor or shield or meet the Strength requirement, you reduce the penalty by 1 (minimum 0). You can reduce the penalty by 2 if both are true (minimum 0).
- Quick and Tough characters are proficient with light armor and light shields.
- Strong characters are proficient with all armor and shields.
SHIELD BLOCK
If you are wielding a shield you can use a Reaction to block an attack. You make a Dexterity or Strength saving throw against the result of the attack. If you meet or beat the DC, the attack damages the shield instead of you. If the attack is an area effect that spreads around you, this only reduces the damage by half for you (but still does full damage to the shield).
*You can wield only one shield at a time and a shield uses one hand and arm.
Strong characters are proficient with heavy shields.
AGILE
Rare and expensive, "agile" armors and shields reduce the penalty by 1 (minimum 0).
FORTIFIED
Rare and expensive, "fortified" armors and shields increase the AC adjustment by 1.
IMPROVISED COVER
Heavy shields can be used as improvised cover by kneeling down and bracing against them as an action or as part of the Shield Block reaction. This treats you as having cover for 1 round.