Unique Armors, 3 (d100)

Splint mail, studded leather and sturdy shields of all shapes, sizes and mysterious backgrounds. Fictional characters wear their armor like a second skin, seemingly owning no clothes but their ever-present protective gear. Armor can define a character’s personality as well as their fighting style and fuel a growing character arc. From Darth Vader’s futuristic full plate, Sturm Brightblade in his father’s ancient suit of Solamnic armor, Batman’s pitch black suit and cloak (Or any superhero costume) designed to evoke fear in criminals, Warhammer 40k’s Space Marines and their enormous powered armor, Croaker’s baroque Widowmaker armor, Goblin Slayer’s grubby armor and concealing helmet, the frost covered armor of Prince Arthas and any complete armor set from any video game, a character’s protective gear is a full body first impression. These examples are not powerfully magical or even technologically more advanced than other armors in their various settings but the rich description, emotional attachment and narrative focus allows the protection to almost become a character in its own right. This table of Unique Armor can serve as the physical basis for family heirlooms, legendary artifacts and magical or masterwork weapons. Alternatively they can be found as loot and become part of a PC’s distinctive appearance, allowing the player to become fully immersed in their character’s look and feel. —Note: Some entries call for the DM to “Roll a Random armor” which simply means that the DM can roll from the pregenerated lists on this blog or choose whatever armor they feel would be appropriate for the situation.

d100 Result

1

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor that exudes a faint aura of protective abjuration magic as if it once held a defensive enchantment that has since faded.

2

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor with a gorget that rise up at the back of the collar, protecting the top of the spine. The symbol of a brain is stamped into the back of the neckpiece’s interior so that it touches the base of the wielder’s skull. The armor seems to possess the faintest trace of self-awareness and the wielder can occasionally feel a subtle touch of another mind drift across his own. Knowledgeable PC’s might conclude that the suit was once a truly sentient armor possessing true intelligence that it has somehow lost, died or gone into a state of hibernation.

3

A suit of well-crafted Roll on "Random Armor" armor fashioned from study components and arranged to better distribute the weight over the wielder’s frame to make long distance travel easier. Each individual part is rugged showing signs of regular use but also of consistence maintenance, making it functional if not showy. Seemingly perfectly made for extended campaigning, rain cannot fall upon the wielder and instead diverts around the edges of an ethereal bubble of energy.

4

A suit of half plate enriched by decorations depicting floral and mythological motifs making the armor as beautiful as it is protective.

5

A set of Roll on "Random Armor" armor that is completely devoid of any coat of arms or identifying standard. When donned, the armor’s front torso changes to display a beautifully rendered version of the bearer’s personal insignia, coat of arms, family crest, personal design, clan, etc. If the bearer lacks all of these, the armor will present a mix of colors, emblems or designs that represents the wielder’s personality and values.

6

A set of hide armor made from the pelts of several jaguars placed over layers of padding. The coif, which is actually made from the skull of a jaguar, frames the bearer’s face in the great cat’s jaws.

7

A battered wooden shield impaled with what looks to be an entire rack of dulled, rusty knives. They are all covered in fresh blood.

8

A fragile-looking suit of full plate that is actually quite stalwart. The armor is just ordinary (If heavily polished) steel covered in a thin layer of alchemically resilient glass. The silvery, transparent nature of the armor gives it a rather unusual look not unlike a mirror and some members of the nobility wear this armor simply as a fashion statement. The glass is incredibly durable and the armor is no stronger or weaker than a typical suit of full plate.

9

A set of Roll on "Random Armor" armor that is covered in strangely uniform blood splatters making it look like the bearer has been stabbed in the exact same way at least ten times.

10

A bulky, yet surprisingly lightweight suit of pearlescent half-plate with symbols of the sun and moon surrounded by a lightning wreath on the chestpiece.

11

A baroque suit of plate mail fashioned from a strange, glittering black crystal as strong as steel and of the same weight.

12

A shimmering bright coat of chain mail made from fine links of silver that covers the wearer’s upper arms, torso, and groin.

13

A cuirass (Scale mail statistics) of obviously high quality manufacture. The armor’s scales have each been individually acid-etched with a simple image of an eight point sunburst.

14

A suit of dragonhide scale mail armor. Reflected light glints on the pebbled scales of this armor. The breastplate, gauntlets and greaves are stiff, their surfaces hard, but the heavy leathery material on the inside of each piece yields slightly when pressed.

15

A set of breastplate armor that appears unremarkable at first glance, but closer examination reveals a labyrinthine, watery twists of banding and mottling characteristic of high-quality steel.

16

A lightweight mithral breastplate cast to represent a muscular torso.

17

A heavily-built suit of full plate that looks as though it is made of iron rather than steel. It is battered as if from dozens of battles, yet it is solidly built.

18

A heavy shield made from the spiky shell of a young tojanida, and decorated with gold trim.

19

A magnificent suit of black and gold o-yoroi armor (Scale mail statistics), with a black kabuto topped with a bright green fish crest, and a gold hoate mask sporting a long white beard. Knowledgeable PC’s will know that black and gold are the colors of the Watashi clan, and the armor is decorated with gold seals bearing the clan mon, a carp.

20

A suit of steel plate mail engraved with the names of fallen members of a knightly order.

21

A strangely thin, yet durable armor made from the interwoven bark of oak and yew trees (Scale mail statistics).

22

A set of armor made of two layers of leather (Studded leather statistics). The inner side is softer, made from deer. The outer layer is tanned and strengthened, giving it greater durability.

23

A medium-sized masterwork full plate armor made from the hide of a green dragon and decorated with elaborate scrollwork.

24

A suit of knee-length padded armor of quilted red cloth, embroidered in gold thread with fiery symbols.

25

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor decorated with unblemished white trim that appears to have black forms flitting across it when observed out of the corner of the wielder’s eye. The dark images are not present when the trim is examined nor do creatures other than the wielder observe this phenomenon. During combat, the wielder sees shadowy figures darting around in their peripheral vision, which reach for the armor but never quite touch it.

26

A shield made from the large skull of a horned lizard, with a blade attached. The skull is scrimshawed with battle scenes.

27

A suit of simple padded armor of light brown quilted cloth, trimmed with white and black ermine fur.

28

A set of silken ceremonial armor in the Keiwanese style (Leather armor statistics), consisting of padded cloth robes with a top layer of royal blue silk, decorated with gold brocade patterns, including the mon of the Subishi clan, and covered with metal disks.

29

A suit of black leather armor designed for a female knight. The pauldrons and breastplate are painted in gold leaf with roses and leaf patterns.

30

A round heavy bronze shield of decent craftsmanship, engraved with an intertwined serpent eating its own tail.

31

A finely wrought chain shirt with bronze trim, emblazoned with a bronze flame motif in the center of the chest.

32

A suit of leather armor decorated with a silver tree which fills the whole of the breastplate. An Elven inscription beneath reads, “For Queen Anmarlarien, Our Beloved Protector.”

33

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor trimmed in perpetually pure white linen from which a network of thin golden veins extend outward. When the armor is worn, the wielder’s mind is filled with thoughts of redemption, righteous vindication and protecting the innocent. Although the wielder is never forced to act on these feelings, the constant influx of altruistic intent may influence his behavior.

34

A tower shield painted dark green and decorated with a Roll on "Random Colour Table" dragon releasing a mawfull of its lethal breath.

35

A suit of mustard-colored quilted cloth armor (Padded armor statistics), lined with layers designed to stop missile weapons, and fastened with tin buttons bearing an oak leaf symbol.

36

A suit of dark brown studded leather armor. Its pauldrons are trimmed with crimson steel and it has a red dragon’s head beneath the gorget.

37

A plain lightweight wooden round shield with a bronze boss.

38

A lamellar cuirass (Ring mail statistics), made from red lacquered leather plates bound together and fitted over a silk shirt; the cuirass is decorated with gold patterns.

39

A suit of iridescent padded armor (Studded leather statistics), fashioned from exotic metallic cloth to look like the scintillating scales of an ocean fish.

40

A suit of black studded leather armor with conical studs fashioned from silver, and a fine collar decorated with red garnets.

41

A suit of hag sewn armor made from the resilient hide of a yeth hound (Chain shirt statistics, contains no metal), decorated with electrum tooling depicting scenes from the Winter Court of the Fey on the front and back.

42

A heater shield, depicting a stag of gold above a chevron or on an azure field. The light steel shield is made to be drawn quickly in the heat of combat.

43

A light steel heater shield, with a unicorn rampant argent painted on a field vert.

44

A chain shirt made from delicately wrought blue-tinged links, with aquamarines inset into the collar and cuffs. Knowledgeable PC’s recognize the style as that crafted by the merfolk in their mysterious undersea forges. The metal moves gracefully when submerged and never impedes the wielder’s ability to swim.

45

A buckler divided into three segments, each painted a different color, around a highly polished bronze boss.

46

A chain shirt made from gold-plated links, topped with an ornately decorated gorget of gold plate which protects the neck and shoulders.

47

A dwarf-sized mithral chain shirt, bearing the Hammerschlag clan rune in platinum, and adorned with four sapphires. It is as resilient in combat as it is beautiful.

48

A set of kikko armor (Ring mail statistics), made of bronze hexagonal plates sewn on to black silk. Each plate is engraved with a Keiwanese character.

49

A set of rainbow-tinged, steel scale mail, fashioned from the highly polished scales of a river drake.

50

A set of lamellar armor made from horn plates (Chain shirt statistics), painted with gold leaf and stitched together with purple silk.

51

A set of blue hide armor, made from the skin of a behir and inlaid with silvered lightning symbols.

52

A long greenish-brown coat of basilisk hide (Scale mail statistics), complete with frills, reinforced with steel plates sewn inside.

53

A rectangular heavy bronze shield decorated with an eagle holding lightning bolts in its talons.

54

A fine bronze breastplate, with the emblem of an upraised sword held in a clenched fist inlaid in electrum in the center of the chest.

55

A suit of matt black chainmail, with a fine silk lining to minimize chinking when the wearer moves. Knowledgeable PC’s have heard that this style of protection is popular with the Gray Rooks, an order of spies and assassins out of Kjarran.

56

A suit of scale mail crafted from hard sea turtle shells, embellished with gold zigzag designs.

57

A suit of gold colored scale mail from the jungle kingdom of Gopura, made from the decorated scales of a dire pangolin.

58

An agile breastplate of finest steel, engraved with beautiful knotwork patterns and inset with three sardonyx gemstones.

59

A black iron breastplate covered in occult symbols of evil and chaos.

60

A finely crafted elven-made silvered scale mail, bearing the emblems of Queen Anmarlarien and her court.

61

A suit of gold scale mail made in the Ebon Realm centuries ago by a lost race of merfolk. The ornate helm and vambraces include unsettling tentacles and spiral designs.

62

A fine suit of chainmail made from pale green, shiny steel rings, with a breastplate and pauldrons decorated with wave-like patterns and studded with small pearls.

63

A light, rounded steel, parrying shield, with four bronze studs arranged in a square in the middle. A pair of sharply pointed antelope horns extend outward from opposite sides of the shield.

64

A dwarven steel breastplate, engraved with the holy symbols of the dwarven gods and inset with yellow‐green chrysoberyls and purple amethysts.

65

A small round darkwood buckler with a symbol of a silver tree emblazoned on it.

66

A set of mithral chainmail of exemplary dwarven workmanship, with pauldrons damascened with gold and a gold grinning troll’s face in the center of the cuirass.

67

A set of iron, lamellar armor (Ring mail statistics), lacquered dark green, with silver thread used to stitch the plates together. The armor bears the lotus shaped mon of the Fukigawa clan.

68

A suit of steel banded mail (Splint mail statistics) with a dragon rampant design etched into the plates making up the front of the cuirass.

69

A circular light steel shield painted with a red skinned sneering and drooling goblin face.

70

A suit of splint mail with the overlapping steel plates decorated with gold trim. Several are engraved with short words of prayer honoring the sun god Darlen.

71

A suit of ring mail crafted in the southern city of Sabtah, engraved with religious verses in swirling calligraphy, praising the God of the Desert Winds.

72

A fearsome suit of half plate with a winged, red plumed helm and a breastplate decorated with grinning goblin faces.

73

A suit of banded splint mail, damascened with fine silver scrollwork and topped with a plumed helmet set with red jasper gems.

74

A battered and scarred kite-shaped shield made of darkwood. A close inspection reveals the initials “K.S.L.” cut into the back of the shield.

75

A suit of agile half plate with a breastplate engraved with a gold inlaid skull and crossbones design, surrounded by a golden wreath pattern. Two small rubies serve as the skull’s eyes.

76

A suit of dwarven half plate inlaid with an orichalcum anvil and hammer emblem on the breastplate. The runes for “fire” and “ash” are engraved on the gauntlets.

77

A diabolic suit of half plate of red tinged steel made for a blackguard. The left pauldron is shaped to resemble the face of an alluring feminine devil, and a serpent is inlaid in greenstone on the breastplate.

78

A diamond shaped heavy steel shield, decorated with fleur-de-lys patterns in bas relief.

79

A suit of field plate armor with complex swirling patterns inlaid into the steel in brass.

80

A suit of stoneplate armor of dwarven workmanship, chiseled from basalt and treated with alchemical compounds. Heavy and unwieldy, the armor bears the holy symbols of the dwarven God of Stone. The suit is as effective as typical plate mail but weighs ten pounds more and may be worn by druids or those incapable of wearing metal armor without penalty.

81

An oval light wooden shield covered in zebra skin, crafted by a Kwali tribesman of the southern savannah.

82

An elegant suit of mithral and ironwood full plate of ancient high elven workmanship, built from elegant curved wing like pieces.

83

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor whose chestpiece is decorated with a silver octopus on a blue background. The beast holds a different weapon in each tentacle.

84

A set of oaken breastplate carved with the bas relief image of the horned Forest God, surrounded by leaves of colored resin. The suit is as strong as steel and may be worn by druids or those incapable of wearing metal armor without penalty.

85

A copper buckler, decorated with swirling fiery patterns and arabesques.

86

An exquisitely crafted set of blue mithral full plate bearing the image of a setting sun enshrouded by angelic wings etched into the breastplate. The phrase “Protection from the unjust awaits the righteous” is etched around the base of the breastplate in archaic Celestial. A small pictogram of a wounded man being comforted by an angel decorates the inside of the left greave. Silver runes embossed onto the shoulder pads depict a scene from a crusading celestial god’s holy book.

87

A black buckler with a brass dragon’s head boss surrounded by eight brass flowers.

88

A suit of hide armor crafted from the skin, fur and claws of cave bears and sewn together with their sinew.

89

A suit of scale mail armor made from the discarded skin of a giant serpent and treated with alchemical mixtures causing it to be as strong as steel. The armor contains no metal components.

90

A brilliantly polished darksteel breastplate, missing its straps and engraved with dedications to a now defunct religious order.

91

A close-fitting doublet-styled jacket (Studded leather statistics) that’s reinforced with expertly arranged internal plates of hard leather, giving it superior protection while retaining remarkable flexibility.

92

A suit of splint mail made of ironwood plates inserted into articulated overlapping strips of tanned and cured shark hide which are riffled in texture to suggest the play of wind on water. The suit may be worn by druids or those incapable of wearing metal armor without penalty.

93

A jet black lorica segmentata (Splint mail statistics) with a large blood-red sun enclosed within a lacquered black circle emblazoned on the chest and shoulders. The emblem marks this armor as belonging to the mercenary company known as the Caged Legion.

94

A suit of lorica hamata (Chain shirt statistics) consisting of a chain shirt fitted with thick brass shoulders that run from the mid-back to the front of the torso, where they are connected by iron loops.

95

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor adorned with laws and rules in various languages, each of which details the exact standards and specifications of armor design, construction and ownership.

96

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor whose bearer suffers from enhanced pangs of conscience whenever he contemplates or undertakes a malevolent act.

97

A light wooden shield whose planks are bound together by black iron bands and bear the scars of many strikes, but still appears strong and sturdy.

98

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor that is neither tall nor short, neither brand new nor well worn, not weighty nor light, and neither sturdy nor delicate. Its design not complex or simple, neither familiar or unknown, not gruesome nor merciful and not distasteful or elegant. The object is not so much of one quality that it becomes its opposite, its form is not expressible nor ineffable, not arcane nor mundane and not a tool of heroes or villains. The armor not this nor that and is purely, simply and wholly itself.

99

A diamond shaped heavy wooden shield with a black crab painted on a red and blue checkered background.

100

A suit of Roll on "Random Armor" armor that causes the air around the wielder to become unnaturally cold. The bearer’s breath becomes a visible fog, and frost continually forms on the surface of their hair, skin, weapons, and armor. The wielder and his equipment never suffers any ill effects from the frost nor does he ever gain any sort of benefit.