Armor

The type of armor you are wearing determines your base Armor Points. These points can vary depending on the type and condition of the materials of which your armor is made.

Note that these numbers are not cumulative, but in the marshal’s discretion in rare circumstances, extra points may be considered.

In most cases, thickness and weight of the armor can add extra points to the base armor value. These bonus points are described below. You will receive the highest appropriate bonus for each class of bonus point. However, in no case can you have more than 22 total points of armor.

Full armor value is awarded only for a suit of armor that covers shoulder, groin/hips, and back and must cover most of the torso. Thickness/gauge bonuses apply only if at least 75% of the torso armor is of the appropriate thickness. Incomplete coverage will subtract armor points.

Armor cannot be taped together. It must have integral fastenings. Any metal plates must have round-filed edges or the edges must be covered to avoid injury. Avoid jutting edges on sheet metal armor.

Armor Values

The base armor points are as follows:

Costume = 2

Leather armor = 4

Chain mail armor = 7

Plate metal armor = 8

Costume

Costume is any sort of period costume. It has no bonuses or penalties for thickness or coverage. It is otherwise the same as other armor types regarding tags.

Leather Armor

Leather armor is made of naugahide, suede, doeskin, vinyl, or leather. Heavy canvas can also count as leather armor, as does armor made of leather scales. Extra points can be awarded for thickness of materials and for additions such as studs, rings, scales, or metal plates.

Any additions must cover at least 75% of the armor to gain a bonus. Spacing between studs is measured from center to center. Spacing between rings is measured from edge to edge. Measurement of plate additions is based on total percentage of surface area covered.

Rings must be a minimum of 14 gauge and metal plates must be at least 20 gauge to count for a bonus. Studs must be a minimum of 1/4 inch wide, and cannot exceed 3/4 of an inch. Larger studs are considered as metal additions.

Armor Thickness

+1 for leather from 4 oz. to 6 oz.

+2 for leather 8 oz. or over

+1 for leather scale armor that overlaps at least 33% of scale below

Additions

+1 for metal studs no more than 1.5” to 2" apart

+1 for metal rings of at least 2" inner diameter space no more than 1.5” to 2" apart

+1 for metal additions covering 25-33% of the surface

+1 for non-metal plates covering over 33% of the surface

+2 for metal studs spaced up to 1" apart

+2 for metal rings (at least 1.5" i.d.) spaced up to 1" apart

+2 for metal additions covering 34-50%

+3 for metal studs spaced less than 1" apart

+3 for metal rings (at least 1" inner diameter) spaced less than 1" apart

+3 for metal additions covering 51-67%

Chain Mail

Chain mail is defined as metal with interlocking links. There are bonus points for type of metal, tightness of the links, and gauge of the wire.

In some chapters, substitutions for real metal may be used for chain mail (such as heavy plastic), but such armor will probably not receive as many points as a real suit of metal armor, no matter how nice it looks.

Tight links are defined as any links where a standard #2 pencil cannot be pushed between the links (for 16 gauge wire, this is at least 5/16" inner diameter; for 14 gauge, 3/8" i.d.; for 12 gauge., 7/16" i.d.; for 10 gauge, 1/2" i.d..). Maximum link diameter is 1" (outer diameter).

Links

+1 for tightly linked armor

+2 for links with inner diameter 1/16" less than standard tight link

Gauge of Metal

+1 for 14 gauge light metal

+2 for 12 gauge light or 14 gauge heavy metal

+3 for 10 gauge light or 12 gauge heavy metal

+4 for 10 gauge heavy metal

Plate mail

Plate mail can be made of any material that has the appearance of being metal. This includes fiberglass, wood, and metal; however, you will not receive as many points for non-metal materials as you will for full metal. Metal scale armor is also considered plate mail. Bonus points are awarded based on materials and thickness.

Metal Type

+1 for light metal from 20 gauge to 18 gauge

+2 for heavy metal (20 to 18 gauge) or light metal up to 16 gauge

+3 for heavy metal up to 16 gauge or light metal up to 14 gauge

+4 for heavy metal up to 14 gauge

Bonuses

Arm Guards

+1 for leather arm guards

+2 for metal arm guards

Leg Guards

+1 for leather leg guards

+2 for metal leg guards

Thigh Guards

+1 for leather thigh guards

+2 for metal thigh guards

Head Protection

+1 for non-metal head protection

+2 for metal head protection

Eye Protection

+1 for Eye Protection (such as athletic or badger goggles; not chemical safety goggles)

Authenticity

A further +1 armor point can be added if the entire costume looks in period (no sneakers or jeans, etc.). It should also be well made and appear to be made of period materials.

In addition, you may also receive an additional +1 armor point for “Master Crafted” armor—that is, armor that is visually impressive as well as being well made.

Penalties

Missing Coverage (Cumulative)

-1 if the shoulders are unprotected

-1 if the groin/thighs are unprotected

-1 if the back is unprotected

Coverage

-1 if chain mail/plate mail only makes up 3/4 to 2/3 of the armor covering the torso

-2 if chain mail/plate mail only makes up 2/3 to 1/2 of the armor covering the torso

Definitions

Minimum Materials: Extra leather protection must be at least 4 oz. real leather or must have additions equal to the +3 bonus category. Extra metal protection must be at least 20 gauge real metal.

Shoulder Protection: Armor protecting the area from the collarbone to 1/3 of the top of the upper arm.

Groin/Hip Protection: Armor protecting the area from the waist to just below the groin. This includes the hips and buttocks.

Arm Guards: Armor protecting a minimum of 3/4 of the area from the wrist to the elbow.

Leg Guards: Armor protecting a minimum of 3/4 of the area from the ankle to the knee.

Thigh Guards: Armor protecting a minimum of 3/4 of the area from the hip joint to the top of the knee.

Head Protection: Armor protecting the skull and covering the back of the neck. Any head protection must be padded to prevent injury while being worn. NERO recommends that any combatant wear some form of real head protection if they are going to participate in NERO combat.

Light metals: Aluminum or its alloys.

Heavy metals: Steel or copper.

Class Limitations

All classes are limited in how many armor points they can have. These maximum armor points are as follows:

Scholars are limited to 10 points.

Rogues are limited to 12 points.

Templars are limited to 14 points.

Fighters are limited to 20 points.

The skill Wear Extra Armor allows these classes to wear armor above their maximums.

Armor Points

Once your armor value has been assigned to you by the armsmaster, they will give you Armor Points to put on a ring known as your Armor Ring.

Your character’s Body Points go on the same ring, along with any defensive spells you may have active on you.

If you remove the armor at any time during the game, you should keep track of how many Armor Points you have.

If you lose all your Armor Points, then you must remove your helmet, as it is now destroyed and can no longer protect you from a Waylay.

Armor may be damaged during a battle. If the armor was not breached—that is, if it was not reduced to zero—it goes back to full value after readjusting.

If it was breached, its total value is reduced by two points, which must be removed from the ring.

“Refitting” a suit of armor takes a complete uninterrupted minute during which you can perform no other skill and cannot walk around. The player must kneel or crouch and adjust their armor to represent the act of refitting. If someone else is refitting your armor, both players will have to kneel. This should be roleplayed out, perhaps by pulling out a small bag of tools and accessories.

For example: Thor and Thorette each have suits worth 15 Armor Points. They are attacked by an evil ogre and each take 12 points of damage before the ogre is defeated. Thor kneels over, gets out his repair kit, and spends a minute refitting his armor while Thorette stands guard. When he is done, he spends another minute refitting her armor. When the two minutes are done, both have suits that are good as new and worth 15 Armor Points again.

“Refitting” cannot be used to add Armor Points back to a suit that has been breached. A suit that has been breached can only be refit up to 2 Points less than its pre-breached state.

For example, Thor has just taken 15 points of damage in a battle. His 15 Point suit has been “breached” down to zero. He gets out his tools and begins working on his armor but is only able to refit it up to 13 Points. If he takes at least 13 Points of armor damage in the next battle, he will only be able to refit the suit up to 11 Points.

Shields

Shields can be very useful in the NERO game. A blow that lands on a shield will not count (but packet delivered attacks or boulders will). Shields can be made of almost any strong material such as plastic, wood, and aluminum.

Safety is the prime consideration when constructing a shield. All edges of the shield must be padded with at least 5/8 inch thick pipe insulation. Bolts or protuberances are not allowed.

The longest dimension of a shield cannot exceed 36 inches. The maximum area of a shield is 531 square inches (a 26 inch diameter circle). This will be enforced! When calculating the area of a shield, recesses, voids, holes and concavities in the shield silhouette are counted towards the total area of a shield as if the recess, void, hole or concavity did not exist. Wrapping a taunt string along the edge of the shield and calculating the area of the figure that the string now defines allows the measurement of the shield are according to this rule.

Shields cannot be used as offensive weapons. Shields are strictly for defense.

Shield Bashing is the intentional use of a shield to gain physical out-of-game advantage over an opponent. Shield Bashing is as serious a violation of NERO safety rules—it is similar to Charging. The potential for injury is great. Excessive use of Shield Bashing will result in warnings and possible loss of the Shield skill.

Shields cannot be used with two handed weapons. You may not wield a weapon with the hand or arm holding the shield.

“Turtling” or hiding behind an impenetrable shield (with little more than your head showing) is not allowed. The moves used to neutralize a “Turtle” are mostly against NERO rules, so Turtling is also banned.

Shields do not protect the owner from any kind of trap other than a mechanical trap, which uses a weapon blade or missile weapon to deliver its damage.

A “buckler” shield (a small shield that is strapped onto the arm) must still follow all shield rules—in other words, you cannot have a buckler on your left arm and still hold anything in your left hand. There is really no advantage in the NERO game for a buckler, so it is advised that regular shields be used instead.

The best shield for a reasonable price can be made with 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch plywood. Thicker plywood can be used, but tends to be too heavy. Aluminum is great but expensive. Sheet metal is also fairly good but to make it thick enough to not flex under attack, the cost and weight will rise.