Armor/Shield Bonus	Maximum Dex Bonus	Armor Check Penalty	Arcane Spell Failure Chance	Speed
Armor	Cost					30 ft.	20 ft.	Weight1
Light armor
Padded	5 gp	+1	+8	0	5%	30 ft.	20 ft.	10 lbs.
Armored kilt	20 gp	+1	+6	0	0%	30 ft.	20 ft.	10 lbs.
Quilted cloth	100 gp	+1	+8	0	10%	30 ft.	20 ft.	15 lbs.
Leather	10 gp	+2	+6	0	10%	30 ft.	20 ft.	15 lbs.
Rosewood armor	50 gp	+2	+6	0	10%	30 ft.	20 ft.	15 lbs.
Leaf armor	500 gp	+3	+5	0	15%	30 ft.	20 ft.	10 lbs.
Parade armor	25 gp	+3	+5	-1	15%	30 ft.	20 ft.	20 lbs.
Studded leather	25 gp	+3	+5	-1	15%	30 ft.	20 ft.	20 lbs.
Wooden	20 gp	+3	+3	-1	15%	30 ft.	20 ft.	25 lbs.
Chain shirt	100 gp	+4	+4	-2	20%	30 ft.	20 ft.	25 lbs.
Medium armor
Hide	15 gp	+4	+4	-3	20%	20 ft.	15 ft.	25 lbs.
Armored coat	50 gp	+4	+3	-2	20%	20 ft.	15 ft.	20 lbs.
Scale mail	50 gp	+5	+3	-4	25%	20 ft.	15 ft.	30 lbs.
Chainmail	150 gp	+6	+2	-5	30%	20 ft.	15 ft.	40 lbs.
Breastplate	200 gp	+6	+3	-4	25%	20 ft.	15 ft.	30 lbs.
Agile breastplate	400 gp	+6	+3	-4	25%	20 ft.	15 ft.	25 lbs.
Heavy armor
Splint mail	200 gp	+7	+0	-7	40%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	45 lbs.
Field plate	400 gp	+7	+1	-5	35%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	45 lbs.
Banded mail	250 gp	+7	+1	-6	35%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	35 lbs.
Half-plate	600 gp	+8	+0	-7	40%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	50 lbs.
Agile half-plate	850 gp	+8	+0	-7	40%	20 ft.	15 ft.	55 lbs.
Stoneplate	1,800 gp	+9	+1	-6	35%	15 ft.2	10 ft.2	75 lbs.
Full plate	1,500 gp	+9	+1	-6	35%	20 ft.2	15 ft.2	50 lbs.
Shields
Madu, leather	30 gp	+1	—	-2	5%	—	—	5 lbs.
Madu, steel	30 gp	+1	—	-2	5%	—	—	6 lbs.
Klar	12 gp	+1	—	-1	5%	—	—	6 lbs.
Buckler	15 gp	+1	—	-1	5%	—	—	5 lbs.
Shield, light wooden	3 gp	+1	—	-1	5%	—	—	5 lbs.
Quickdraw shield, light wooden	53 gp	+1	—	-2	5%	—	—	6 lbs.
Shield, light steel	9 gp	+1	—	-1	5%	—	—	6 lbs.
Quickdraw shield, light steel	59 gp	+1	—	-2	5%	—	—	7 lbs.
Shield, heavy wooden	7 gp	+2	—	-2	15%	—	—	10 lbs.
Shield, heavy steel	20 gp	+2	—	-2	15%	—	—	15 lbs.
Shield, tower	30 gp	+43	+2	-10	50%	—	—	45 lbs.
Extras
Armor spikes	+50 gp	—	—	—	—	—	—	+10 lbs.
Gauntlet, locked	8 gp	—	—	special	n/a4	—	—	+5 lbs.
Shield spikes	+10 gp	—	—	—	—	—	—	+5 lbs.

1: Weight figures are for armor sized to fit Medium characters. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armor fitted for Large characters weighs twice as much
2: When running in heavy armor, you move only triple your speed, not quadruple.
3: A tower shield can instead grant you cover. See the description.
4: Hand not free to cast spells.

Armor Descriptions

Agile Breastplate: This breastplate is specially crafted in a manner that allows extra maneuverability for some physical activities. The armor check penalty for Climb checks and jump checks is only -1 (masterwork and mithral versions of this armor reduce this penalty as well as the normal penalty).

Agile Half-Plate: This style of half-plate is specially crafted in a manner that allows extra maneuverability for some physical activities. The armor check penalty for Climb checks and jump checks is only -4 (masterwork and mithral versions of this armor reduce this penalty as well as the normal penalty). In addition, unlike most heavy armors, the wearer can still run at quadruple speed instead of triple speed.

Armor Spikes: You can have spikes added to your armor, which allow you to deal extra piercing damage on a successful grapple attack. The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you take a -4 penalty on grapple checks when you try to use them. You can also make a regular melee attack (or off-hand attack) with the spikes, and they count as a light weapon in this case. (You can't also make an attack with armor spikes if you have already made an attack with another off-hand weapon, and vice versa.) An enhancement bonus to a suit of armor does not improve the spikes' effectiveness, but the spikes can be made into magic weapons in their own right.

Armored Coat: This sturdy leather coat is reinforced with metal plates sewn into the lining. More cumbersome than light armor but less effective than most medium armors, the advantage of an armored coat is that a person can don it or remove it as a move action (there is no "don hastily" option for an armored coat). If worn over other armor, use the better AC bonus and worse value in all other categories; an armored coat has no effect if worn with heavy armor. The only magic effects that apply are those worn on top.

Banded Mail: Banded mail is made up of overlapping strips of metal, fastened to a leather backing. The suit includes gauntlets.

Breastplate: Covering only the torso, a breastplate is made up of a single piece of sculpted metal.

Buckler: This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a -1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can cast a spell with somatic components using your shield arm, but you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can't make a shield bash with a buckler.

Chain Shirt: Covering the torso, this shirt is made up of thousands of interlocking metal rings.

Chainmail: Unlike a chain shirt, chainmail covers the legs and arms of the wearer. The suit includes gauntlets.

Field Plate: This heavy armor is similar to full plate but lighter in construction, sacrificing a bit in protection for greater flexibility and mobility. It is effectively the same as masterwork banded mail. You can purchase masterwork field plate.

Full Plate: This metal suit includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and a thick layer of padding that is worn underneath the armor. Each suit of full plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armorsmith, although a captured suit can be resized to fit a new owner at a cost of 200 to 800 (2d4 × 100) gold pieces.

Gauntlet, Locked: This armored gauntlet has small chains and braces that allow the wearer to attach a weapon to the gauntlet so that it cannot be dropped easily. It provides a +10 bonus to your CMD to keep from being disarmed in combat. Removing a weapon from a locked gauntlet or attaching a weapon to a locked gauntlet is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

The price given is for a single locked gauntlet. The weight given applies only if you're wearing a breastplate, light armor, or no armor. Otherwise, the locked gauntlet replaces a gauntlet you already have as part of the armor.

While the gauntlet is locked, you can't use the hand wearing it for casting spells or employing skills. (You can still cast spells with somatic components, provided that your other hand is free.)

Like a normal gauntlet, a locked gauntlet lets you deal lethal damage rather than nonlethal damage with an unarmed strike.

Half-Plate: Combining elements of full plate and chainmail, half-plate includes gauntlets and a helm.

Hide: Hide armor is made up of the tanned and preserved skin of any thick-hided beast.

Leaf Armor: This armor is made of alchemically hardened leaves. It is always masterwork quality and has the same game statistics as masterwork studded leather, except it contains no metal.

Leather: Leather armor is made up of pieces of hard boiled leather carefully sewn together.

Padded: Little more than heavy, quilted cloth, this armor provides only the most basic protection.

Parade Armor: Most wealthy countries with standing armies have a different uniform for use in showy noncombat situations such as parades, coronation ceremonies, and so on. The appearance of this armor varies by the country of origin and the branch of the military, but still provides some protection in case the soldier needs to fight while in parade dress. If you're wearing a country's parade armor, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks to influence a person from that country.

Quickdraw Shield, Light Wooden or Steel: This light shield is specially crafted with a series of straps to allow a character proficient in shields to ready or stow it on his or her back quickly and easily. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you may don or put away a quickdraw shield as a swift action combined with a regular move. If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw a light or one-handed weapon with one hand and a quickdraw shield with the other in the time it would normally take you to draw one weapon. If you have the Quick Draw feat, you may don or put away a quickdraw shield as a free action.

Quilted Cloth: This enhanced form of padded armor has internal layers specifically designed to trap arrows, bolts, darts, shuriken, thrown daggers, and other small ranged piercing weapons. When these kinds of weapons strike you, they tend to become snagged in these layers and fail to harm you. You gain DR 3/— against attacks of this kind. The special layers of the armor have no effect on other kinds of weapons.

Rosewood Armor: This suit of leather armor is wrapped in special rose vines. Treat this as leather armor with armor spikes. The vines must be watered with at least 1 gallon of water each day or they wither and die, turning the armor into normal leather armor.

Scale Mail: Scale mail is made up of dozens of small overlapping metal plates. The suit includes gauntlets.

Shield, Heavy; Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A heavy shield is so heavy that you can't use your shield hand for anything else.

Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to spells and effects.

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. Used this way, a heavy shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next turn. An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Shield, Light; Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A light shield's weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it.

Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to some spells and effects.

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. Used this way, a light shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a light shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next turn. An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Shield, Tower: This massive wooden shield is nearly as tall as you are. In most situations, it provides the indicated shield bonus to your AC. As a standard action, however, you can use a tower shield to grant you total cover until the beginning of your next turn. When using a tower shield in this way, you must choose one edge of your space. That edge is treated as a solid wall for attacks targeting you only. You gain total cover for attacks that pass through this edge and no cover for attacks that do not pass through this edge. The shield does not, however, provide cover against targeted spells; a spellcaster can cast a spell on you by targeting the shield you are holding. You cannot bash with a tower shield, nor can you use your shield hand for anything else.

When employing a tower shield in combat, you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls because of the shield's encumbrance.

Shield Spikes: These spikes turn a shield into a martial piercing weapon and increase the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger than you. You can't put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack.

An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Splint Mail: Splint mail is made up of metal strips, like banded mail. The suit includes gauntlets.

Stoneplate: This armor is made of alchemically hardened stone. It has the same game statistics as full plate, except it contains no metal.

Studded Leather: Similar to leather armor, this suit is reinforced with small metal studs.

Wooden Armor: This suit of leather armor has plates of fire-treated wood sewn over vital areas. Though not as effective as metal armor, it offers better protection than leather alone. Unlike metal armor, the wood is slightly buoyant, and the armor check penalty for swimming in this armor is 0.