Hullo, folks,

Since DESOLATION isn't out yet, I was wondering something...

How do armour and shields work in the DESOLATION version of Ubiquity?

While there may not be any proper armour of shields that survived the Night of Fire, people are likely to pick up other things to use as shields, and various materials could be used to make make-shift armour of sorts...

Hey John,

Yes, armor and shields can be improvised. Most improvised weapons and armor provide a die less Defense than their well-made counterparts. Improvised weapons and armor are one botch away from becoming broken and useless until repaired. Some armor and weapons do not suffer the improvised penalty to the dice pool, including wooden shields.

One nice thing about shields in Desolation is that they allow you to use your Full Defense against two attacks, instead of just against one attack per turn.

Hullo, Jamie,



This is really good to hear, since I was wondering about the use of improvised shields and the like.



That raises the question of whether the use of armour and/or shileds differs significantly from the rules for these, such as they are, found in HEX. So, what's the story, mate?

The shield rule allowing you to defend against two attackers before the multiple attacker Defense penalty comes into play is the biggest difference. Though it can be significant, especially when surrounded by kobolds.

Hullo, Jamie,



Thanks for clarifying that for me, J.

So, kobolds are that tough, huh?

Might as well use this topic instead of creating a new one, since I have a question regarding the armor rules.

Does the DEX penalty from armor affect Secondary Attributes? In other words, are Move, Initiative and Defense affected by armor?

The book is unclear on the subject and the one sample character wearing heavy armor (The Former Legionnaire) shows the penalty applied only to Initiative.

Thanks in advance.

<taps the microphone>

Hello? Is this thing on?

The armor reduces dexterity and all secondary attributes and skills that are derived from it.

However, the Move on Lem is generated by using the Athletics score, not STR+DEX.

Matt

Ah! Okay then. Forgot about the Athletics alternative for Move. My bad.

And if the character is divested of his armor, his Secondary Attributes and skills are immediately affected. Got it.

Thanks!