The lore strongly suggests that armor is no longer a necessity now that bullets exist. But many classic fantasy RPG systems, which we want to enable for play, have armor tied deeply into their mechanics.

I have a few options here:

• Reskin armor in ways that feel western (Half-Plate becomes a Leather Dusters, etc)
• Create some lore that indicates armor is magical, and thus keep the aesthetic and lean into the mystical nature of the world. (A Doublestar Commission Badge counts as Half-Plate)
• Make custom armor rules for each supported system. (Create a new damage type “Bullets” for 5e)
• Say armor just isn’t really a thing anymore, and have bullets simply ignore armor bonuses in any given system. (I like this one the least.)

I’m sure there are other options. Please comment if you have ideas!

September 15, 2025 : Brad had the good idea of making magical armored cloth more common, which I think is great. It makes sense that after the invention of bullets, the mystical forces of the Crowns wouldnt just sit by and get shot. Here’s what I have so far.

Oakenweave:

Elves make use of the strands of highly dense trees in their deep forests to create Oakensilk. This is the most common form of enhanced clothing in Omesa, while the elves are protective of its process, it requires rare Elven Sorcery to create it. They sell it all over Omesa, at a high price of course, but can you really put a price on staying safe in the frontier? Oakenweave garments cover the entire gamut of armor types all the way up to full plate, but cost more than the equivalent piece of armor would and require magic to repair. The magical armor equivalents tend to have castable spells embedded.

Direhide:

Orcish alchemy works best when fueled with passion and just a little bit of desperation. Clothing that has seen battle, death, or violence can become enhanced with certain reagents to become Direhide. Direhide clothes tend to be rugged and dangerous-looking, and usually take the place of light armor, particularly leather or studded leather. They tend not to sell them, but plenty are in circulation after being looted from the corpses of reckless Orcs who meet their end on the frontier. Magical versions tend to enhance combat abilities directly.

Wyrmsilk:

Dwarves use the silk from their strange underground worm friends to create Wyrmsilk. While dwarves are not opposed to wearing traditional armor, Wyrmsilk makes great protection for diplomats and merchants not trained in combat. It’s actually not very silky, with a texture more akin to wool. Magical versions focus on enhancing magical capabilities, and Wyrmsilk is a popular choice for those whose offense is focused on spellcasting instead of gunfire..