Armour
When fighting in close combat, a good suit of armour may mean the difference between life and death. The finest armour in the known world is made in Dwarf forges, where the secrets of steel and fire are well understood. Hardened leather jackets are often worn by the hunters of Osterland, while city soldiers prefer mail coats and steel breastplates. The forges of the Empire have many skilled smiths capable of forging fine armour, for the humans learned this craft from Dwarf master smiths in the early days of the Empire.
In Mordheim, only the most wealthy and powerful are able to afford the luxury of owning a suit of armour (the less well-off have to make do with leather tunics and occasionally helmets and wooden shields). The richest leaders of the most successful warbands wear suits of high quality armour and a good suit of armour is just as much a symbol of wealth and power as it is protection against weapons.
Barding
Cost: 80 gc
Availability: Rare 8 (Warhorses only)
Save: +1 to existing save
Special Rules
Buckler
Cost: 5 gc
Availability: Common
Bucklers are small, round shields designed for parrying or deflecting blows. They are usually made of steel for they need to be tremendously durable to survive the brutal blows of hand-to-hand combat. Using a buckler requires great skill, but a nimble warrior can protect himself from blows which would otherwise cripple him.
Special Rules
Chaos Armour
Border Town Burning supplement (1c)
Cost: 185 gc
Availability: Rare 13 (Marauders of Chaos, Norse, Beastmen, Chaos Dwarfs, Possessed and Carnival of Chaos only)
Chaos Armour is a suit of strangely-worked and unnatural metal. It is the mark of a Dark God's favour. While most suits of Chaos Armour are received as Gifts from an Infernal Patron, they can be acquired, though only from Chaos Dwarfs in an exclusive exchange for many captives or perhaps some impossible deed to further their interests.
Save: 4+
Special Rules
Cooking Pot Helmet
Citadel Journal 36 (1b)
Cost: 10 gc
Availability: Common (Mootlanders only)
Any Master Chef worth his salt will remove his silly white hat and put on an even sillier looking cooking pot for protection when a fight is brewing. It may look incredibly stupid, but often results in an intact Halfling head after the battle.
Special Rules
Gromril Armour
Cost: 150 gc
Availability: Rare 11
Gromril is the rarest and strongest metal known of in the Old World. Only a very few Dwarf smiths know the secret of forging gromril, and a suit of armour made from it fetches a huge price.
Save: 4+
Special Rules
Heavy Armour
Cost: 50 gc
Availability: Common
Typical heavy armour is made from metal links and is called chain mail. Forging chain mail is a laborious and time consuming process, as the blacksmith must put together hundreds, sometimes thousands, of metal links. This makes chain mail expensive, but this type of armour provides excellent protection for anyone who can afford it.
There are other types of heavy armour as well, of which the best known are the steel breastplates and greaves worn by the foot knights of the Templar orders.
Save: 5+
Special Rules
Helmet
Cost: 10 gc
Availability: Common
From the shining steel helmets of Bretonnian knights to the leather caps of the Skaven, all sensible warriors try to protect the most vulnerable part of their body – their head. Even the most vain fighters still use a helmet, as it can be festooned with plumes, horns and other decorations.
Helmets come in varying shapes and sizes, but their basic function remains the same.
Special Rules
Ithilmar Armour
Cost: 90 gc
Availability: Rare 11
Ithilmar is a silvery metal which is as light as silk and stronger than steel. Elves are experts at fashioning weapons and armour from ithilmar, and the Elven kingdom of Caledor is the only place in the world where this metal can be found.
Save: 5+
Special Rules
Kite Shield
Bretonian Chapel Guard (1c)
Cost: 10 gc
Availability: Common (Bretonnian Chapel Guard Knights only)
Save: 5+ on foot, 6+ mounted (or +2 on foot, +1 mounted with armour)
Special Rules
Lamellar Armour
Border Town Burning supplement (1c)
Cost: 120 gc
Availability: Rare 9
The blacksmiths forge these heavy armours for in Cathay those noble knights protect the farmsteads. Especially among the Palace Guard of the Cathayan Emperor the plate armour is very common. The armour covers not only its wearer's torso but also the upper arm and thigh.
Save: 4+
Special Rules
Light Armour
Cost: 20 gc
Availability: Common
Light Armour encompasses a wide variety of materials from hardened leather tunics to chain shirts forged from steel. It does not offer complete protection against arrows or swords, but it is better than having nothing at all. Light armour does not inhibit movement.
Save: 6+
Special Rules
Mechanical Suit
Border Town Burning supplement (1c)
Cost: 225 gc
Availability: Rare 14 (Chaos Dwarfs only)
The Curse of Stone comes to all Chaos Dwarf Sorcerers, gradually transforming them to rock from the feet up. Engineers have crafted machines which can transport their Priests as they begin to pay the price for working dark rituals.
Special Rules
Pavise
Ye Old Curiosity Shoppe, Mordheim Annual 2002 (1a)
Cost: 25 gc
Availability: Rare 8
A pavise is a huge shield commonly used by regiments of warriors in battle to defend themselves from the arrows of their enemies. It is a weighty item and little use in a long protracted combat but excellent against shooting.
Save: 6+
Special Rules
Shield
Cost: 5 gc
Availability: Common
There are two types of shield common to the warriors of Mordheim: the first is made of wood, occasionally reinforced with metal plates. This basic type of shield, although strong, does tend to splinter, but this can sometimes save the user's life as his enemy's weapon can get trapped allowing him to strike back whilst his enemy struggles to free his weapon.
Metal shields are heavy and cumbersome, but last much longer and can take a battering. A typical Empire shield is either round or triangular, and carries the emblem of the province or city of its owner.
Save: 6+
Special Rules
Toughened Leathers
Opulent Goods, Mordheim Annual 2002 (1a)
Cost: 5 gc
Availability: Common
Expert leatherworkers are able to turn leather coats into armour (after a fashion) and those with limited funds often favor these jackets and coats as armour is very expensive. Covered with crusted salt, alcohol and other less savory materials, toughened leather is hard to penetrate and offers some protection in combat.
Save: 6+