Arms and Armor
Technological progress can equal almost anything the fantastical can imagine. Advanced material sciences allow for the creation of light, strong swords that won't bend or break under even the most intense stress, and which boast edges that taper down to only a single molecule thick, making them almost impossibly sharp. Armor which was once thought impossible has become merely improbable, and what was once improbable is merely inconvenient or inefficient.
Armor
Although individual suits of armor can vary wildly, they fall into several general categories. Light Armor is generally categorized into Light Combat Armor and Scout Armor. Medium Armor is broken down into Combat Armor and Protector Armor. Heavy Armor is made up of Aggressor Armor and Defender Armor. Super Heavy Armor is so rare that all suits of this weight are considered the same category.
Shields
Many suits of armor come equipped with a shield generator, which projects a hard light shield, allowing the user to block incoming blows as if he or she were carrying a shield of solid metal, without worrying about the weight. These shields can be turned on and off with the touch of a button or a voice command, but take a moment to expand into place.
Light Combat Armor
This light armor is made up of plates concentrated around the vitals, with a kevlar bodysuit underneath. It includes a helmet that is often equipped with lowlight vision, a comm system, a Heads Up Display, and a rudimentary AI system that can switch comm frequencies, identify friendlies, and not a great deal else. Light Combat Armor also includes a shield generator in one bracer, allowing the wearer to use the Shielded stances in the combat system. It is often worn by light cavalry, bodyguards, mercenaries, the Watch, and others who need to either move easily or wear armor in non-combat settings.
Scout Armor
This light armor consists of armored cloth with a few plates reinforcing key areas. It includes a helmet that is often equipped with lowlight vision, infrared vision, a comm system, a Heads Up Display, and a rudimentary AI system that can switch comm frequencies, identify friendlies, and not a great deal else. Scout armor also includes chameleon paint, so that the wearer can rotate through a selection of present camouflage or color patterns. It is typically worn by rangers, foresters, poachers, and others who prefer the ability to move freely over heavy armor.
Combat Armor
This medium armor constists of a full sheathing of armor plates covering the majority of the wearer's body. It includes a helmet that is often equipped with lowlight vision, a comm system, a Heads Up Display, and an AI system that has some advanced features, but still does not match that of heavy armor. Combat Armor also includes a shield generator in one bracer, allowing the wearer to use the Shielded stances in the combat system. It is often worn by men-at-arms, naval boarding parties, and rich mercenaries.
Protector Armor
This medium armor is designed for nobles and rich Citizens who are visiting the front lines but are not trained in combat. Protector Armor concentrates protection on the vital areas. It includes a helmet with a comm system, a Heads Up Display, and a rudimentary AI system that can switch comm frequencies, identify friendlies, and not a great deal else.
Aggressor Armor
The heavy armor of choice for knights looking to take the fight to the enemy, it consists of heavy plates over the vitals and lighter plates elsewhere. It includes a helmet that is often equipped with lowlight vision, a comm system, a Heads Up Display, and an AI system that can fulfill most requests made by its user, but cannot anticipate commands or act on its own. The armor itself is usually treated with chameleon paint so that the wearer can rotate through a selection of preset color patterns. It is usually worn only by knights who prefer to wield two-handed weapons or enjoy the psychological warfare benefits of changing the color of their armor on command.
Defender Armor
The heavy armor of choice for knights looking for maximum protection with the flexibility to still ride a horse, it consists of solid armor plates from feet to head. The helmet includes lowlight vision, a comm system, a Heads Up Display, and an AI system that can fulfill most requests made by its user, but cannot anticipate commands or act on its own. Defender Armor also includes a shield generator in one bracer, allowing the wearer to use the Shielded stances in the combat system. It is also worn by rich nobles who frequently find themselves in harm's way, including some noble Naval Captains.
Super Heavy Armor
Super Heavy Armor is only available to members of the royal family, the heads of the Paramount Houses, and their heirs. Its construction costs rival those of a small ramship, and it provides the ultimate in armored protection at the cost of mobility and agility. Its helmet includes lowlight vision, infravision, a comm system, a Heads Up Display, and an Onboard AI assistant that can actually anticipate user requests. Super Heavy armor is so cumbersome, however, that the wearer cannot ride a horse, and cannot use the Aggressive or Defensive stances in the combat system.
Arms
Melee Weapons
Melee weapons have not changed all that much in function even with Havenite technology. The monomolecular edges and points of swords, axes, and spears aid in piercing advanced composites, while gravity generators add mass to weapons such as maces, flails, and axes, giving them the force to defeat modern armor as well. Despite these advances, melee weapons rarely look different from their ancient counterparts. In keeping with the knightly ideals of the Reversion, the weapons follow the general lines of Old Earth Western medieval weaponry, although some of the more practical fantasy elements have certainly been added in as well. The hafts of various weapons can be made to expand on command or at the press of a button, but the actual striking surfaces must remain in a single piece.
Ranged Weapons
Compound bows are relatively simple and low-tech, using pulleys to ease the heavy draw required to punch an arrow with a monomolecular point through advanced armor. Crossbows have been carefully built to use magnetic force to fire a bolt at a low enough speed to pierce a personal force field but still punch through armor. After each shot, the crossbow must recharge, leaving it firing about half as fast as a bow. Crossbows may have an autoloading magazine containing a few bolts, or they may require each bolt to be hand-loaded — it simply depends on the model of crossbow. Hand-loaded weapons tend to have a reputation for greater accuracy. Both crossbows and bows have rails to mount laser sights, rangefinders, and other technological aids.