Coral Chestplate

From: Humangutan Vulpodon 862

A flexible chestplate fashioned from hardened coral segments. Provides vital organ protection without inhibiting swimming maneuverability.

Lore

• The Reef’s Embrace: Coral symbolizes longevity and community. Coral chestplates embody a protective link with their clan’s reef home, drawing resilience from the very structures that sustain them.
• Mark of Protectors: This armor is traditionally worn by seasoned warriors defending territory or leading dangerous hunts. Ornamentation reflects these duties, sometimes incorporating trophies taken from formidable foes.
• Living Legacy: As they grow, Humangutan Vulpodons may shed older chestplates, adding segments to build larger, more elaborate plates. These become heirlooms, passed down through families, each addition telling a story of courage.

Uses

• Vital Defense: Primary function lies in protecting the heart, lungs, and other critical organs in combat or against aggressive sea creatures.
• Flexibility: Its segmented design and organic materials allow for a remarkable range of movement, crucial when navigating tight reef structures or engaging in fast-paced underwater combat.
• Growth & Modification: Wearers constantly adjust and reweave their chestplates to accommodate physical changes and personal needs. This customization reinforces a sense of ownership and individual identity.

Base Crafting Materials:

• Hardened coral segments (size, type depend on specific reef).
• Treated kelp, leather, or woven plant fibers for binding.
• Tools Required: Coral saw, urchin spine chisels, natural pigments (optional)

Stats:

• +2 Armor
• No Movement Penalty While Swimming

Skills: Craft (Armorsmithing): DC 14*

Cost: 25 gp (estimated, based on material  rarity and skill)

Tags: Aquatic, Armor, Chest Slot

Possible Enhancements

• Embedded Gems: Some incorporate precious gems found in the deep, believed to attract protective spirits or luck.
• Venom Resistance: Chestplates grown from corals naturally resistant to specific stinging creatures (jellyfish, etc.) may reduce toxin risks.

Where & How It’s Sold:

• Clan Armories: Larger settlements boast dedicated armories or workshops specializing in coral armoring. These are more than shops; they’re communal spaces where veterans repair damaged armor, aid young warriors in creating their first chestplates, and share tales of battles past.
• Inter-Clan Gatherings: Periodically, multiple clans assemble for large-scale trading, celebrations, and strategic meetings. Armorsmiths showcase their finest coral chestplates, bartering amongst themselves for rare corals from distant reefs, unique adornments, or knowledge of new crafting techniques.
• Individual Commission: Skilled armorsmiths take individual commissions. These are especially prized, as a coral chestplate perfectly fitted to a warrior’s physique and combat style holds significant value.

Environments of Use:

• Reef Defense: Patrolling warriors and sentries tasked with protecting the clan’s underwater settlements favor Coral Chestplates. These combine vital protection with maneuverability within the reefs.
• Hunting Expeditions: Coral Chestplates are common amongst hunting parties venturing into deeper waters. Their resilience guards against ambush predators from the open ocean or territorial sea creatures dwelling near kelp forests.
• Ceremonial Attire: Elder warriors occasionally wear their most intricately designed Coral Chestplates on ceremonial occasions. Here, the armor transcends basic protection, becoming a living record of service and a physical testament to a warrior’s bond with the reef.

End Results:

• Increased Survivability: Most simply, the chestplate grants a higher chance of surviving perilous hunts, territorial conflicts, or unexpected encounters in the vast ocean.
• Symbol of Honor: Warriors earning the right to wear the Coral Chestplate carry a visible sign of their bravery and the clan’s trust in their defense.
• Legacy Building: With each expansion, repair, and embellishment, a Coral Chestplate becomes a physical chronicle of a warrior’s history. This holds deep cultural significance and may inspire later generations.

Additional Considerations:

• Clan rivalries or particularly territorial groups might see unique markings or trophy elements on a Coral Chestplate as a challenge or taunt.
• Young warriors are sometimes gifted a smaller version to start with. This begins the connection with the armor and their journey into adulthood.

Consider how wearing this armor indirectly plays upon a wearer’s senses and potential for extra-sensory awareness:

• Touch
  • Perceived: Increased sensitivity to water pressure and vibrations against the chest area
  • Description: The hard yet textured surface amplifies changes in current, movement nearby, and subtle disturbances often lost on exposed skin.
  • Positives: Early warning of approaching creatures, detecting shifts in terrain that may conceal threats or hazards.
  • Negatives: Constant stimulation with minimal filtering – this can be overwhelming in chaotic environments with many moving creatures.
• Hearing
  • Perceived: Slightly muffled ambient sounds (water flowing, nearby conversations)
  • Description: Some soundwaves get dampened due to the armor’s shell thickness, while also amplifying those directly impacting the chestplate.
  • Positives: Greater focus on heartbeat, breathing. This aids in self-awareness during high-stress situations (combat, hunts).
  • Negatives: Disorienting at first for new wearers. Might hinder detecting certain distant noises.
• Extra-Sensory Perception: “Reef Sense”
  • Perceived: Faint, intuitive ‘echoes’ from the surrounding reef environment.
  • Description: Humangutan Vulpodons have a deep spiritual connection to their coral homes. Experienced warriors wearing chestplates grown from those reefs report feelings of subtle ‘harmony’ or ‘dissonance’ in the local reef’s health.
  • Positives: General sense of whether the local environment is flourishing or under some form of stress. Can aid navigation within known reefs.
  • Negatives: Highly subjective and requires years of ‘listening’ to interpret with any semblance of clarity. Stressful events can temporarily muddle this perception.
• Senses the chestplate may not directly amplify:
  • Sight: Largely unaffected, aside from any adornments or embellishments which are purely decorative.
  • Smell/Taste (Chemoreception): Not directly modified. Still relies on filtering water past the face with limited effects compared to what the Seashell Helmet might offer.

Crafting a Coral Chestplate

• Materials Needed:
  • Hardened Coral Segments: A large variety in terms of shape and size. Sourced from the weaver’s local reef in a sustainable manner, often mixing coral types based on desired flexibility and resilience.
  • Treated Kelp or Leather Cords: For binding and creating flexible joints between coral segments.
  • Natural Pigments (Optional): For decorative markings and clan insignia.
  • Gems or Shells (Optional): For personal embellishments signifying rank or specific deeds.
• Tools Required
  • Coral Saw: For shaping and resizing larger coral segments.
  • Urchin Spine Chisels: For finer carving and creating small binding holes.
  • Polishing Stones: For creating a smooth finish and comfortable fit against the body.
• Skill Requirements:
  • Craft (Armorsmithing): Expertise in working with organic materials for protection.
  • Nature or Survival: Deep knowledge of local coral growth, recognizing desirable qualities for both resilience and flexibility.
• Crafting Steps
  • Coral Selection: Diligently harvest segments suitable for armor. This requires an eye for their natural curve, thickness, and absence of any structural flaws.
  • Shaping and Fitting: This is an extensive process. Begin shaping a base layer centered around the core chest area. Add segments iteratively, testing flexibility and range of motion with each new addition.
  • Binding and Detail: Punch binding holes along segment edges with the urchin spine chisels. Lace, treat, and weave your kelp or leather cords to firmly and flexibly join the segments together.
  • Customization: This is where individual styles shine. Carve patterns into the coral surfaces, weave beads into the bindings, or paint using natural pigments to express personal achievements or clan affiliation.
  • Growth & Adaptation: A finished Coral Chestplate is still considered ‘living armor’. With time, Humangutan Vulpodon artisans shed sections to reweave with larger, newly harvested coral, thus creating a legacy armor pieza passed down through generations.
• Additional Notes
  • This is a simplified recipe! Expertly crafted armor involves years of training and precise weaving techniques to optimize weight, protection, and articulation.
  • Specific coral types or regional embellishment methods may be closely guarded secrets amongst different family lines or clans.

Tale of Coralheart

When the fins were as countless as the stars, they say there swam Coralheart. Not born of spine and shark-tooth, but from the whispers of the reef itself. Small she was, yet when a great beast of shadows lurked on the hunt, it wasn’t to the strongest she went for aid.

To a crab-woman it was, scuttling amongst the stones, and to an eel with clever eyes. Their strength was too little, yes, but they knew what the fear-beast hated: light. With shell and shimmer the crab-woman lured, and the eel weaved a net of living sparks. Small lights, not for fight, but for sight.

From this, Coralheart wove not spear, but shield. Of hard stone from the reef’s old bones, of kelp twisted by clever claws, and those lights bound so that no shadow could hide. She gave this not to the fiercest, but to the one with gentle fins, who went amongst the cowering young when the beast stalked near.

Now, was the beast slain? No, for such creatures return as surely as the tide. But in the dark places, a single shield-light held aloft drove it back, and small fins learned courage instead of fear.

Moral: Strength lies not only in sharp teeth, but in weaving the gifts of many hearts into a shield against the night.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Name: Coral Chestplate

• Description: A flexible chestplate constructed of interlocking coral segments, providing unusual resilience against the perils of the deep.
• Armor Rating: 2
• Sanity Penalty: While durable, the constant feel of the living coral segments might lead to paranoia or mild claustrophobia on prolonged expeditions. -1 Sanity after extended wear in extremely deep waters.
• Special: Advantage on Strength rolls made to withstand powerful ocean currents or crushing depths.

Blades in the Dark

Name: Coral-Weaver’s Plate

• Description: Strange, segmented armor favored by ocean-faring crews for its unusual mix of sturdiness and mobility. Offers more protection than initially assumed.
• Tier: 1
• Load: Medium
• Effect:
  • Reduces harm from physical attacks by 1 level.
  • Wearer ignores stress/heat accumulation when engaged in strenuous movement underwater (swimming, fighting in strong currents).

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Name: Living Coral Breastplate

• Rarity: Rare
• Type: Medium Armor (Breastplate)
• Armor Class: 14 + Dexterity Modifier
• Special:
  • Advantage on Constitution saving throws made against exhaustion and environmental hazards when fully submerged in water.
  • The wearer becomes attuned with their local reef environment, offering +2 to any Survival checks related to navigating or locating resources amidst coral.

Knave

Name: Living Coral Breastplate

• Armor: +2
• Special: While worn, roll an additional d6 with any Constitution rolls resisting cold, pressure, or effects inflicted by monstrous sea creatures.

Fate

Name: Coral Chestplate of the Reefheart

• Aspect: Heart of the Living Reef
• Invoke: +2 when defending others in underwater environments, resisting fear effects from monstrous sea creatures, or performing survivalist tasks dependent on knowledge of the local waters.
• Compel: May attract unwanted attention from predators believing the wearer a competitor for territory. Vulnerability to manipulations exploiting a character’s deep connection to, and fears regarding, harm to their reef ‘home’.

Numenera & Cypher System

Name: Deepsong Coral Carapace

• Artifact Level: 4
• Depletion: 1 in 1d20
• Effect:
  • Reduces Armor rating of incoming physical attacks by 2 points.
  • Can breathe underwater and ignores most non-combat penalties associated with ocean depths.
  • +1 Asset in tasks connected to understanding local fauna, or performing tasks of healing/restoration of damaged reef habitats.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Name: Coral Chestplate

• Category: Armor (Chestplate)
• Level: 2
• Price: 35 gp
• AC Bonus: +2
• Max Dex Bonus: +4
• Armor Check Penalty: -1
• Speed Penalty: -5 ft. (unless wearer possesses a Swim speed)
• Special: Resilient Growth: Gain +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against harmful underwater effects (toxins, crushing pressure, etc).

Savage Worlds

Name: Coral Chestplate

• Description: Grants protection while maintaining underwater maneuverability, fashioned from hardened reef segments in an interlocking fashion.
• Hindrances: (Minor): May snag on particularly dense kelp areas.
• Edges:
  • Toughness: +1 Toughness while worn.
  • Aquatic: Wearer ignores movement penalties incurred underwater, and adds +2 to resist attacks relying on suction or crushing grips.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Name: Echo Coral Chestplate

• Availability: 10
• Cost: 2,000¥
• Device Rating: 2
• Matrix/Resonance: No
• Features:
  • Armor +2: Adds to both ballistic and impact protection.
  • Environmental Adaptation (Aquatic): Ignore physical penalties or fatigue incurred in marine environments.
  • Aquakinesis (Limited): Wearer can sustain a ‘Shape Water’ spell (Street Grimoire, p.204) at Force equal to half their Magic rating (round up).

Starfinder

Name: Coral Chestplate (Mk 2)

• Level: 2
• Price: 800 Credits
• Bulk: Light
• Upgrades: Can accommodate two level 2 armor upgrades.
• Special:
  • Aquatic Conditioning: +2 bonus to Fortitude saves against hazards of pressure, water-borne hazards, and resisting toxins from marine creatures.
  • Flexibility: Doesn’t hinder Acrobatics skill checks made while swimming or navigating in tight, underwater spaces.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Name: Coral Chestplate

• Tech Level: 3-6 (depends on regional availability)
• Price: Cr1000 – Cr2500
• Effects:
  • Protection: Armor +2
  • Underwater Movement: Negates most armor-related penalties while swimming, climbing underwater features, etc.
  • Resilience: Wearer takes a -1 DM to checks when resisting harmful toxins or environmental hazards found in deep-water environments.

Warhammer (Fantasy 4th Edition)

Name: Coral Chestplate of the Depths

• Availability: Rare
• Armour Points: 2 (Torso)
• Qualities:
  • Aquatic: Wearer never suffers movement penalties for fighting in aquatic environments.
  • Hardy: +10% bonus to resist any water-based attack spells or monstrous abilities of underwater-dwelling creatures.
  • Disturbing Presence: The shell-like nature of the armor may unnerve those not accustomed to the ocean’s denizens, offering potential bonuses to Intimidation tests but possible penalties on rolls requiring a friendly demeanor.