Woven Kelp Pauldrons

From: Humangutan Vulpodon 862

Lightweight shoulder coverings woven from treated kelp. Grants partial shoulder protection and camouflage amongst kelp forests.

Lore

• Crafting as Mimicry: Kelp forests are vital havens and hunting grounds. These pauldrons symbolize understanding and ‘becoming one’ with these unique environments, rather than solely relying on brute force.
• Mark of Scouts & Ambushers: Young scouts crafting their first set of kelp pauldrons take pride in them, as they denote early training in silent movement and concealment amongst the swaying fronds.
• Ephemeral Victories: Kelp, while surprisingly durable, is inherently a more fragile material. Veterans may weave trophies or charms directly into their pauldrons to mark successful raids or hunts carried out while adorned in kelp camouflage.

Uses

• Ambush & Disguise: Kelp forests are rich in both prey and potential rivals. The pauldrons, along with natural pigments the wearer might add, offer crucial camouflage when lying in wait or stalking targets.
• Navigational Aid: Kelp fronds shift with prevailing currents. Experienced wearers, especially scouts, can ‘read’ the subtle sway of their pauldrons to decipher current changes far more easily than glancing at the surrounding fronds.
• Temporary Reinforcement: Though not explicitly protective, kelp’s flexible bulk is used for emergency bracing of minor injuries in a pinch, or to cushion vital areas before a risky encounter.

Base Crafting Materials:

• Treated and cured kelp fronds (type, size depends on wearer and region)
• Leather or twine for binding and stitching.
• Tools Required: Awls (urchin spines or bone), kelp cutter tool.

Stats:

• +1 Armor (Shoulder Slot)
• Advantage on Stealth skill checks when concealed in kelp forests

Skills: Craft (Weaving): DC 12*

Cost: 10 gp (estimated, kelp is abundant, labor is primary value)

Tags: Aquatic, Armor, Stealth

Additional Notes:

• Regional Styles: Kelp type and weaving methods vary widely between clans based on accessible species and their specific foraging knowledge.
• Adaptability: Woven kelp pauldrons can double as nets on short notice – with skill, small fish or crustaceans can be trapped amongst their layers.

Where & How They’re Sold

• Clan Workshops: Skilled weavers often take on apprentices or teach kelp armor basics communally. While most craft their own gear, those excelling may barter pauldrons for other resources or to help train up younger clan members.
• Temporary Loan: More than mere ‘items’, kelp pauldrons are viewed as practical tools. Prior to specific hunts or scouting missions, warriors without existing ones might temporarily borrow a set from fellow clan members suited to the local kelp species.
• Trophy Display: Veteran warriors may retire worn but successful pauldrons into displays. Victories achieved while wearing it are woven in with beads, teeth, or even fragments of enemy shells. These become teaching tools, not just boasts.

Environments of Use:

• Kelp Forests: The primary purpose. They aid scouts surveilling coastal movements, hunters stalking amidst the swaying fronds, or the ambushed to vanish back into the depths with their prize.
• Coastal Patrols: Shallow coastal zones often have small kelp fields offering temporary cover. Patrolling along shore, it allows the wearer blend in quickly against cursory glances by both land-based and water-based threats.
• Reef Decoration: This a secondary function. Sometimes, partially faded kelp pauldrons are woven into reef structures as mimicry for smaller prey species, aiding younglings in hunting practice while reinforcing ecological understanding.

End Results

• Increased Stealth: Primary effect. Advantage in hiding within their niche environment opens many tactical options with less reliance on direct confrontation.
• Resourcefulness: Weaving their own gear instills early lessons in respecting the ocean’s bounty and repurposing materials with efficiency.
• Clan Unity: The ability to borrow, pass down, or use parts reinforces a communal outlook. Even simple kelp armor has purpose within the greater collective and helps shape warriors from early life stages.

The Woven Kelp Pauldrons primarily enhance camouflage and movement related to specific environments. They could subtly alter perceptions:

• Sight
  • Perceived: Filtered views of surroundings through kelp fronds.
  • Description: Coloration is biased towards greens and browns. Movement breaks vision up, simulating how prey fish see a predator lurking in thick kelp.
  • Positives: Detecting creatures who aren’t camouflaged for this environment is easier.
  • Negatives: Vision beyond the immediate fronds is limited, requiring head turns. Distant threats or intricate details beyond the kelp canopy are obscured.
• Touch
  • Perceived: Constant brushing and shifting of moist kelp fronds.
  • Description: Heightened awareness of water flow around the shoulders. Subtle currents or disturbances signal nearby movement.
  • Positives: Early warning of creatures moving too fast to see before entering visual range.
  • Negatives: May be overstimulating in particularly dense undergrowth or amidst large swarms of small lifeforms.
• Hearing
  • Perceived: Slightly muffled sounds from further away.
  • Description: Kelp dampens certain high frequencies, but focuses those directly next to the wearer. This simulates how animals hiding in undergrowth listen for threats.
  • Positives: Easier to focus on the rustle of something directly amongst the kelp, even if drowned out by the overall sounds of the ocean.
  • Negatives: Distant calls or echoes from large creatures carry poorly. Might make the wearer vulnerable to surprise attacks from other directions.
• Extra-Sensory Perception: “Frond Flow Reading”
  • Perceived: Subtle ‘tugs’ or changes in how the kelp drapes.
  • Description: Experienced wearers become attuned to the overall rhythm of a kelp bed. Unnatural disturbances are like ripples against the flow.
  • Positives: Allows for the ‘sixth sense’ ability to track obscured creatures within the kelp bed, or gauge if an area has already been disturbed by others.
  • Negatives: Requires experience with a specific region’s kelp and currents. This sense doesn’t transfer instantly to unfamiliar kelp environments.

Recipe for Woven Kelp Pauldrons:

• Materials Needed:
  • Fresh kelp fronds (type and size depending on desired coverage and local species)
  • Saltwater solution for curing kelp
  • Large, flat rock or smooth work surface
  • Bone awls or other sturdy needles
  • Strong, natural twine or cords
  • Waterproof adhesive (optional)
  • Natural pigments or dyes (optional)
  • Shells, beads, or other adornments (optional)
• Tools Required:
  • Sharp knife or kelp cutter
  • Large pot or container for boiling water
  • Hammer or mallet (for flattening kelp)
  • Small bowl or container for adhesive (if using)
  • Paintbrushes or applicators (for dyes/pigments)
• Skill Requirements:
  • Weaving (moderate difficulty)
  • Knowledge of local kelp species and their properties
  • Patience and dexterity
• Crafting Steps:
  • Collect and prepare kelp: Gather fresh kelp fronds, selecting those of suitable size and thickness. Rinse thoroughly and soak in the saltwater solution for several days to cure and toughen the fibers.
  • Flatten and dry kelp: Spread the cured kelp fronds on a flat surface and weigh them down with stones or other objects to flatten. Allow them to dry completely in a shaded area.
  • Cut and shape kelp: Once dry, use a sharp knife or kelp cutter to cut the fronds into strips of desired width and length. Consider the coverage area and intended design when shaping the pieces.
  • Begin weaving: Choose a starting point and use the awl to punch holes through the edges of the kelp strips. Thread the twine through the holes, creating a basic mesh foundation.
  • Build the pauldron: Continue weaving the kelp strips in an overlapping pattern, incorporating additional strips as needed to achieve the desired size and shape. Use the adhesive (if desired) to reinforce specific sections or add embellishments.
  • Finishing touches: Once the basic structure is complete, trim any excess kelp and weave in the ends securely. Add any optional adornments like shells, beads, or pigments following your design preferences.
  • Let dry completely: Allow the finished pauldron to air dry thoroughly before wearing or storing.
• Tips:
  • Experiment with different weaving patterns and kelp species to create unique designs.
  • Use natural dyes or pigments from your environment to personalize your pauldron.
  • Regularly maintain your pauldron by rinsing it with clean water and allowing it to dry completely.

Whisper of the Small-Finned Weaver

Before great hunts were songs, and spears bore only one point, so the tellings go, there was a fisher girl named Swift-Eyes. Now, Swift-Eyes saw more than just flit of scale, did she. Saw how even the tiniest creatures could sway the might of the deep.

One day, a great shadow-belly beast stalked the reef, hungry as ten krakens. No warrior’s strength could pierce it. It was Swift-Eyes, hiding between kelp strands as was her way, who marked it – saw how the monster shied when a thousand silverfins brushed its flank, scattering like startled stars.

With cunning not seen since, Swift-Eyes wove not nets, but armor – of kelp that bent. Each leaf whispering on her shoulders like those shoal fish. Into the shadow she swam, unseen and small.  A spear strike did she land, true, but her gift? The fear. As kelp fronds touched its scale, the beast believed a whole glistening swarm on its skin! That terror drove it fleeing, more surely than any wound.

Moral: True cunning isn’t loudest roar, but knowing when to use whispers, soft like fronds, that giants cannot withstand.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Name: Woven Kelp Pauldrons

• Description: Shoulder coverings cleverly crafted from treated kelp, offering camouflage and deceptive properties within underwater undergrowth.
• Armor Rating: 0 (primarily offers concealment)
• Sanity Penalty: While offering stealth, this unusual attire makes the wearer appear distinctly ‘not human’ with unsettling undertones of the deep. -1/-1D2 in social encounters on land or where aquatic environments are feared.
• Special: +20% to Stealth when the wearer is within kelp forests or similar dense ocean vegetation.

Blades in the Dark

Name: Kelp Weaver’s Mantle

• Description: Surprisingly sturdy pauldrons offering less direct protection, but remarkable blending capabilities amidst the right terrain. Coveted by smugglers and underwater scouts.
• Tier: 0
• Load: Light
• Effect:
  • +1d to Skulk or Prowl actions taken in dense kelp forests, or similar dense oceanic vegetation.
  • Risk: If spotted outside their intended niche, this attire makes one stand out blatantly (-1d to social actions outside a maritime setting).

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Name: Pauldrons of the Kelp Stalker

• Rarity: Uncommon
• Type: Light Armor (Pauldrons)
• Armor Class: 11 + Dexterity Modifier
• Special:
  • Advantage on Stealth checks when more than half the wearer’s body is concealed within kelp forests, seaweed-laden reefs, or similar undersea flora.
  • Disadvantage on Stealth checks when in environments notably lacking aquatic vegetation.

Knave

Name: Woven Kelp Pauldrons

• Armor: +1
• Special: While worn, the wearer can automatically hide with a successful Dexterity roll within areas rich in kelp or similar seaweeds.

Fate

Name: Pauldrons of the Kelp Forest Ghost

• Aspect: Shrouded by Swaying Fronds
• Invoke: For +2 when taking actions requiring ambush, disappearing, or seamlessly navigating treacherous undergrowth within marine kelp environments.
• Compel: The pauldrons do not blend in outside the ocean – compels could draw unwanted attention when seen far from their element, or trigger fear reactions in cultures fearing ocean spirits.

Numenera & Cypher System

Name: Camouflage Mantle of the Depths

• Artifact Level: 2
• Depletion: 1 in 1d10
• Effect:
  • Reduces difficulty of any Stealth tasks based on concealment by marine foliage by two steps.
  • While worn, your presence has a slight warping effect on light within its immediate vicinity, mimicking the subtle sway of nearby kelp.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Name: Woven Kelp Pauldrons

• Category: Armor (Pauldrons)
• Level: 1
• Price: 15 gp
• AC Bonus: +1
• Max Dex Bonus: +5
• Armor Check Penalty: -1
• Speed Penalty: None while submerged
• Special: Camouflage: +2 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks when at least partially concealed within dense kelp forests or similar dense underwater vegetation.

Savage Worlds

Name: Woven Kelp Pauldrons

• Description: Offers minor protection, but specializes in making the wearer vanish amidst marine flora. Worn by nimble scouts and those favoring ambush tactics.
• Hindrances: (Minor): Makes wearer instantly recognizable on land as having strong oceanic origins. May affect social interactions negatively.
• Edges:
  • Stealth: Adds +2 to Notice while at least partially obscured by kelp forests, seaweed, etc.
  • *Aquatic: Wearer suffers no movement penalties whatsoever due to submerged terrain or difficult underwater vegetation.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Name: Echo Kelp Mantle

• Availability: 8
• Cost: 1,500¥
• Device Rating: 1
• Matrix/Resonance: No
• Features:
  • Armor +1: Grants additional padding to the shoulders.
  • Environmental Adaptation (Aquatic): +2 dice pool modifier on tests involving blending into or moving through dense kelp and similar areas.
  • Visual Deception (Limited): While within kelp forests, adds +1 dice pool modifier to actions taken to hide or ambush prey/foes.

Starfinder

Name: Kelp Stalker’s Pauldrons (Mk 1)

• Level: 1
• Price: 300 Credits
• Bulk: Light
• Upgrades: Can accommodate one level 1 armor upgrade.
• Special:
  • Aquatic Stealth: Wearer is treated as ‘hidden’ with successful Stealth checks when within dense kelp forests, or environments simulating a similar density of plantlife.
  • Aquatic Agility: Negates non-magical difficult terrain created by dense seaweed, reef fronds, or similar undersea entanglements.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Name: Woven Kelp Pauldrons

• Tech Level: 3-5 (dependent on material availability)
• Price: Cr500 – Cr1000
• Effects:
  • Protection: Armor +1 (shoulders)
  • Stealth (Conditional): Wearer benefits from +1 DM to hide if operating within an environment containing suitable concealment such as kelp forests or seaweed-draped shipwrecks.
  • Movement: Provides a +1 DM on maneuvers traversing difficult aquatic terrain dense with plantlife.

Warhammer (Fantasy 4th Edition)

Name: Kelp-Woven Mantle

• Availability: Scarce
• Armour Points: 1 (Shoulders)
• Qualities:
  • Aquatic: Grants wearer immunity to normal movement penalties from shallow, waterlogged, or seaweed-dense terrain.
  • Concealing: Wearer adds +10% to attempts to conceal themselves within any areas dominated by plantlife and algae.
  • Unsettling: This makeshift armor instills unease in those unused to ocean folk. May offer a mild bonus for Intimidation rolls, but a small penalty on fellowship actions on land.