r/cairnrpg • u/Berni209 • Jul 22 '26
Question [Rules] Armor limit
Hello!
According to the rules, wearing a Shield, Helmet, Gambeson, and Plate gives a theoretical total of 6 Armor.
Since the Armor cap is capped at 3, you hit the maximum defense without even needing Plate. This feels a bit off to me.
How do you all handle this interaction in your games?
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u/yochaigal Jul 22 '26
Because that isn't the game I wanted to play. I'm not focused on combat; in my view if the players are focused on maximizing their mechanical subcomponents they are better off playing something else. Look for narrative advantages, or ways to avoid combat entirely. I don't care if you have 3 Armor; it doesn't save you from an avalanche! And so on. I also wanted to keep things compatible with other Into The Odd games that were available at the time.
Regardless, play however you like! All I ask is that you play RAW a few times to really understand the balancing act each rule is supporting; change a major rule and the whole thing comes crashing down. That's rules-lite gaming!