Some foreigners—especially pale-faced characters from the distant North have dubbed Zakhara, the Burning World." Whether the setting is city, sea, desert, or jungle, the Land of Fate is uniformly hot by day, especially during the summer months. Only the high mountains of northern Zakhara offer relief from the searing midday sun, but in turn they offer new difficulties, such as unsteady footing and sheer slopes.
The omnipresent daytime heat shapes every aspect of life in the Land of Fate. Resting (or at least slowing the pattern of business) is common during the midday hours. Bazaars are busy during the early morn and late afternoon. But in between they may be empty, save for a few dozing businessmen and half-crazed barbers flashing their blades in the sun.
The most obvious concession to climate is dress. Loose robes are preferred to tight-fitting leggings. More importantly from a gaming standpoint, the heat also affects a Zakharan's choice in armor. The heavy plate mail found in the distant North is a rarity here, used for occasional pomp and ceremony if at all. Full metal plate armor, encasing the body from head to toe, is unknown to the common Zakharan; those few suits which exist are collectors' items, procured for their magic or as curiosities.
The reason for this is simple: heavy armor makes movement difficult and even dangerous in a hot climate. Foreigners who insist on wearing such armor often stagger and pass out with exertion. Even with "exhaustive" training, a man in full plate will be less effective in the Land of Fate than a man who chooses his armor more prudently.
While adventuring in the AL-QADIMTM campaign, characters wearing armor better than studded leather or ring mail—that is, better than AC 7—suffer a penalty to attack rolls, as well as to proficiency and ability checks. This penalty is -1 per class of armor better than 7. Hence, an AC 6 character suffers a -1 penalty to attack rolls as well as proficiency and ability checks, and an AC 5 character suffers a -2 penalty to the same. A fighter in plate armor with a shield, who is Armor Class 2, suffers a-5 penalty to the rolls noted above.
These penalties apply only to Armor Class ratings due directly to items that are worn. Natural Armor Classes are unaffected. For example, a lizard-man in Zakhara is still Armor Class 5. He suffers no penalties unless he dons a suit of heavy armor, in which case he would incur a-1 penalty for every level of improvement.
Bonuses due to an armor's magic rather than its weight or strength also do not count toward this penalty. For example, if Fatima dons a suit of +2 leather, her Armor Class becomes 6, but she suffers no penalties. If she wears a suit of +4 field plate armor, her effective Armor Class becomes -2, but she suffers the same penalty as a character wearing normal field plate: -5. In other words, a character wearing magical armor suffers no more penalty than an individual wearing normal armor of the same type.
| Type of Armor | AC | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| None | 10 | 0 |
| Shield Only | 9 | 0 |
| Leather Armor | 8 | 0 |
| Padded Armor | 8 | 0 |
| Leather + Shield | 7 | 0 |
| Padded + Shield | 7 | 0 |
| Studded Leather | 7 | 0 |
| Ring Mail | 7 | 0 |
| Studded Leather + Shield | 6 | -1 |
| Ring Mail + Shield | 6 | -1 |
| Brigandine | 6 | -1 |
| Scale Mail | 6 | -1 |
| Hide Armor | 6 | -1 |
| Lamellar Armor | 6 | -1 |
| Scale Mail + Shield | 5 | -2 |
| Hide Armor + Shield | 5 | -2 |
| Lamellar + Shield | 5 | -2 |
| Brigandine + Shield | 5 | -2 |
| Chain Mail | 5 | -2 |
| Chain + Shield | 4 | -3 |
| Splint Mail | 4 | -3 |
| Banded Mail | 4 | -3 |
| Bronze Plate Mail | 4 | -3 |
| Splint Mail + Shield | 3 | -4 |
| Banded Mail + Shield | 3 | -4 |
| Bronze Plate Mail + Shield | 3 | -4 |
| Plate Mail | 3 | -4 |
| Plate Mail + Shield | 2 | -5 |
| Field Plate | 2 | -5 |
| Field Plate + Shield | 1 | -6 |
| Full Plate | 1 | -6 |
| Full Plate + Shield | 0 | -7 |
Darags and Bucklers (Optional Rule)[]
Daraqs and bucklers are very small, lightweight shields. (See Chapter 6 for further details.) Unlike bulkier shields, they do not worsen a character's Armor Class. For example, a desert rider wearing studded leather and carrying a daraq does not suffer an Armor Class penalty. If the same rider trades the daraq for a regular shield, the penalty is -1.
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