Darkfiber Armor for Starfinder First Edition (Patreon)

Starfinder First Edition specifically assumes that special materials like adamantine are already used in armor construction to the greatest degree possible in each suit, so there's no need for special adamantine rules such as exist in the feudal fantasy version of the game. But some people adore having options, including fantasy terms having game mechanical effects in science-fantasy games. And, I admit, I am one of those people.

So, I'm doing special armor materials for Starfinder First Edition. Links to all my Starfinder special materials for armor articles (which is just three, at time of writing) can be found, along with links to many other Starfinder entries, at the Paying-Patreon Exclusive Starfinder First Edition Index.

Special Armor Materials

Armor made of special materials can only be made of ONE special material. You can't have your armor benefit from being made of both adamantine and mithral, though legends claim there was once a special material that acted as both, called dragonsteel...

Special Armor Material: Darkfiber

Darkfiber is the catch-all term for flexible cloth materials spin in advanced processes from particularly strong plan materials, including darkleaf and darkwood.

Cost is +40%

When calculating the hardness and HP of a suit of darkfiber armor, treat its item level as being 1 lower (to a minimum item level of 0.5).

Modern armor cannot be made exclusively from darkfiber, but darkfiber can be used for straps, gaskets, padding, liners, and so on, making the armor significantly lighter and more comfortable. (You still cannot have armor that uses darkfiber and another special armor material.) This reduces the bulk of a suit of armor by 1 (suits of darkfiber that normally have a bulk of 1 or Light bulk have light bulk), OR increase the number of armor upgrade slots by 1. This choice must be made when the armor is manufactured, and cannot be changed.

The increased comfort of armor utilizing darkfiber reduces the penalty to movement (if any) by 5 feet (this has no effect on armor with no movement penalty).

(Heavy darkfiber armor can be surprisingly slim, but rarely has many external other telltale signs of the special material. Art by grandeduc.)