Penance armor
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Warning! Spoilers ahead!
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The Penance armor is a unique suit of armor exclusively worn by the Penance Knights of the Vatican. In Fear & Hunger, this armor is a permanent equipment option for the protagonist character.
Lore
The Penance armor is meticulously crafted specifically for the Penance Knights, an elite and highly specialized unit operating within Vatican City. These knights are assigned to the most perilous and hazardous missions, where the chances of survival are exceptionally low.
Once adorned, the Penance armor becomes an inseparable part of its wearer, allowing no chance for removal. Each suit is adorned with neat rows of small spikes that puncture the wearer's skin, inducing excruciating pain. This agonizing experience serves a twofold purpose: purifying the mind and preparing it for the imminent task, while also heightening the ferocity and determination during combat.
Due to the unique nature of the Penance Knights and their unmistakable armor, the unit exclusively enlists individuals who have been convicted with life or death sentences. These recruits are presented with a final opportunity to seek redemption for their crimes and make amends for their sins before the final judgment by Alll-mer, the Ascended One.
Among those who contributed to the creation of the Penance armor is Trortur, a former holy knight of Rondon. Once a noble warrior, Trortur was tragically transformed into a deranged person, consumed by the horrors of war and left to enjoy a life filled with pain and suffering. Exploiting his expertise as a torturer in the dungeons of fear and hunger, he delved into the depths of human endurance, relentlessly seeking the secrets of the flesh through unspeakable torment. It was within a clandestine chamber hidden deep within the dungeons that Trortur safeguarded his most cherished possession — a copy of the Penance armor.
Location
The Penance armor resides in a hidden part of the map which will reveal itself after the player lights all of the candles on the floor. It should be noted that the option will appear only if the player has spare Tinderboxes in their inventory. A message will announce when all of the required lights have been lit.
To open the door that leads to the armor, one needs a Vault Key. This item can be obtained in two ways, and both of them imply Trortur being still alive:
- By siding with Trortur and completing his short questline.
- You must keep Trortur alive. Use Talk while fighting him and choose to rat out Buckman.
- Save Jeanne in the Ancient city version of Ma'habre in the downtown area in the northeast. Then escort her to Trortur as well.
- Talk to Trortur to receive a Vault key and a hint on how to access the vault itself. The secret room contains Penance armor, one chest, and the The Penance Knights book.
- By using the skill Steal while fighting Trortur.
Alternatively, if you have an Empty scroll, you could learn Phase Step and teleport yourself past the walls and doors into the Penance armor room.
Mechanics
While there are technically two items named Penance armor, one for the head and another for the body, they are both always used together as a set. As it is equipped during an event, it is only available for the protagonist. In addition to its gameplay impact, it brings about cosmetic alterations, replacing the character's standard menu portrait, as well as both battle and overworld sprites, to reflect the armor over the character.
Pros
- Protects from limb loss or being beheaded and, most likely, some other injuries in battles. The player character may still cut them off themselves or lose them in cutscenes and via the out-of-battle magic cast by a Yellow mage.
- Offers resistance to confusion.
- Between the helmet and main armor piece, reduces slashing damage to 42.5%, piercing damage to 55.25%, and blunt damage to 59.5%. The best damage resistance in the game, tied with the Gaunt plate armor and Bascinet.
Cons
- The items cannot be removed once equipped.
- The small spikes covering its insides cause permanent bleeding. Cloth fragment stops it for a short time. Ring of the still-blood or Salmonsnake soul stops bleeding while equipped.
- Player character can no longer participate in the Bunnymasks' orgy, the Wolfmasks' feast, or form a Marriage.
- The armor is impossible to wear if the player character has turned themselves into a Fusion.
Trivia
- According to game creator Miro Haverinen, the Penance armor draws inspiration from both Maximilian-style armor, known for its fluted plain steel design that possibly enhanced its defensive capabilities, and the iron maiden, a mythical torture device with a solid iron cabinet featuring a hinged front and a spike-covered interior, designed to enclose a human.
- A member of the Penance Knights was intended as a new playable class/character for Fear & Hunger as a post-release update along with a "Virgin Mage". Both characters were eventually scrapped, with the Penance armor being added to the game instead.
Gallery
The Penance armor before the player steps inside.
