Apparel is an object defined by being worn. It is a second skin, a layer of function and symbol that mediates the relationship between an Incarnation and its Tapestry. It is both a shield against the world and a declaration to it, a statement of identity, purpose, and belief.

Within ATET, Apparel is the most visible expression of an agent’s narrative. It is the uniform of a Faction, the armor of a warrior, the ritual vestments of a priest, and the rags of a beggar. What one wears is a story told without a single word.

Philosophy of the Second Skin

Apparel sits at the crossroads of the practical and the symbolic. It serves the dual purpose of protecting the self from the environment and projecting an image of the self to society. A Pressure Suit is a purely functional piece of Apparel that keeps its wearer alive, but the corporate logo emblazoned on its chest transforms it into a political statement. The choice of what to wear is a constant, subtle negotiation between personal Need and social expectation.

Mechanics of Function and Symbol

Apparel’s primary mechanical role is to modify an agent’s stats and their interactions with the world and other agents.

• Environmental Protection: The most basic function. Apparel like Thermal Cloaks or Radiation Suits provides resistance to environmental hazards, enabling Exploration of hostile areas.
• Physical Defense (Armor): Armor is Apparel specialized as a defensive Tool. It provides damage resistance, changing an agent’s survivability in physical Conflict. The materials used in its Craft determine its effectiveness against different damage types (e.g., Plasteel Weave vs. Kinetic damage, Ablative Ceramic vs. Energy damage).
• Social Signification: This is the most narratively important function. Wearing the uniform of a Faction immediately signals allegiance, altering how members of that Faction and their enemies will react to the agent.
  • Wearing the robes of a “Zero-Eidos” cultist might make you less noticeable to certain threats but will draw suspicion from authority.
  • Donning a noble’s signet ring might grant access to exclusive areas but make you a target for thieves and revolutionaries.
• Utility and Augmentation: Some Apparel functions as a wearable Tool, providing storage (belts, backpacks) or direct skill/attribute bonuses (an Exo-Rig boosting Strength, a Neuro-Visor enhancing Perception).

The Subjective Fit

An Incarnation’s relationship with its Apparel is deeply personal. The Subjective Interface reflects whether the clothes feel like a true expression of self or an uncomfortable costume.

• Perception by Role: To a dedicated soldier, their armor is a part of them. The UI description might be one of pride and familiarity: “Fits like a glove. Has saved my life a dozen times.”
• Perception by Dissonance: To a pacifist forced to wear armor, the experience is one of oppressive weight. The UI might be cluttered with a [Constricted] status effect, and the sound design could include the constant, grating scrape of metal. The description might read: “A cage of violence. I can’t breathe in this thing.”

Like any other object, Apparel can, through great deeds or long history, absorb Eidos and become a powerful Artifact. The simple robes of a martyred saint can become a holy relic that inspires Faith in all who see them. The helmet of a fallen general can become a cursed object that whispers strategies of forgotten wars to any who dare wear it.