As you read through our rulebook you’ll find lots of direction about what sort of costume and makeup (if any) your character should have. Many PCs at Numina, like the Sorian or Spirit-Touched, have makeup requirements. Guidelines are provided for current cultural fashions.

The world of Numina is wide enough to accommodate many different costume styles - in general if your PC would look at home at a Renaissance Festival you’re going to fit in just fine. If you’re looking to wear something more strange or modern please contact a staff member to discuss.

Costuming on a budget

When starting from no kit and being mindful of your budget there are a few things you can do to make it easier and cheaper!

• Keep it simple - in general the more elaborate the costume the more it will cost

• Raid your closet first - did you get some comfy linen pants a few years ago and forgot about them? That dress you wore once 3 years ago, could it work? Even just getting together a simple black pants and shirt to go under a tabard can work well.

• Check out your local thrift store - see what you can find that can be altered, embellished, or combined with other pieces to create a look for your PC

• Connect with us on Discord to ask questions in #costumes-and-makeup our community has a ton of ideas and advice for new players and we love to talk about this stuff!

• Don’t worry about your shoes. Shoes or boots that can handle two days of walking, hiking, and/or fighting on natural terrain are much more important than fashionable ones.

Specific Ideas for Costumes
Note - none of the below styles are reserved for any gender, also a characters gender and a players gender identity can be 2 different things - wear what is fun for you! Also please note that the visual reference links and vendor list are just for ideas to be helpful - you do not have to shop with anyone in particular. Many of our players sew, thrift, create their own costumes.

• Classic Femme Presenting European style medieval peasant look - chemise, skirt(s), belt/scarf. (add a bodice or corset to be more fancy)

• Femme Presenting Viking style Commoner - long dress with an apron

• Ye Olde Princess - long fancy dress with coordinating jewelry

• Classic Masc Presenting medieval peasant look - peasant shirt, pants, belt (add a tabard or surcoat to be more fancy)

• Masc Presenting Viking Commoner - tunic, pants, belt

• Also search for items labeled Tabard, or Surcoat

Vendor List

This player created Vendor List offers ideas of places to shop - there are tons of great ways to find consuming, these are just to help get you started

Sewing something yourself

You certainly do not have to! If you’re gonna go for it and want a good beginner pattern check out Simplicity 4213 for a basic robe, or McCalls 7422 for a good basic surcoat. Lots of sewing resources on Pinterest like this search, or this one, there are many.

Shoes

Please wear good shoes! Good shoes with good ankle support (maybe insoles too!) are a must for any outdoor larp. You’ll probably be on your feet a lot! They don’t have to be crazy expensive boots from the Renaissance Festival. Neutral colored hiking boots, or work boots, can get the job done.

Armor

How Armor works at Numina

• Remember - any character can wear two points of armor.

• Three and four points of armor require specific skills to use.

• There are six “zones” for armor, and you need to cover as many of those zones as you have points of armor: upper torso, lower torso, shoulders, arms, legs, and head.

What to wear for armor points

• For two points of armor, leather (or leather look), fur, or a padded gambeson are solid options.

  • Medieval Collectibles, Ravenswood Leather, Armstreet, and Etsy have a number of excellent options that range in price and customizability. Search terms like ‘gambeson’, ‘jerkin’, and ‘tabard’ will usually find costume pieces that cover at least two zones and meet the requirements for two points of armor.

• For three and four points of armor, some metal pieces should be incorporated.

  • The armor does not need to be made of metal, plastic or foam will work so long as they’re made to look as though they’re made of metal.

  • Chainmail

    • A chainmail shirt will cover multiple zones quite handily – you can purchase from some of the above options.

    • Ringmesh.com provides some expensive, but high-quality options that tend to be pretty durable.

    • If you’d like to make your own chainmail or scalemail, theringlord.com can provide both supplies and patterns.

    • Be wary of chainmail prices that seem too good to be true – though we use light-touch combat, cheaply-made shirts will still lose rings and start to fall apart. Butted or welded mail (rings that have been pinned or welded closed) is what you’re looking for to add some durability.

  • Plate

    • Plate armor ranges quite widely in quality and cost.

    • Medieval Collectibles and Armstreet both sell some more affordable pieces. For more custom-fitted pieces, the cost can quickly reach $1000s, so make sure to do your research on armorers.

    • You won’t need pieces that stand up to HEMA or SCA standards (at least, not for Numina), so consider aluminum, as it’s generally cheaper and lighter.

  • Foam

    • Another option for mimicking the look of plate armor is foam.

    • A wide variety of foam patterns are available for free or inexpensively on the internet, and there’s a wealth of resources from cosplay creators like Kamui Cosplay, Punished Props, Evil Ted, and others on how to assemble and decorate foam armor.

    • In general, you’ll likely want ¼” to ½” thick foam at a minimum to maintain enough durability on the field to not fall apart easily. You’ll need to coat the foam in a sealant like plasti-dip or neoprene rubber before painting, and multiple layers of clear-coat varnish after painting to stop scuffs and weather from removing your paint.

    • Foam also acts as an insulator, so it can become quite hot during warmer events, so you’ll want to design the rest of your costuming around that consideration.

  • Polyurethane

    • One final option is polyurethane armor. Creators like wyrmwick.com (and a few other merchants on Etsy), provide light, flexible armor that looks like metal but is far lighter.

The Costume Rule

In order to encourage the use of good costuming and add a little more realism, we have the Costume Rule. If a packet attack clearly misses a target and passes by the body, yet that packet hits a cloak or costuming piece after it has gone past, the defender can call out "costume." This rule cannot be used if the costuming is in front of the defender or if the packet has not already passed the body. The rule is in place to encourage cloaks, back banners, and some directed character costuming without adding an unacceptable disadvantage to the character in combat.