So, I’ve wanted to get involved in the magic game for a while but have been waiting until I understand enough about it all first. So, two part question really.
Not a mage so I’ll skip the first, but for the second, you’ll want to have a good read of the armour rules here:
https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Weapons_%26_armour#Armour
Specific points there which seem relevant are:
Any character can wear armour, but magicians cannot cast spells or perform rituals while wearing armour.
To count as armour, the phys-rep must be a phys-rep of a suit of armour. A leather coat or biker-jacket does not count as armour and is not appropriate costume for the Empire setting. Leather armour may count as light or medium armour depending on the thickness; adding studs or rivets does not make it count as heavy armour.’
So if it’s mage armour, you don’t get the extra hits. If it’s regular armour, you can’t cast while wearing it.
And under Medium armour:
Thick leather armour (the majority of the armour is more than 3mm thick) or any armour made from a light weight material such as polyurethane (e.g. Norton Armour), aluminium, or mixed neoprene and steel provides the wearer with 3 extra hits. Light mail, such as modern ring mesh (butcher’s mail) or mail with an open weave (sometimes called “ring mail”), counts as medium armour.
So if it’s actual bone or plastic/resin/latex to give the effect of bone, you are looking at Medium armour at best. If it’s actual bone, you will want to be very sure it can stand up to being hit and more importantly, being fallen on by you and/or heavier people than you in full plate! If it splinters or breaks it will be a safety hazard and Weapons Check will not allow it to be used on the field.
As it’s an unusual material if you are wanting to use it as regular armour I would email PD for a ref call, explaining what you have/are planning to use and asking for a call either way. They may well want to hold their answer until one of the Weapons Checkers have a chance to inspect the armour in person. For mage armour you can use any material that is safe, so you just need to be sure it’s robust enough.
Well the bones I’m planning to use have no sharp points and are hard as a rock. Good idea about messaging them though. They’ll give me some insight on it
Mage Armour has a lot more freedom to be weird than real light, medium or heavy armour.
https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Weapons_%26_armour#Mage_Armour
Mage armour is a magical talisman that protects you against harm but allows you to cast spells and perform rituals. The talisman is made up of several pieces fitted to the wearer’s body to protect them. The parts of the talisman superficially resemble pieces of armour, but armour that is ornate and ceremonial rather than practical. They are often decorated with runes, crystals, gems or other magical accoutrements and it is clear that the armour protects the wearer through magic rather than by physically deflecting blows
Your style of mage armour is also influenced by which nation you’re from as well, so which nation are you in? I think Wintermark, Orcs, Varushkans and Navarr can probably swing bones.
The Splintering Gorget mentions bones for Suaq, Varushkans and Orcs. Have a look at the descriptions of the other mage armours.
Cheers. So with mage armour I can cast rituals off of the battlefield? Because I’m planning for my kit to be for off and on the battlefield.
If you’re wearing Mage Armour you can cast spells and rituals on and off the battlefield. If you go with something like a circlet, hero belt and two vambraces you can keep it on most of the time. Which is handy for getting ready for short notice skirmishes 
.
To answer question one about how bone armour would relate to the realms:
Spring is very natrual and brutal, so bones would work esily there
Winter is often ascociated with death and scarcity, so bones also resonate well
As for the other realms, not so much. Summer and autumn are about stone ane and metal respectively (though, if you painted the bones a metallic color that could help fit into Autumn), day and night just dont seem to fit well to me (though maybe night, that place is pretty much anything goes 
)
All this said, if there was a realm that you had your heart set on that isnt spring or winter it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with a way to fit bones into the realm. Let me know if you want help!
Awesome. Thanks for the advise. I guess it’s just deciding between the rituals associated with winter lore and spring lore now. I think winter is jumping out the most.
One more thing. With wanting to be a battle mage. Is it worth using a rod and shield or just go with a staff?
Big question
I roll with a rod and shield and have fun, but a staff gives you a bit more distance and doesn’t cost you 2xp for shield use. So it’s a case of you pays your money and takes your choice 
. On balance Staff users are more common than Rod and Shield on the field though.
rod and shield gives you protection against the battlemage’s nemisis, the archer. however, if your on the front line your lack of reach means you have to get close. a risky proposition if you have 4 hp.
The staff gives you reach, so you can stand behind your tanky shieldwall buddies and poke barbarians to death/ unleash magic from relative saftey. Archers, however, will be your biggest problem as getting hit anywhere will land you in trouble.
something else to keep in mind though is magic items. Most notably the Staff of Imperial Mastery and Greensteel Bracelets. The former gives you access to ALL the spells w/o spending XP, but its hilariously expensive (56 ingots). The latter gives you the shield skill w/o spending XP and is relatively cheap, but its not as cool as the Staff of Imperial Mastery.
Sounds like I’m making a shield. 
biggest shield and rod available. I think the rod can be like 42’
Rods
Must be over 18” long and up to 42” long
A rod is 18” to 42” long. Wielded in one hand, a rod is popular with many magicians who take the battlefield because it can be combined with a shield or with another one-handed weapon (provided the magician possesses the skill to do so). Magical rods most commonly enhance battlefield incantations such as repel or empower.
| Shield Type | Max Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Buckler | 15" (40cm) diameter |
| Round shield | 40" (1m) diameter |
| Tower shield | 40" by 24" (1m by 60cm) |
| Kite/Heater shield | 48" by 24" (1.2m by 60cm) |
(from the wiki)
42’ rod and a 40’ round shield = sorted.
What kind of mage are you thinking of playing?
a healer? battlemage? ritualist? or something i haven’t mentioned?
Well, the idea behind it is a withered old bone collector (a bit mad). A navarri battle mag of winter. And hopefully join a covern to get some rituals done.
I am biased by I vote Winter. There are some good winter covers in Navarr, you should enjoy that.
Also biased, but I would highly recommend the Navaar winter ritualists to RP with.
Sounds like that’s sorted them. Cheers everyone.