Cestus Gauntlets

A pair of reinforced leather-and-metal gauntlets with a hardened plate across the knuckles, transforming an ordinary punch into a strike with meaningfully greater impact force. Unlike a held weapon, they cannot be dropped, disarmed, or left behind mid-fight, making them a reliable baseline a fighter can always fall back on.

They add real force to a strike but do nothing for reach or ranged defence, so they suit a fighter who is already committed to closing distance and trading blows rather than one looking to control a fight from range.