1. What is starting Standing? 0?

2. Apart from protection rolls, armour has no other effect... correct? I mean, someone who is hit for 10 Endurance but not wound effect takes the 10 Endurance whether they are wearing a mail shirt or a cotton tunic... right?

3. If a person had 2 homes, would they have two standings? Just thinking about Boromir in Gondor vs. Boromir in Rivendell. Obviously not exactly a second home, but his standing in Gondor seemed to count for little in Rivendell.

According to my reading:

1. Yes. Page 117 of the Adventurer's Book states clearly that heroes in with no rank in Standing.

2. Again Yes. The Protection rating of armor (and bonus from headgear) only applys to Protection tests against Piercing blows which cause a Wound (AB 161).

3. I read this as a No. Standing represents how a hero is looked up in their own country (again AB 117), and when interacting with folk from, or in, another country (Bardings with Dwarves or in Erebor for example) their Standing in their home country would be recognized, and modified by the Tolerance of the Encounter. This however is just my reading and not clearly stated.