Armor
Armor is essentially hard clothing. It is made of cloth or leather or metal
or a combination of the three, and it is worn by people who want something
hard between themselves and sharp edges wielded by antagonistic attackers.
Armor is generally heavier than normal clothing, and hot and uncomfortable
to wear. However, warriors wear armor to keep them alive by absorbing damage,
not to loll about in it.
If possible, armor isworn over the entire body. Sometimes this is not
possible because the wearer does not have the strength for it, or because
he needs freedom of limbs to use a missile
weapon, or because he cannot stay in a suit of stuffy armor in the
middle of summer. Sometimes, too, a suit of armor is too costly, and a
warrior can scrape together only what he needs to cover his vital organs,
and must leave his limbs unprotected.
Encumbrance
Armor Encumbrance depends on the SIZ of the person wearing it. As shown
on the armor table, we have divided SIZ's into groups of 5. Every increment
of 5 adds to the ENC of the armor and therefore the armor is heavier, hotter,
and so on. The SIZ range of 11-15 is considered "normal." Each 5-SIZ-point
increment under that range has armor which is 1/5 less encumbering.
|
Hit Location
|
% of Total ENC
|
|
Head
|
1/10
|
|
Arm
|
1/10 each
|
|
Chest
|
2/10
|
|
Abdomen
|
1/10
|
|
Leg
|
2/10 each
|
Example: An adventurer buys a complete suit of plate in a medium SIZ. It will weigh a total of 25 ENC. His helmet weighs 2.5 ENC, his chest armor weighs 5 ENC, each arm piece weighs 2.5 ENC, his abdomen armor weighs 2.5 ENC, and each of his leg pieces weighs 5 ENC.
Armor: Type of armor. See list types below.
ENC: The Encumbrance. This is the weight in kilograms for a full suit of armor of the type shown. Weight is different for small, medium, and large-sized people, as explained elsewhere.
Pts.-Armor Points: The number of points of damage which the armor will absorb.
Cost Per ENC: This is the cost in pennies of one ENC point of the armor. Thus a set of full plate, with 25 ENC and a costper ENC of 270 pennies, would cost 6,750 pennies total. Cost for an individual hit location item would be figured based on the cost per ENC point.
This table summarizes armor points, armor ENC, the average cost of armor per point of ENC, and the average total costs of a suit of armor. These total costs may varyif the gamemaster usesthe price lists provided in the Gamemaster Book. Example: Tiny Tim (SIZ 7) could buy a full suit of Lamellar armor for 2,800 pennies. His comrade Huge Hugh (SIZ 21) would have to spend 5,000 pennies for a full suit of the same type of armor.
|
Armor Type
|
Armor Points
|
Cost per ENC
|
Small (6-10) ENC/Cost
|
Medium (11-15) ENC/Cost
|
Large (16-20) ENC/Cost
|
"Troll" (21-25) ENC/Cost
|
| Clothes |
0
|
Varies
|
2.0 (40 p)
|
2.5 (45 p)
|
3.0 (50 p)
|
3.5 (60 p)
|
| Soft Leather |
1
|
20 p
|
3.0 (60 p)
|
3.5 (70 p)
|
4.0 (80 p)
|
5.0 (100 p)
|
| Stiff Leather |
2
|
20 p
|
4.0 (80 p)
|
5.0 (100 p)
|
6.0 (120 p)
|
7.0 (140 p)
|
| Cuirbolli |
3
|
45 p
|
4.0 (180 p)
|
5.0 (225 p)
|
6.0 (270 p)
|
7.0 (315 p)
|
| Bezainted |
4
|
70 p
|
6.0 (420 p)
|
7.5 (563 p)
|
9.0 (630 p)
|
10.5 (735 p)
|
| Ringmail |
5
|
110 p
|
8.0 (880 p)
|
10.0 (1,100 p)
|
12.0 (1,320 p)
|
14.0 (1,540 p)
|
| Lamellar |
6
|
200 p
|
14.0 (2,800 p)
|
18.0 (3,600 p)
|
21.5 (4,300 p)
|
25.0 (5,000 p)
|
| Scale |
6
|
120 p
|
16.0 (1,920 p)
|
20.0 (2,400 p)
|
24.0 (2,880 p)
|
28.0 (3,360 p)
|
| Chainmail |
7
|
240 p
|
16.0 (3,840 p)
|
20.0 (4,800 p)
|
24.0 (5,760 p)
|
28.0 (6,720 p)
|
| Brigandine |
7
|
200 p
|
17.5 (3,500 p)
|
22.0 (4,400 p)
|
26.5 (5,300 p)
|
31.0 (6,200 p)
|
| Plate |
8
|
270 p
|
20.0 (5,400 p)
|
25.0 (6,750 p)
|
30.0 (8,100 p)
|
35.0 (9,450 p)
|
Effects on Stealth Skills
Also use the ENC of armor to determine the effect of armor on the ability
of an adventurer to use the Sneak skill. Each point of Armor and weapon ENC
subtracts one percentile from the character's chance to use Sneak. There is
no effect on the Hide skill as long as the armor is not shiny-perhaps it is
dirty after long travel, or has been deliberately dulled to make it less conspicuous.
Breakage
Unlike the armor points of weapons, the armor points for armor never change, even if a blow exceeds the armor points covering the hit location struck. Armor is designed for defense; it can take a lot of pounding. Its armor points are never reduced through damage.
Armor Types and Costs
Soft Leather: A rough equivalent to a leather jacket or vest. It is common among primitives, nomads, and barbarians. Soft Leather is often worn under other armor as additional padding and protection. Cloth Padding used under armor is equivalent in protective quality and Encumbrance to Soft Leather.
Hard Leather: Equal to about 5mm of leather. It is used among primitives and nomads for body protection and shields. It has the consistency of the leather used in 20th-century shoe sales. Most uncut hides approximate the protective quality and Encumbrance of Hard Leather.
Cuirbolli: Boiled in oil and wax, in this condition, leather can be molded into any desired shapeand left to harden. Thereafter, it cannot be reshaped without breaking. The long and tedious processof Cuirbolli-making makes it similarly priced to some metal armor.
Bezainted: This is Soft Leather armor with metal disks (resembling the bezant, a medieval coin) fastened on. The major extra cost is the metal. It is generally made more quickly than Cuirbolli though it commands a greater price.
Ringmail: Like Bezainted armor, this is Soft Leather or other backing with metal sewn to it. This metal is in the form of rings like those found on chainmail.The rings tend to be closer together then those on Bezainted armor, making for both more weight and better protection. Ringmail takes more work than the simple disks of bezainted armor, and costs more.
Scale: Such armor consists of scales of various sizes fastened onto a backing. The overlapping (shingling) metal protects well, but adds to the weight.
Chainmail: Metal links woven together for the body of chainmail armor. It is stronger and more durable than forms which depend upon non-metal (hence weaker) backing. The all-metal construction makes it heavier than Scale and costlier as well.
Lamellar (Studded, Splinted): Metal strips ("splints") usually held onto leather backing with rivets ("studs"). It is often combined with areas of chainmail over joints and other moving sufraces.
Brigandine: A metal and leather armor in which metal scales are fastened between two layers of leather by means of metal rivets. It is strong and durable, and the contrast of the metal rivets on colored leather makes it much more decorative than simple metal.
Plate: Generally solid plate of metal, molded to the body and held together with leather straps which are covered by the metal. It is the best kind of armor for spreading impact of a blow and for absorbing damage, but the solid metal construction makes it the heaviest form, and it is very hot to fight in.
Over the centuries, armor pieces have accumulated many different names. Sometimes the same names have been applied to entirely different pieces of armor. The following list can only partially cover the many names for armor applied to it by its wearers and the academic collectors who have categorized it for the last 500 years.
|
Name
|
Hit Location Protected
|
Type of Armor Used
|
| Greaves |
Legs (this term has generally been used for armor
protecting the area from knee to ankle)
|
Soft Leather, Hard Leather, Cuirbolli, Bezainted,
Scale, Ringmail, Lamellar, Chainmail, Brigandine, and Plate
|
| Pants/Trews |
Abdomen and Legs
|
Soft Leather, Hard Leather, Bezainted, Ringmail, Scale,
Chainmail, and Brigandine.
|
| Skirts |
Abdomen
|
Soft Leather, Hard Leather, Cuirbolli, Bezainted,
Ringmail, Scale, Lamellar, Chainmail, Brigandine, and Plate
|
| Hauberk |
Chest and Abdomen
|
Soft Leather, Hard Leather, Bezainted, Ringmail, Scale,
Lamellar, Chainmail, and Brigandine
|
| Byrnie* |
Chest
|
Soft Leather, Bezainted, Ringmail, and Chainmail
|
| Cuirass* |
Chest
|
Hard Leather, Cuirbolli, Scale, Lamellar, Brigandine,
and Plate
|
| Sleeves* |
Arms
|
Soft Leather, Bezainted, Ringmail, and Chainmail
|
| Vambraces & Rerebraces** |
Arms
|
Hard Leather, Cuirbolli, Scale, Lamellar, Brigandine,
and Plate
|
| Coif/Hood* |
Head
|
Soft Leather, Bezainted, Ringmail, and Chainmail
|
| Helm** |
Head
|
Hard Leather, Cuirbolli, Scale, Lamellar, and Plate
|
Asterisks indicate soft armor, which can be worn under other armor, and hard armor, which cannot be so worn under other armor in any category.
* Soft Armor: Byrnie, Coif/Hood, Sleeves.
** Hard Armor: Cuirass, Helm, Vambraces & Rerebraces.
Special Effects of Armor Coverage
As described above, it is possible to wear soft armor under hard armor to provide added procection. Soft leather and heavy cloth are commonly used for this, and they add their usual armor points in exchange for their usual ENC cost. However, when trying to overlap other than soft armor with hard, total the armor points but triple the encumbrance cost of the lesser armor. Only soft, pliable armor can easily be worn under other forms of armor.
Points for Slung Shields
A slung shield which happens to cover the hit location hit adds half its armor points to the armor points of the area struck.
Armor Do's and Dont's
Putting Armor On
Armor is not as simple to put on as jeans and a t-shirt. For every ENC point which a piece of armor has, it takes two strike ranks to put it on. Thus, a medium-sized person putting on a full suit of plate would take approximately 50 strike ranks, or five melee rounds (approximately one minute). This is actually quite fast, and assumes that the adventurer is awake, alert, and ready to jump into his armor the instant it is necessary. Gamemasters should increase the multiple of strike ranks if the adventurer starts from a sound sleep, was busy partying when the alert came, or whatever.
Taking Armor Off
Taking off armor is not as painstaking a process as putting it on, since an adventurer doesn't have to make sure each piece is properly set before putting on the next one. Removing armor costs one strike rank per ENC point.
Why Not Leave Armor On?
On two occasions adventurers may feel they wish to leave on their armor-when they are in a strange town and when they are sleeping on the trail.
Strange Towns: While there may have been towns and cities which encourage private citizens to wander about armed and armored, they must have been rare. A mail shirt beneath a tunic or well-decorated leather procection is reasonable is suspect quarters of town, but local authorities are likely to wonder why full-armored bravoes are wandering their streets. If they suspect that the adventurers are looking for a fight, the town guard may give them one. Similarly, it is considered impolite to wear full armor while dining as the guest of the local potentate.
Sleeping on the Trail: Armorers believe in safety first and comfort second. Armor is not a hammock or a trundle bed; it is not meant to be slept in. Adventurers attempting to sleep in armor will lose one fatigue point per 5 points of armor ENC for every hour they attempt to sleep. Only soft leather/Cloth padding armor is exempted from this rule.
