why cant you sunder armour?

[Child of Hypnos]

this is another confused question from the Son of sleep, the title says it all really.

I want to know why its not possible to sunder armour worn by another character,
after all why sunder unworn armour?

is it balance?
is it just to make life easier?

incidently i know this goes against all the advice i had for trying to speed up combats, ive used some of it and its definitely helped, so thanks guys

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

It's probably to make life easier.

What's the AC of a breastplate? Does it provide an Armor bonus to itself?

 

[Child of Hypnos]

thats a fair question, it just strikes me as pointless to have craft skills that allow you repair armour if you cant damage it.

 

[FireLance]

You can damage armor. If you roll a 1 when making a saving throw against a spell, there is a chance that your armor is affected.

 

[Thanee]

Because sundering armor is silly, I suppose. The point of armor is to be resilient.

Bye
Thanee

 

[irdeggman]

And what exactly would be the sunder effect on armor?

On a weapon it breaks and can't be used.

On armor it might tear an arm strap or something like that but the armor is still useable. Basically, IMO armor is designed to spread the damage around so that sundering is kind of useless if its worn. If its not worn then its an object and no longer spreading the damage around (part of the spreading is by the way it is fitted to the wearer).

A weapon focuses its dmage via a certain point. Blade, surface etc. so if it can't deliver it to that point it is useless.

 

[Ron]

As Irdeggman pointed out, armour is designed to be sundered, as such, they can wear out after a number of fights, but it is probably too much complexity to add to a game.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

And what exactly would be the sunder effect on armor?

On a weapon it breaks and can't be used.

On armor it might tear an arm strap or something like that but the armor is still useable. Basically, IMO armor is designed to spread the damage around so that sundering is kind of useless if its worn. If its not worn then its an object and no longer spreading the damage around (part of the spreading is by the way it is fitted to the wearer).

A weapon focuses its dmage via a certain point. Blade, surface etc. so if it can't deliver it to that point it is useless.

True and armor is design to resist blows but thats what HP and hardness represent.
Armor should probably have a chance to take damage anytime it succesfully saves you from being hit. But same thing goes with weapons, on any succesful or on any failed attack in which the armor stopped the hit the weapon should have a chance of taking battles. Historically a warrior might in one battle go through several weapons as they get damage less so with iron weapons but with any hafted or bronze weapon your weapon is almost certain to break during the corse of a battle.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Chart the middle ground...allow the sundering of shields.

 

[Drowbane]

Chart the middle ground...allow the sundering of shields.

you can sunder shields anyways...

Can't you? (my groups have )