D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 - Does it fit?

[Water Bob]

You've just downed a baddie human fighter, and his shiny chain mail is looking pretty good to you. Let's say you didn't damage it too bad while killing the poor sop who lays on the ground before you. You strip him of his armor and don it yourself. Now, you've got a new set of armor.

How do you guys handle this in the game? Let's say the armor is not magical. The character is just low level and couldn't afford chainmail (really broke!). Let's also assume that the armor isn't damaged from the killing blow.

How do you figure if the new armor fits?

Or, do you not worry about such details, let it always fit, if its for a human, and move on with the game?

 

[roushguy]

If it's something simple like chainmail, I wouldn't worry unless his size is extremely abnormal for a typical human. Otherwise, I generally try to get players to realize you cannot pick up the dwarf you just killed's dwarven-made scale mail and put it on. Now, if it was a tall dwarf and a short human, I'd consider it. Most armor was made with all kinds of buckles and straps to allow them to fit other sized people, but chainmail was slightly different. Sort of like putting on steel clothes.

 

[jedavis]

The way we tend to play it is that if it was for a creature of the same size with the same number of appendages, it fits. No sense bogging down the game with excessive detail (same reason we don't use encumbrance).

 

[Jack Simth]

The way we tend to play it is that if it was for a creature of the same size with the same number of appendages, it fits. No sense bogging down the game with excessive detail (same reason we don't use encumbrance).

To my knowledge, this is the 3.5 way to do it, with one exception: Full Plate:

Full Plate

The suit includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and a thick layer of padding that is worn underneath the armor. Each suit of full plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armorsmith, although a captured suit can be resized to fit a new owner at a cost of 200 to 800 (2d4×100) gold pieces

 

[Water Bob]

I ask because my game is an all-human game. No demi-humans. So, I was wondering if a short, stocky, barrel chested dude could wear the armor of a tall, lanky, skinny dude.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

How do you figure if the new armor fits?

SWAG it (Stupid, Wild-Ass Guess). Off the top of my head, if the two individuals are within 10% of each others height and weight I wouldn't bat an eye. More than that I might require some alteration - but that would be silly.

It would be silly because the cost of alteration is going to wind up close to the cost of just buying new armor altogether. If the circumstances were a situation of desperation I'd likely be more generous. If the circumstances were a PC just being an annoying miser I'd be nitpicky as hell. If the PC were trying to scrounge armor because I was enough of a wanker that I were preventing him from being otherwise able to afford or obtain suitable armor I'd hope the player would shoot me with my own hammergun.

 

[Water Bob]

SWAG it (Stupid, Wild-Ass Guess).

Yeah, that's what I was going to do. I don't want to be too anal about this, but I would like a quick rule of thumb--probably based on the difference in stats--to use to see if something is tight or loose to the point of being unusable until it is altered.

This will make the player who took Craft (Armorsmith) feel like he didn't waste the skill points.

I might try to work up something simple based on the difference in STR, CON, and DEX scores.

It would be silly because the cost of alteration is going to wind up close to the cost of just buying new armor altogether.

In my game, armor is not easy to come by. It's just not around--not available to buy. The PCs are barbarians, and where this game is different is that the comforts of civilization, like traders with lots of armor to sell, is not around.

So, the PCs will be looking at their kills for better armor. It won't be often that they'll fight foes with armor, but when they do, some of it will be unusable after its wearer is killed. I'm going to use the piecemeal armor rules.

I'm figuring that some of it may not be able to be sized correctly--which is how I got to the question.

It's a very low magic world, too--so, normal equipment is king in this campaign.