D&D 5E Video of guys in plate mail as reference for you!

[Umbran]

Does this mean Warforged really shouldn't be able to use stealth? Considering they're walking suits of armour, maybe not.

But, they aren't walking suits of armor. They are robots. Armor clanks because it is strapped to your body, sometime a bit awkwardly - the pieces move and shift, your legs hit each other as you walk, your arms touch your torso, plates that overlap to provide cover at joints touch, and so on. A Warforged can be designed to not have this happen, but a humanoid is being retrofitted with armor, and so it doesn't work perfectly.

Gauntlets might block finger movements (unless they're designed as metal mittens)

The term you want is "lobstered".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauntl..._A_7_-_Gauntlets_of_Maximilian_I,_c._1514.jpg

 

[Umbran]

Yeah, chain mail is heavy, but plate isn't that heavy - the reduced weight is the main benefit over chain.

A chainmail hauberk will run you 10 or 11 kg.

A suit of plate will run you 15-25 kg.

The real issue is not in the weight, but in distribution. A chainmail hauberk puts *all* of its weight on your shoulders - it is somewhat like wearing a 25 pound backpack all the time. Meanwhile, plate armor is strapped to various parts of your body in a more distributed manner.

 

[BigVanVader]

Don't forget, in addition to that you can also swim in plate.

Also, at Mishihari, I don't know about picks, but maces and warhammers were made specifically for armor. They were made to bash and smash at the metal until it broke or got dented enough for other, more stabby weapons, to finish the job.

Really, if you're in armor, someone with just a sword has got a real uphill battle if they want to do more than inconvenience you. Yeah, they can halfsword and they've got a shot, but that's all they've got.

 

[Umbran]

Don't forget, in addition to that you can also swim in plate.

You can swim in plate if the extra 15-25 kilos don't bring your overall density up to above that of water - in which case you *will* sink.

 

[Grainger]

Don't forget, in addition to that you can also swim in plate.

Also, at Mishihari, I don't know about picks, but maces and warhammers were made specifically for armor. They were made to bash and smash at the metal until it broke or got dented enough for other, more stabby weapons, to finish the job.

Really, if you're in armor, someone with just a sword has got a real uphill battle if they want to do more than inconvenience you. Yeah, they can halfsword and they've got a shot, but that's all they've got.

Yeah, the mix of weapons/armour in D&D doesn't really make sense. You have items from all periods mixed together in a huge melting pot, when actually it was an arms race between armour and weapons. By and large, chain was obsolete when plate armour was around. And as you say, to defeat someone in a suit of plate, you really need an impact weapon (sometimes knights with swords would grip the blade and use the hilt as a hammer). On the other hand, against someone in chain or unarmoured, you're probably better off with a bladed weapon like an axe or sword. But D&D just has everything from the dark ages (early medieval) to early renaissance thrown into a huge bag and shaken around, like an enormous aeroplane sick bag* .



*I'm not sure that analogy works**, but it's certainly memorable.

**I'm sure it doesn't.***

***Speaking of which, why don't aerlines use bags of holding (bags of puking?) for their sick bags. Are they saving money because the profit margins are so low these days?****

****Now I know what the first Bag of Holding in my campaign is going to be used for. All I need is a squeamish mage to be its current owner...

 

[BigVanVader]

You can swim in plate if the extra 15-25 kilos don't bring your overall density up to above that of water - in which case you *will* sink.

Not if you inhale helium into your lungs. That's a mage spell I wanna see.

 

[Cannyjiggit]

A couple of points from someone who does wear armour of different types from time to time:

First of all, terminology. The term "platemail" comes from a contraction of the more descriptive "plate and maille". When used as a full suit, plate armour was usually combined with chain to gain the protection desired. Chain is primarily aimed at and excellent at protectiong from cutting blows (and to some extent piercing attacks, although some weapons were designed to be narrow enough to only need to split one link to get through), basically its the ideal armour if all you are facing is standard swords. The weakness of chain however is that although cushioned and spread slightly, heavy blows from weighed weapons would still break bones. Plate however was excellent at distributing the energy from such blows but could not easily cover all areas and was only partially resistant to strong piercing attacks.

I have seen that video many times and the maneuverability is good but look at the backs of the legs and under the arms, they are very hard to protect with plates even with suits as good as those in the video. Most plate armour didn't even cover the entire torso, it consisted of a front plate and a back plate held toegether by a few leather straps. There would be a gap between the plates of varying size dependant on the girth of the warrior. For this reason, swords were aimed at these gaps so the gaps were protected with chain. It was far easier to wear a chain shirt and strap the plates to it than to try to attach pieces of chain to the plates individually. Hence Plate and maille becomes platemail.

As for weight, you would be surprised just how well chain spreads the weight if worn correctly. My steel suit weighs around 35-40lb and when I was fitter I would wear it all day at an event without any problems. You only really notice the difference when you finally take it off and suddenly feel very light
The plate on its own is lighter than the chain but its rigidity can cause issues when wearing and the weight is actually more concentrated. Without enough padding, the straps carrying all the weight can become quite uncomfortable. Of course, a chain shirt underneath can help spread the load and if you are also wearing a good horsehair gambeson under that then its irrelevant but all gets rather hot and heavy when added together, although not much will hurt you unless it can be well aimed

 

[Cannyjiggit]

Don't forget, in addition to that you can also swim in plate.

Also, at Mishihari, I don't know about picks, but maces and warhammers were made specifically for armor. They were made to bash and smash at the metal until it broke or got dented enough for other, more stabby weapons, to finish the job.

Really, if you're in armor, someone with just a sword has got a real uphill battle if they want to do more than inconvenience you. Yeah, they can halfsword and they've got a shot, but that's all they've got.

I have actually pierced a steel plate with a flail (as we weren't sure it could with the relatively shallow points so tested it) and have seen the same type of plate pierced by the pick end of a warhammer by more than enough to have also pierced a skull if it had been a helmet.

Halfsword was a relatively common practice amongst trained warriors of the right era and is covered in various of the surviving combat manuals

 

[BigVanVader]

Yeah, but flails are so brutal.

also, this isn't related to anything, but have you seen Braveheart? You know that scene where Mel Gibson kills the guy in his bed, and he's just got that really long chain with a steel ball on the end of that? What is that? Is that just a different kind of flail? Because it's so cool.

 

[Cannyjiggit]

Yeah, but flails are so brutal.

also, this isn't related to anything, but have you seen Braveheart? You know that scene where Mel Gibson kills the guy in his bed, and he's just got that really long chain with a steel ball on the end of that? What is that? Is that just a different kind of flail? Because it's so cool.

Don't recall the weapon exactly but pretty much any ball and chain on a handle can be described as a flail. The key part is to make sure the handle is longer than the chain, otherwise you're going to catch yourself at some point and its going to hurt