D&D 5E Why wimpy SLING damage and range?

[Derren]

From the fact that even at the very height of it's use and distribution, people weren't walking around town in it, doing their daily business. It was an apparatus of war, not a casual town outfit.

What has that to do with the availability of plate armor?

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

What has that to do with the availability of plate armor?

Nothing. You seem to have latched onto that as my meaning so that you can argue a point that doesn't need to be argued and then, once countered and having it obviously pointed out that you've misinterpreted my meaning, you've doubled down with disingenuous perplexity in order to continue to make an irrelevant point to prove that your contribution to the discussion is valid and valuable.

Encountering people in plate armour in D&D should be far rarer than it is because encountering it in the real world, even at the height of its use and distribution, was not a regular event since most of the time, nobody was wearing the stuff since most of the time people weren't engaging in battle, they were living their lives. But D&D doesn't represent reality. People walking around in plate armour all the time is normal in D&D. Thus, the rules don't represent reality, they represent the D&D world and it's reality.

 

[Derren]

Encountering people in plate armour in D&D should be far rarer than it is because encountering it in the real world, even at the height of its use and distribution, was not a regular event since most of the time, nobody was wearing the stuff since most of the time people weren't engaging in battle, they were living their lives. But D&D doesn't represent reality. People walking around in plate armour all the time is normal in D&D. Thus, the rules don't represent reality, they represent the D&D world and it's reality.

For farmer and townsfolk it was rare. But usually the PCs in a D&D game are not farmers living their lives. When they go against other humanoids they would meet plate armor fairly regularly (guards, etc.) and of course also use it themselves when they expect to go into battle.
Your argument is akin to saying bulletproof vests are rare because normal people dont encounter them often. Yet for people who need them they are readily available. The same appmied to plate armor.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Where does this idea that plate was rare come from? Once they figured the process out, plate was much more easy to make than chain armor most soldiers wore some variation of plate armor

A lot of the armour worn at that point would probably be closer to Breastplate or half-plate. I think Plate in the 5e table is meant to represent the fully-enclosing and interlocking suits that were much rarer.
D&D's tech level is pretty odd. Maybe the smiths there haven't figured out the right techniques yet?

And, lets face it, D&D in general isn't particularly close to real usage of armour or weapons. - "Studded leather" for example.

 

[Satyrn]

Your argument is akin to saying bulletproof vests are rare because normal people dont encounter them often. Yet for people who need them they are readily available. The same appmied to plate armor.

It looks more akin to saying Riot Gear is rare. That's the sort of head to toe, best you can get stuff you only see worn when there's a high likelihood of needing it.

 

[Pranqstr]

The middle ages (medieval era) are generally considered ended at 1500, anything after is considered renaissance. Nothing penetrated plate at 300 yards, not an arrow or bolt, and even close up, a sword or dagger is a club. It's not penetrating...

 

[Derren]

It looks more akin to saying Riot Gear is rare. That's the sort of head to toe, best you can get stuff you only see worn when there's a high likelihood of needing it.

Riot gear is specialized equipment only used in a few specific cases. Plate armor was worn on the battlefield in great numbers.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

The middle ages (medieval era) are generally considered ended at 1500, anything after is considered renaissance. Nothing penetrated plate at 300 yards, not an arrow or bolt, and even close up, a sword or dagger is a club. It's not penetrating...

Nope, but the point of using a dagger or half-swording is to get the blade into where the plate isn't. Joints and uncovered areas. Hence why many of the martial arts of that time incorporated a lot of grappling and tripping.
Poleaxes and similar, maces and warhammers were developed in response to the heavier metal armours, but even then, the idea was often to damage joints rather than actually penetrate the metal. Even muskets couldn't get through it at range.

Riot gear is specialized equipment only used in a few specific cases. Plate armor was worn on the battlefield in great numbers.

The battlefield is a pretty specific case, and even in those times, quite rare. Even the soldiers who wore plate on the battlefield would spend much more time not wearing it than wearing it.

 

[Satyrn]

The battlefield is a pretty specific case, and even in those times, quite rare. Even the soldiers who wore plate on the battlefield would spend much more time not wearing it than wearing it.

That is exactly what I was getting at.

I mean, Riot Gear is what the cops wear when they go out on what is the closest thing in their line of work to a battlefield.

But I think [MENTION=2518]Derren[/MENTION] is applying "rare" to the situation differently than we are, so the conversation is failing a little.

He seems to have interpreted the first poster's use of the word as applying to "how many suits of plate exist in the world," while we're applying it to "how often people in possession of a suit actually wear it."

 

[Derren]

He seems to have interpreted the first poster's use of the word as applying to "how many suits of plate exist in the world," while we're applying it to "how often people in possession of a suit actually wear it."

It never was about how long people are wearing, the guy I responded to said that plate armor must be more rare, period. And I challenged that because plate was not really rare at all and more easy to make than chain armor.