D&D 3E/3.5 3.5e: Fitting a Full-Plate

[Shin Okada]

Well PHB says each suit of full-plate must be individually fitted to its owner. Though a captured suit can be resized to fit the new owner at a cost of 2d4x100 gp.

Now, how long will it take to make a captured (or simply bought) full-plate to be resized to fit a new owner?

And, how long will it take to make a new full-plate which is fitted to a specific owner?

Those are usually done during downtime and thus irrelevant. But could be very important when adventures are busy from a task to another.

 

[was]

I dont know the RAW, but we houserule 1 day per 25 gold spent. So if you spend 200 gold resizing it you'd come up with 8 days of work.

 

[Dandu]

2d4 days for me.

 

[Hassassin]

If you assume it's done using the normal crafting rules, it would take someone with +8 craft (armorsmithing) taking 10 in the check 2d4 x 100 gp / (18*18 sp) weeks. So 15-16 weeks on average for such a crafter. If the crafter had +18 skill, it would take 6-7 weeks on average.

 

[Greenfield]

Generically the time/cost of crafting is based on the target number, and the resultant skill check.

It's Skill Check x Target DC in Silver each week, or in copper per day if you're in a hurry.

Assuming average costs (2d4x100 == 500), and average armor (DC 15 to craft), the minimum progress per week will be 225 silver, or 22.5 gold. So that's 21 weeks.

Optionally, a crafter can voluntarily raise the DC by 10, presuming he has the skill, and/or the established workshop, masterworked artisan's tools and/or assistants to do Aid Another. At a DC 25 the yield is 625 silver per week, or 62.50 gold. Now you're down to 8 weeks.

If he's good enough to raise by 10 again, making the DC 35 (probably reflecting a master craftsman with his full shop dedicated to the job), he'll produce a minimum of 1,225 silver worth of work per week, or 122.5 gold. Now you're talking under 5 weeks.

Time will go down as the craftsman's skill goes up, but it will still be time measured in weeks, if not months.

(Alternately, Fabricate will do the job in under a minute.)

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Wow...that's grossly overpriced. Cripes, if the DM rolls an 8 on those 2d4, you may as well just sell the full plate for half and buy a brand new suit actually fitted to you to begin with. Or, if it's already masterwork (and if it's not, the only reason this isn't a better option is that you can't make normal items masterwork and even if you could it takes forever), just take it to a mage with craft arms and armor, make it a +1 suit of armor for only 1000 gp in only a single day of work, and not only enjoy the normal +1 AC benefit but also the fact that:

"Size And Magic Items
When an article of magic clothing or jewelry is discovered, most of the time size shouldn’t be an issue. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they adjust themselves magically to the wearer. Size should not keep characters of various kinds from using magic items."

Seriously, 2d4 x 100 gp? Crazy!

 

[Shin Okada]

(Alternately, Fabricate will do the job in under a minute.)

The problem is, Fabricate does not work on a magic armor.

 

[cjosephs1s]

We ignore this rule. There's more important things to do than try to figure out how much time and money it costs to refit arms and armor. Kill guy...guy drops armor..I put on armor and we move on to next room. Speeds up gameplay, makes resources better used (if the DM wanted you to have the armor that was dropped he wouldn't have you pay 50% of the cost of it just so you could use it), and makes things more fun when we get to town (we dont' have to haggle for an hour with the blacksmith over how much its going to cost..we can RP with all the other folks and get drunk).

That's just how we do it though.

 

[Hassassin]

Wow...that's grossly overpriced. Cripes, if the DM rolls an 8 on those 2d4, you may as well just sell the full plate for half and buy a brand new suit actually fitted to you to begin with.

Of course, the brand new full plate fitted to you will also take time to make.

The fitting cost also suggests that you should only get 500 gp for a used full plate: (1500 - 500) / 2. And that's assuming a well stocked merchant who can afford to wait for a buyer who isn't a bad fit for the armor.

"Size And Magic Items
When an article of magic clothing or jewelry is discovered, most of the time size shouldn’t be an issue. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they adjust themselves magically to the wearer. Size should not keep characters of various kinds from using magic items."

Although the quote continues on to make an exception for weapons and armor, I have also ruled that magical full plates refit to wearer. This is why non-magical full plates are rare (and non-masterwork are nonexistent) in my world. Anyone likely to sell the armor will acquire either a magical full plate or only a half plate.

 

[Hassassin]

Generically the time/cost of crafting is based on the target number, and the resultant skill check.

It's Skill Check x Target DC in Silver each week, or in copper per day if you're in a hurry.

Assuming average costs (2d4x100 == 500), and average armor (DC 15 to craft), the minimum progress per week will be 225 silver, or 22.5 gold. So that's 21 weeks.

For armors the DC is 10 + AC bonus, which explains the 18 I used above.

If he's good enough to raise by 10 again, making the DC 35 (probably reflecting a master craftsman with his full shop dedicated to the job), he'll produce a minimum of 1,225 silver worth of work per week, or 122.5 gold. Now you're talking under 5 weeks.

A second +10 to DC is a house rule (or an epic rule). It's not a part of the basic craft rules.

(Alternately, Fabricate will do the job in under a minute.)

You'll need a caster with craft (armor). Having to find a famous magical armorsmith would be a great plot hook, of course...