Boots, high, hard?

[Stoat]

A question that has nagged at me since 1988: what's the deal with all the boots in the 1E PHB? You can buy high, hard boots; high, soft boots; low, hard boots; or low, soft boots.

What difference does it make?

Is that difference spelled out somewhere in the PHB or DMG?

 

[mach1.9pants]

Haha thanks for the reminder! As to actual rules in the books I don't know but I pictured them as ankle or knee high (low/high) boots which were hobnailed/safety type wear (hard) or more comfortable/quieter leather (soft)

And as DM it once or twice made a difference: sneaking in hard boots? Oh no you don't! Sprinting across a caltrop covered floor in soft boots? Methinks not!

 

[aco175]

Wow, 1988- big hair and parachute pants; when I had hair of course.

I seem to recall hard boots protecting you more from caltrops and acid like green slime and soft boots not penalizing you on sneaking. It could have been variant rules though. I also seem to remember some controversy on large vs. small pouch belt as well.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

It's because in 1e, "boots" is the elven for "drugs". Hard "boots" that get you high are the most expensive; soft "boots" that get you high, or hard "boots" that don't get you high, are cheaper, and soft "boots" that don't get you high are really really cheap.

It was written in the 1970s, you see.

 

[ExploderWizard]

I just thought it was for having a giggle from getting a player shopping for gear to ask for the high hard ones.

 

[Aeolius]

aaaaand now I have this image of EGG trying on boots... thank you for that.

Most of us, at the time, were figuring out how the tax revenue earned by our name-level PCs could be spent on purchasing 4,376,234 chickens.

 

[the Jester]

In, hmmm, I want to say it was Ghost Tower of Inverness, but it may have been another module, the quality of your boots could prevent damage in a room filled with... maybe jagged rocks? Broken glass? Can't recall the specifics, but I definitely remember the Aha! when I read it.

 

[Piratecat]

Do NOT try to walk across a flooded room of green slime with low, soft boots. Trust me on this.

 

[Stoat]

In theory, I can understand the difference between hard and soft. Hard (presumably) offers more protection, soft (again, presumably) offers more stealth.

But high and low?

Also, I guess there weren't any written rules hidden in the DMG for this stuff, right?

 

[Wiseblood]

It's a matter of style.