Bronze Weapons and Armor

[trilobite]

I am looking for stats on Bronze Weapons and Armor. Does anyone have any? Thanks.

 

[Staffan]

Call them "crappy material" and inflict a -1 to hit. Long blades should probably not be available - definitely no great- and bastardswords, and maybe no longswords either.

 

[Darklone]

Longswords were usually heavier but had a nearly comparable quality (sadly not in the long run though). Rapiers were pretty common but seldomly used because of the low military value. The -1 to hit is IIRC a proposal from the DMG.

 

[shilsen]

I am looking for stats on Bronze Weapons and Armor. Does anyone have any? Thanks.

Check the DMG, pg.144 for rules on bronze weapons, shields and armors.

 

[CCamfield]

In a game without iron or steel weapons, I'd be inclined to use damage and armour values as normal - just perhaps use the lower hardness mentioned in the DMG. It'd just be simpler than subtracting 1 from weapon damage all the time.

If bronze was the predominant metal and there were a very small number of REALLY GOOD ironsmiths - capable of producing steel - then steel could be a better material from which to make armour and weapons. Early ironwork wasn't necessarily much better than bronze - it was just a lot cheaper to make because, once you have the techniques to work it, iron is more common than copper and (particularly) tin.

 

[Geoff Watson]

Bronze weapons were just as good, except for long blades.

The main reason iron became more popular is that it's cheaper.

Geoff.