Chain Shirt - too good?

[Malin Genie]

As per the topic - I don't see anybody in the campaigns I play in using any other type of armour unless they are a full-plate tank or a druid.

The fact that a mithril chain shirt has no ACP, +6 Max Dex, only a 10% ASF (all as good as leather) and weighs only 12.5 lbs (better than leather) just adds insult to injury IMHO.

 

[Nifft]

Mithril Chain Shirts also *cost* a wee bit more than Leather... your players are getting what they pay for.

-- Nifft

 

[arwink]

I see virutally no chain shirts. Everyone seems to stick with Bracers or Breastplates. Occasionally they'll go for chainmail.

 

[mmu1]

I think it's fine. I've seen enough people in MW studded leather not to think that's a problem, and besides - some type of armor has to be the best, otherwise, what's the point of having various armor types?

And Mithral chain shirts are, in any game I've been in, rare enough that they haven't been a problem either - if you have whole parties wearing them, then it's a problem with how the game is being run, I think.

The real problem area with 3E armor is Medium armor... You get most of the penalties of Heavy armor - reduced movement, Armor Check penalties high enough you can mostly forget about being silent or athletic - without enough of an armor bonus over light armor to make it worthwhile, so people will either stick to light armor or skip over directly to the heavy stuff.

Of course, the problem there is how to give Medium armor a boost without making it better than Heavy.

 

[pontus]

Nifft, the mithral shirt is a bargain if I ever saw one.

Mithral chain shirt, 1,100 gp
+4 armor, max Dex +6, no ACP, 10% ASF, weight 10 lbs

+1 studded leather armor 1,175 gp
+4 armor, max Dex +5, no ACP, 15% ASF, weight 20 lbs

 

[Malin Genie]

A mithril chain shirt costs roughly the same as +1 leather, for a better AC, or +1 studded leather for the same AC but superior MDB, ASF, and weight.

A +1 mithril chain shirt costs about 1/2 of +2 leather (for a better AC), or less than 1/4 of the cost of +3 leather (for the same AC) or 1/2 the cost of +2 studded leather for the same AC but superior MDB, ASF and weight.

You get what you pay for ???

 

[Archer]

That's what you get for enchanting crap armor. You want elven leaf leather if you want magic leather armor. Mithril breastplate is good stuff too but it costs a fair amount more.

 

[green slime]

That's what you get for enchanting crap armor. You want elven leaf leather if you want magic leather armor. Mithril breastplate is good stuff too but it costs a fair amount more.

And elven leaf leather is in which official WotC product?

 

[arwink]

Dragon. Issue 279, I think, but I'm not 100%

 

[green slime]

Dragon. Issue 279, I think, but I'm not 100%

I understand that the Dragon magazine is not a source for official DnD3e rules...

So archers straight-out-of-the-blue comments on crappy armour are somewhat lacking in thought, as not EVERY gaming group will have access to the armours described in this magazine.

Sticking to what is official, chainshirt, mithral Breastplate, full plate and at higher levels, adamantine fullplate, are the only armours used by players in my game. Druids use Ironwood fullplate.