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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tetrasodium" data-source="post: 9376377" data-attributes="member: 93670">It could be, but there were gameplay benefits fr campaign health.  Those old high GP costs for top end armor provided significant incentive to go out & adventure  while making getting it eventually a big deal both from cost & it's distinction*[ATTACH=full]367588[/ATTACH]That was from ad&d2e phb pg 92 but I wouldn't be surprised if [USER=29398]@Lanefan[/USER] or someone can cite an even higher cost in a different one of the old editions. The difference between full & field plate was one ac and well... pretty much exactly that bolded bit[spoiler="relevant 2e phb100 bit describing the armors"] Field plate armor: This is the most com-mon version of full plate armor, consisting of shaped and fitted metal plates riveted and interlocked to cover the entire body. It includes gauntlets, boots, and a visored helmet. A thick layer of padding must be worn underneath. However, the weight of the suit is well-distrib-uted over the whole body. Such armor ham-pers movement only slightly. Aside from its expense, the main disadvantages are the lack of ventilation and the time required to put it on and take it off (see the “Getting Into and Out of Armor” section). Each suit of field plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armorer, although captured pieces can be resized to fit the new owner (unless such is patently absurd, such as a human trying to resize a halfling’s armor). Full Plate: This is the impressive, high Gothic-style armor of the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance. It is perfectly forged and fit-ted. All the plates are interlocking and carefully angled to deflect blows. The surfaces are nor-mally highly ornamented with etching and inlaid metals. Each suit must be carefully cus-tom-fitted to the owner and there is only a 20% chance that a captured suit can be refit-ted to a new owner of approximately the same size. The metal plates are backed by padding and chain mail. The weight is well-distributed. The armor is hot, slow to don, and extremely expensive. Due to these factors, it tends to be used more for parades and tri-umphs than actual combat.[HR][/HR] Hide: This is armor prepared from the extremely thick hide of a creature (such as an elephant) or from multiple layers of regular leather. It is stiff and hard to move in. Leather: This armor is made of leather hardened in boiling oil and then shaped into breastplate and shoulder protectors. The remainder of the suit is fashioned from more flexible, somewhat softer materials. Padded: This is the simplest type of armor, fashioned from quilted layers of cloth and batting. It tends to get hot and after a time becomes foul with sweat, grime, lice, and fleas. Plate mail: This armor is a combination of chain or brigan-dine with metal plates (cuirass, epaulettes, elbow guards, gauntlets, tassets, and greaves) covering vital areas. The weight is distributed over the whole body and the whole thing is held together by buckles and straps. This is the most com-mon form of heavy armor. Ring mail: This armor is an early (and less effective) form of chain mail in which metal rings are sewn directly to a leather backing instead of being interlaced. (Historians still debate whether this armor ever existed.) Scale mail: This is a coat and leggings (and perhaps a separate skirt) of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish. Shields: All shields improve a character’s Armor Class by 1 or more against a specified number of attacks. A shield is useful only to protect the front and flanks of the user. Attacks from the rear or rear flanks cannot be blocked by a shield (exception: a shield slung across the back does help defend against rear attacks). The reference to the size of the shield is relative to the size of the character. Thus, a human’s small shield would have all the effects of a medium shield when used by a gnome. A buckler (or target) is a very small shield that fastens on the forearm. It can be worn by crossbowmen and archers with no hindrance. Its small size enables it to protect against only one attack per melee round (of the user’s choice), improving the character’s Armor Class by 1 against that attack. A small shield is carried on the forearm and gripped with the hand. Its light weight permits the user to carry other items in that hand (although he cannot use weapons). It can be used to protect against two frontal attacks of the user’s choice. The medium shield is carried in the same manner as the small shield. Its weight prevents the character from using his shield hand for other purposes. With a medium shield, a char-acter can protect against any frontal or flank attacks. The body shield is a massive shield reaching nearly from chin to toe. It must be firmly fastened to the forearm and the shield hand must grip it at all times. It provides a great deal of protection, improving the Armor Class of the character by 1 against melee attacks and by 2 against missile attacks, for attacks from the front or front flank sides. It is very heavy; the DM may wish to use the optional encumbrance system if he allows this shield. Splint Mail: The existence of this armor has been ques-tioned. It is claimed that the armor is made of narrow vertical strips riveted to a backing of leather and cloth padding. Since this is not flexible, the joints are protected by chain mail. Studded leather: This armor is made from leather (not hardened as with normal leather armor) reinforced with close-set metal rivets. In some ways it is very similar to brigandine, although the spacing between each metal piece is greater. In addition to the types of armor listed above, your DM may have special armors prepared from rare or exotic materials. Since it is highly unlikely that your character can afford these at the start, the DM will tell you when you need to know about such items.[/spoiler]That 20% chance even meant that opponents could wear it without making it an automatic score in terms of armor upgrades & resale value.* The system was very different when it came to skills & social interactions</blockquote>

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