Elven Chain vs. Mithral Shirt... WTF?

[Ferret]

Someone please tell me why Elven Chain is more expensive than a Mithral Shirt and what benefits it has to offer over a Mithral Shirt, if any?

Elven Chain
Medium Size creature speed is 30.
Small Size creature speed is 20.
20% Arcance Spell failure.
+4 Max Dex bonus.
-2 Armor Check penalty.
Cost is 4,150 GP

Mithral Shirt
Medium Size creature speed is 30.
Small Size creature speed is 20.
10% Arcance Spell failure.
+6 Max Dex bonus.
NO Armor Check penalty.
Cost is 1,100 GP

Please tell me I am missing something here? Why is Elven Chain more expensive than a Mithral Shirt? Is there erratta on this somewhere?

I's elven, far better craftsmanship

 

[Wolf72]

I thought dwarven plate was made with adamantine?

nope, that would just make sense btw (IMO) ... and mithral plate would be Elven Plate ...

Low dex dwarves (oh wait, they have -2 cha) ... would love this stuff.

hmmm: Dwarven Plate should be adamantine half-plate, and Elven plate should be mithral full plate ... or vice versa ... or ... I'm gonna just shut my trap now.

like Caliban said, all the examples of mithral are 1/2 weight ... the wording in the mithral category is just bad. (Being the genius at math that I am, I do 1/2 weight like this ... 1/2 of 25 is 12.5 pounds ... a mithral buckler weighs 2.5 pounds ... etc ... )

 

[Brekki]

If you assume mithral armor weighs half as much as normal armor, just like all other mithral stuff, and see the armor check penalty from dwarven plate as a minor error, everything is ok

 

[warhookdm]

We had this discussion in-game just last week. Part of the difference is the craftsmanship (but its poorly described). Another part of the difference can be explained quite easily. It is made by dwarves, who, as we all know, tend to have lower Dex scores than Elves. As a result, they don't worry about flexibility as much as other craftsmen do. This is why the armor has a lower max dex than plain mithril full plate. (As DM, it also means that NONE of my PC's will waste time trying to find a dwarven armorsmith to make them a suit of Dwarven Plate. Instead, they will attempt to acquire regular mithril Full Plate, or find a bunch of mithril, or some such.)

 

[Wolf72]

ya know what ... I think mithral half-plate would be a good idea for *Elven* armor.

 

[rhammer2]

Mithral breastplate is a better idea.

ya know what ... I think mithral half-plate would be a good idea for *Elven* armor.

 

[Fast Learner]

A weapon like a sword is 95% metal.

Armor is both metal as well as a full suit of padded cloth and, likely, a full suit of leather backing, so the metal portion of th weight varies by type, probably from about 40% of the weight to 75% of the weight. Halve the weight of the metal and you won't get armor that weighs half as much since the padded cloth and leather don't change weight in the least.

They should still weigh less, however.

 

[drnuncheon]

Armor is half weight just like everything else made out of mithril.

The examples of mithril armor are half weight

Well, except where they aren't - which is what caused this discussion in the first place. A large mithril shield is 5 lbs, not half weight (7.5 lbs). A mithril shirt is 10 lbs, not 12.5 lbs.

J

 

[Aaron2]

Well, except where they aren't - which is what caused this discussion in the first place. A large mithril shield is 5 lbs, not half weight (7.5 lbs). A mithril shirt is 10 lbs, not 12.5 lbs.

J

They're rounding down to the nearest 5 lbs. No biggie.

 

[FlimFlam]

Does this mean you can have Mithril Hide Armor, Mithril Padded Armor and Mithril Leather Armor?