Elvish chain is beautiful.

[Gnarlo]

Artistically, it's a very nice piece of illustration.

Gaming and realistically, her silver spandex ain't no different from a chain-mail bikini, except that since it don't show no actual skin, we can take the high ground and pretend we ain't oggling her boobs.

 

[Mr. Kaze]

Artistically, it's a very nice piece of illustration.

Gaming and realistically, her silver spandex ain't no different from a chain-mail bikini, except that since it don't show no actual skin, we can take the high ground and pretend we ain't oggling her boobs.

Thank you for your honesty. It's appreciated after three pages of this sort of thing. Yes, it's a nicely refined illustration and the sort of quality that I expect in WotC full-color publications -- but three pages of posts?

::Kaze (notes that the at least the relatively shy elven chain fanboys are easier to tolerate than the typically more rowdy chainmail bikini fanboys.)

 

[Aaron L]

Let's not forget that this is made of mithril, which has a lot more flexibility than steel while also being stronger.

 

[mythusmage]

Not so. The WotC elven chain is mithral, the KenzerCo elven chain is iron. Besides which, the flexibility depends not on what metal it's made of but on how the links are 'woven' together. Compare the Kalamaran elf and dark elf chains sometime. You'll note that the dark elf chain is heavier and stiffer due to its method of construction.

 

[Chorn]

When people think "chainmail", they typically think of what is known as "4 in 1" mail, in which each ring has four other rings passing through it. With typical rings, this does have give in both directions (more in one direction than in the other). However, it isn't the only weave out there.

So I have to ask, how flexible is the weave depicted in the Player's Handbook? I'm thinking it has to be very flexible, because just looking at it causes my brain to flex quite a bit trying to make sense of it.

 

[yoippari]

Let's not forget that this is made of mithril, which has a lot more flexibility than steel while also being stronger.

So does that mean that mithril, when stabbed, will not break but will still allow the point of a spear to skewer the wearer of mithril armor? Metal is metal, if it is going to protect against a stab or slice then it will have to be hard enough to stop a melee weapon. The rings will not bend. If they do then you bought a bad piece of armor that will need the rings straightened constantly.

Flexibility is in the weave. The most common (historically) are euro 4-1 and a couple of japanese weaves which are vastly different from european weaves in both use and design. Since this is not europe, or even earth for that matter, it is feasable that different cultures would make what works best for them. Since function rules the day, they would most likely use very similar weaves to what we have used.

Rant alert!

The dark elven maille looks to be completely useless as armor due to its density. It would however make a nice heavy alternative to a plate. The normal elven maille looks very impractical. The bars that seem to be crossing each of the large rings would need to be welded in and while filling in the hole in the large ring they would also make it flex strangely. A sheet of "elven chain mail" would likely flex in line with the bars since the smaller rings could move along side it but not across it. This would not be very flexible IMHO.

The biggest problem I see with the woman in elven chain is that with such a form fitting suit one hit from a mace and whe would be dead. There is no bludgeoning protection, no padding. Maille only helps prevent cutting and piercing, not blunt force. It is a common myth that maille will protect the wearer from a bullet or even from a sword. So some candidate for "Jackass" puts on a maille bracer and has a friend hit him with a hatchet. Tadaa! Broken arm.

Sorry for the rant. False beliefs surrounding fantasy settings (dnd, movies, novelty shops) are a pet peeve of mine.

 

[Particle_Man]

I couldn't help noticing that the picture is of a half-elf in the armor. I mean, look at that non-black hair. And the ears are not quite "full" elf, to me at least. Maybe 3/4 elf, or Spock, or something.

And mithral is the T-1000 metal, dudes. Flexible like clothes, but stops weapons in their tracks.

But I accept a lot of hand-waving when it comes to fantasy worlds, so magical armor "Realism" doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Hey, Celestial armor is of silver or gold, and is meant to be as good as iron chainmail. I mean, gold? That is a pretty metal, but not a great armor-metal, in a non-fantasy world.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Rant alert!

The dark elven maille looks to be completely useless as armor due to its density. It would however make a nice heavy alternative to a plate. The normal elven maille looks very impractical. The bars that seem to be crossing each of the large rings would need to be welded in and while filling in the hole in the large ring they would also make it flex strangely. A sheet of "elven chain mail" would likely flex in line with the bars since the smaller rings could move along side it but not across it. This would not be very flexible IMHO.

No worries - you're perfectly entitled to rant. Still, for the elven armors of Tellene, I do want to point out that these closeups were based on armors from somewhere on Earth, if I remember correctly. (It's been about two years since I assigned that art.) In fact, most of the several hundred weapons in Goods and Gear: the Ultimate Adventurer's Guide were based on a real Earth weapon.

 

[AuraSeer]

The biggest problem I see with the woman in elven chain is that with such a form fitting suit one hit from a mace and whe would be dead. There is no bludgeoning protection, no padding.

In my game world that's not a problem, because I've declared mithral to be a non-Newtonian solid. It behaves differently depending on how quickly force is applied.

If you've ever played with "ooblick" (a mixture of cornstarch and water) you'll know what I'm talking about. The stuff is normally goopy and liquid, but if you roll it around with your hands, it acts like a solid for as long as you're pressing on it. And if you hit it with a hammer, it can be brittle enough to break.

Worked mithral in its normal state is extremely flexible and springy, with a strong "memory". It doesn't require much force to bend, but when released it quickly returns to its original shape (within limits). That's why armor made with it is so easy to move in, yet doesn't bend out of shape over time.

But when a very sharp or sudden force is applied, the metal momentarily hardens and doesn't flex. The links of elven chain are carefully shaped and patterned to take advantage of this. When struck by a weapon, a large section of mail becomes extremely rigid for an instant, diffusing the force and protecting the wearer. That's why elven chain, unlike regular chain armor, need not be worn over heavy padding.

It's my game world, which means I control the physics. And my physics will never prevent hot elven chicks from wearing skintight armor.

 

[The Other Librarian]

It's my game world, which means I control the physics. And my physics will never prevent hot elven chicks from wearing skintight armor.

That's a sig-quote if ever I saw one.