Modern day materials on fantasy armor.

[TheCosmicKid]

It's more of a revolver gunblade or shotgun spear kind of thing, post apocalyptic world where you make your own weapons. Humans still pass down knowledge of how to make armor with these materials. DND 5e rules.

Would it affect anything if you knew that kevlar and other synthetic materials are actually made in big, expensive, sophisticated chemical laboratories, and you might as well be saying that people in this setting make their own space shuttles?

 

[Omarius peladus]

Lol, might help.

Sent from my R1 HD using EN World mobile app

 

[Oofta]

You can always go the Fallout route. Armor is scrounged and refurbished or made of scrap materials cannibalized from prewar items.

So yes, your plate armor is made of special alloys that make it relatively bullet proof but you have no idea how to forge new alloy.

I would just say that all armor is like that. Better against bullets than you might expect, but just kind of hand-wave the "why".

 

[Caliban]

My setting uses firearms. I was thinking that armor should not be readily bypassed by bullets so I'm trying to adapt materials like Kevlar or polymer ceramics to the rules. A la Phantasy Star. Ideas are welcome.

Simplest method may be to say that armor with the modern materials grants Resistance to damage from firearms.

 

[LordEntrails]

Simplest method may be to say that armor with the modern materials grants Resistance to damage from firearms.

Almost the simplest method. Though it would require a damage type (firearm or ballistic) and then an armor property (advanced or anti-ballistic).

I still will say, if you are now going to account for one type of damage and have a special type of armor for that damage type, then you should also account for the current damage types; piercing, slashing, bludgeoning.

And then are you going to use resistance, damage reduction, hardness, special AC or what mechanic?

IMO, none of that is worth it to me. Might as well use a different system than 5E if you want to go there and start tracking hit locations, lingering damage, ...

 

[Horwath]

I would say no AC bonus but resistance to damage.

If you get hit by a bullet in kevlar it will probably breaka a rib or two from impact.

Also kevlar is almost useless against high powered bows or crossbows.

 

[Imaculata]

Modern armor should have full Dex Bonus allowance because it is much lighter on the same protection level.

I disagree. If you're wearing a bulletproof vest with a protective plate, like some SWAT/police teams do, you are heavily encumbered. That sh*t is heavy and very restrictive in regards to your movement.

 

[Baldurs_Underdark]

Mithril?

Mithril is rare, but very hard and durable. It is probably already the top-of-the-line armour in the D&D world. Perhaps you don't need anything else?

In my opinion, Kevlar is difficult to fit into the fantasy world - it's a polymer (just like other plastics). Those materials just don't fit. But that's an opinion, and I am not arguing for anyone to follow it.

 

[Coroc]

I disagree. If you're wearing a bulletproof vest with a protective plate, like some SWAT/police teams do, you are heavily encumbered. That sh*t is heavy and very restrictive in regards to your movement.

Maybe the tough stuff which could fend of minor explosions and shrapnel you are prolly right, but what about the vests made from Kevlar that you can easily wear underneath your shirt?

And we still do not know what damage range the OP is intending for his gunlike implements and what rate of fire / round these weapons will do. That has a big impact on what I would recommend to the OP. If those are just harquebuses or muskets then I would say stick with plate armor, may be make one that has AC 19 and one that has AC 20
to reflect the height of gothic and Italian armormaking.

 

[Satyrn]

Simplest method may be to say that armor with the modern materials grants Resistance to damage from firearms.

I like this idea.

It's not perfect, as you don't address other damage types and that will feel odd to some people, but I would be totally cool with it as a player. It gives the feel that the armor is protecting you..