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[ot] What happens when a sword hits chainmail?
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<blockquote data-quote="Zaruthustran" data-source="post: 520767" data-attributes="member: 1457"><p>Swords cannot cut through properly-constructed chain mail. That's why people wore chain mail. It's the whole point of armour.</p><p></p><p>Think about it: people wouldn't wear 100 pound shirts made out of metal unless there was some kind of benefit. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Not to say that chain mail makes someone Superman. As others have noted, the force of a full-strength, straight-on blow will likely shatter whatever bones are underneath the mail*.</p><p></p><p>If the bone is your head, you're dead.</p><p>If the bone is your collar bone, you're incapacitated and soon dead.</p><p>If the bone is your rib, your lungs are punctured and you're dead.</p><p>If the bone is your weapon arm, you're defensless and soon dead.</p><p>If the bone is your leg, you're immobile and soon dead.</p><p></p><p>That's why plate is better than chain. Less chance (not "no chance") of bone breakage. </p><p></p><p>-z</p><p></p><p>* Padding (gambeson or the like, but also including fat and muscle) reduces the chance of breakage.</p><p></p><p>PS: modern swords can and do cut through fan-made chain mail armour made by modern hobbyists. *Big* difference between chain mail made by a master armoursmith and chain mail made by Bob Gamergut who downloaded some "quick and easy chain mail" instructions from the Internet. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>PSS: Remember that in D&D, an attack roll that results in less than the AC of a target does not necessarily mean that the attacker missed the target. It just means that the attack failed; did no hit point damage. Also, an attack roll that results in more than the AC of a target does not necessarily mean that the attack drew blood, or even connected. It just means that the attack succeeded; reduced the target's Hit Points.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Zaruthustran, post: 520767, member: 1457"] Swords cannot cut through properly-constructed chain mail. That's why people wore chain mail. It's the whole point of armour. Think about it: people wouldn't wear 100 pound shirts made out of metal unless there was some kind of benefit. :) Not to say that chain mail makes someone Superman. As others have noted, the force of a full-strength, straight-on blow will likely shatter whatever bones are underneath the mail*. If the bone is your head, you're dead. If the bone is your collar bone, you're incapacitated and soon dead. If the bone is your rib, your lungs are punctured and you're dead. If the bone is your weapon arm, you're defensless and soon dead. If the bone is your leg, you're immobile and soon dead. That's why plate is better than chain. Less chance (not "no chance") of bone breakage. -z * Padding (gambeson or the like, but also including fat and muscle) reduces the chance of breakage. PS: modern swords can and do cut through fan-made chain mail armour made by modern hobbyists. *Big* difference between chain mail made by a master armoursmith and chain mail made by Bob Gamergut who downloaded some "quick and easy chain mail" instructions from the Internet. :) PSS: Remember that in D&D, an attack roll that results in less than the AC of a target does not necessarily mean that the attacker missed the target. It just means that the attack failed; did no hit point damage. Also, an attack roll that results in more than the AC of a target does not necessarily mean that the attack drew blood, or even connected. It just means that the attack succeeded; reduced the target's Hit Points. [/QUOTE]
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[ot] What happens when a sword hits chainmail?
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