PHB Armors in 3.x

[Ace]

Armors in use IMC

leather -- at low levels only

studded leather -- often masterwork.

chain shirt -- probably the most common. Almost everyone uses this armor.


breastplate -- low level barbarians and low level heavy armor guys only -- high level types use mithril breastplates and druids use Monster Hide or Oaksteel ones

full plate -- tanks only.

the other armor types exist but are rare and never enchanted

optional types I am considering allowing next game

Great Armor as OA -- its 3/4 plate more or less

Half Plate -- no as PHB its AC +6 Hvy +3 Dex

Reinforced Leather -- its studded with non metal studs -- it gets -2 manuver penalty. Its only usedd by druids

 

[Thurbane]

I rarely use anything other than Chain Shirt or Full Plate. Medium armor isn't worthwhile (1 better AC at the cost of 10 ft move)...

 

[Mark CMG]

I'm particularly enjoying reading some of the campaign specific reasoning for particular armors being popular or for their elimination/disuse.

 

[shurai]

I have nothing against a few armor types being "sucker plays" in the long term for PCs. Some choices just might happen to be suboptimal and there is a place for that in any vaguely reaslistic universe.

Now that I think about it, I agree. I imagine a system with four or so types could still achieve realism and diversity by doing what I've seen some other systems (and CRPGs) do:

* High-level PCs, aristocrats, and other wealthy people have the masterworked fancypants special material magic armor.
* Rank & file soldiers & low-level PCs have the normal armor, which is the good parts of the PHB table with four or so armors on it.
* Bandits, most "uncivilized"-style monsters (such as orcs, say) would have "crappy" armor, which is PHB armor but with some kind of penalty.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Like the weapon thread, I've used most of these as well.

Its all about the PC concept.

 

[haakon1]

Who the hell wears banded mail?

The Romans. It's called lorica segmenta. D&D got the stats wrong (should allow better AC, and be something like a chainshirt in overall stats), but that doesn't stop it from being cool. My fighter wears it, because I admire the Romans more than WOTC's rule makers.

Better yet, what moron ENCHANTS crap like banded mail, scale mail, etc?

Respectively, Roman-type civilizations and Middle Eastern-type civilizations -- though scale mail was more widely used, the Sassanids were way into it, IIRC.

I dont understand the PC concept of a guy who runs around in scale mail. Sort of like the SWAT team guy who shows up without his vest because he's "cool" or the fireman who decides the helmet messes up his hair.

In D&D rules terms, the main reason to wear scale mail is because it's cheap. Makes sense in low level, low wealth campaigns. "Gah, the Iraqi army is so stupid. How come they don't use M-1A1 tanks! They're so much better than unarmored Toyota pickup trucks, every moron knows that!"