Price of Plate Armor

[GoLu]

Can anyone explain the logic of having 50 gp Plate Armor? I guess they want to have beginning characters to be able to have it, but that price is ridiculous. Why not just have a rule to say you start off with any armor you are proficient in?


JeffJ

More seriously...

That's half your starting wealth. The armor is valued at five whole cows. It's not a trivial purchase for armor which isn't even all that good. It's no warplate, that's for sure. And it doesn't enshroud the wearer in holy flames, let them soar on gigantic batlike wings, or blast attackers with retributive jets of acid. It's just... metal. It sits there, not blessed by Moradin, not enameled with Eladrin sigils of power, not forged with the black iron hearts of defeated warbeasts or the inflused with the blood of dragons, not painted in elder runes or neigh-forgotton patterns. If you are lucky, it makes you harder to kill. But it's just a layer of common, non-magical metal between you and death, and while that metal is better than nothing, there are many better things in the world that could be more efficiently and more comfortably protecting your body.

 

[Dausuul]

Can anyone explain the logic of having 50 gp Plate Armor? I guess they want to have beginning characters to be able to have it, but that price is ridiculous. Why not just have a rule to say you start off with any armor you are proficient in?

JeffJ

I'm inclined to say that "plate armor" is in fact plate and mail - probably something along the lines of breastplate, greaves, pauldrons, gauntlets, gorget, and helm, with mail to cover the rest of the body. That would explain both why it's in the same overall price range as other armor, and why it offers only +1 AC compared to scale. Full plate simply doesn't exist in the 4E world. (Or possibly "warplate" is actually full plate.)

 

[Witchfinder General]

It's no warplate, that's for sure. And it doesn't enshroud the wearer in holy flames, let them soar on gigantic batlike wings, or blast attackers with retributive jets of acid. It's just... metal. It sits there, not blessed by Moradin, not enameled with Eladrin sigils of power, not forged with the black iron hearts of defeated warbeasts or the inflused with the blood of dragons, not painted in elder runes or neigh-forgotton patterns.

I'm to going remove the negations and use this as a sales pitch for godplate in the City of Brass or Sigil.

 

[GoLu]

I'm to going remove the negations and use this as a sales pitch for godplate in the City of Brass or Sigil.

Please do. Although I encourage you to correct my neigh/nigh typo prior to using it as a sales pitch. People will get funny ideas, otherwise.

 

[Yaezakura]

Please do. Although I encourage you to correct my neigh/nigh typo prior to using it as a sales pitch. People will get funny ideas, otherwise.

What if the salesman is some kind of horse-person though? Then people may get confused if he doesn't neigh.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Can anyone explain the logic of having 50 gp Plate Armor? I guess they want to have beginning characters to be able to have it, but that price is ridiculous. Why not just have a rule to say you start off with any armor you are proficient in?

When you start thinking about the D&D Economy in realistic terms, you'll get a brain-ache.

The price of plate is fine.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Damn Bariaurs ...

Thinking about it, though ... if a level 1 item is worth 360 gp (+base item cost if you're making it yourself), how much should plate be?

 

[DLichen]

Not to mention with enchant magic item, metal ores must be cheap and ridiculously easy to get.

You can resize magical armor to fit any user.

1. Make tiny magical armor
2. Resize it for a tarrasque
3. Smelt it for ore
4. Profit

That must drive ore prices down to the point where platemail is cheaper comparatively.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Oh man ... I'm so doing this.
Enchant plate armor to +1. Resize it to be enormous.
Drop it from a great height or some other silly.

 

[Zinovia]

Not to mention with enchant magic item, metal ores must be cheap and ridiculously easy to get.

You can resize magical armor to fit any user.

1. Make tiny magical armor
2. Resize it for a tarrasque
3. Smelt it for ore
4. Profit

That must drive ore prices down to the point where platemail is cheaper comparatively.

Awesome idea!