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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dark080matter" data-source="post: 4315337" data-attributes="member: 61269">This, plus it offers two very distinct choices at the "true" Heavy Armors end of the scale.  Plate is simply tank-like, with significant [-2!] Skill penalties (that don't go away even with the Specialization feat) and a huge (for 4e) -1 move that likewise can't be escaped.  While it might seem like a bad trade for the all of +1 AC bonus Plate offers over Scale at all of the same crafting levels, go check out the Plate-only magical enhancements.  Go ahead, do it.Conversely, Scale offers the serious heavy warrior type the option of having his cake and eating it too with a Speed penalty that can be Specialized away with a sufficiently high Dex modifier (which is pretty easy to obtain really, if you care enough about your Reflex defense and aren't needing Intelligence for any attack stats).  This is clearly an important option to have so that a mobile, skillful Defender is legitimately possible within the system.I think it's important to distinguish that, as others have said, Chainmail is simply deliberately inferior to these two choices.  It's the entry level Heavy Armor for the Leader classes, with the expectation that a Leader who's really into the melee side of things is going to qualify pretty easily for Scale Armor Proficiency anyway.</blockquote>