Types of Armor in the Campaign World

[DarrenGMiller]

In trying to set a flavor and style for the campaign world I am working on, I am thinking that the predominant armor would be lighter and less restrictive of movement, but I am having a hard time justifying it. In tossing ideas back and forth with others (not my players) online, it has been pointed out that if there are no firearms, then heavy armor would still be the norm. I am assuming a late medeival technology level, with some advancements being made in the medical arts and sciences such as astronomy, etc. I just don't want firearms to be a viable PC option at this point. Flavor-wise, I see light armor being the norm, but why? There certainly would be some privileged knights and such who would still wear it, but other than that, I am thinking it is largely ceremonial. I could use Defense bonuses to mechanically encourage it, but I was told that it sounds like I am just trying to limit player choice (which was portrayed as a "bad thing (tm)").

Can somebody help me figure this out?

DM

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Expense. Traditionally, I read somewhere that armour of any decent weight tends to get more expensive than most people can afford in their lifetimes. Only rich merchants/Nobles could even think of it.

Lighter armour is cheaper and easier to make; cured leather with metal bits isn't too hard or expensive.


The way most D+D games go, they tend to have earned more money than normal folks (And even nobles!) in a very short time. Don't let this happen.

Seriously? Deal in the Silver piece. When the sp is the normal currency of day-to-day transactions, the adventurers have to earn a lot more before they even think of noble levels. In fact, the only way to get big dollars is to get land and peasants farming for you and such, and the kings financial support.

Standard soldiers might be well experienced and hardened campaigners (7th level?) and still have nothing much in the way of armour.

Being paid to be a soldier doesn't earn you a lot of money. It earns you enough to live on. Adventuring should be the same - for evey dungeon filled with gold, you have several months to spend it uselessly on ale and prostitutes.

Dungeons and crypts shouldn't be filled with loot. Monsters don't use coinage. Temples, noble houses, etc have loot in them. If you want to avoid heavy armour, think in terms of more realistic economics.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

In trying to set a flavor and style for the campaign world I am working on, I am thinking that the predominant armor would be lighter and less restrictive of movement, but I am having a hard time justifying it. In tossing ideas back and forth with others (not my players) online, it has been pointed out that if there are no firearms, then heavy armor would still be the norm. I am assuming a late medeival technology level, with some advancements being made in the medical arts and sciences such as astronomy, etc. I just don't want firearms to be a viable PC option at this point. Flavor-wise, I see light armor being the norm, but why? There certainly would be some privileged knights and such who would still wear it, but other than that, I am thinking it is largely ceremonial. I could use Defense bonuses to mechanically encourage it, but I was told that it sounds like I am just trying to limit player choice (which was portrayed as a "bad thing (tm)").

Can somebody help me figure this out?

DM

What do you mean by light armor? Chain shirts? Leather? Studded leather? Breastplates? A specific answer to that question will go a long way towards answering your question. A few possibilities:

1. Lack of resources. The area simply doesn't have enough iron to support an iron based armor technology. Weapons will also tend towards things like flails, morning stars, warhammers, and spears that require less metal to make than swords. In such an environment, any metal armor would be prohibitively expensive and thus it is quite possible that the technology wouldn't develop at all. (Sure, a few kings could afford to buy enough iron for fullplate, but they're not going to employ several generations of engineers to develop the technology necessary for fullplate). In this case, you'd have bronze breastplates and greaves and leather based armors.

2. Extreme temperature. In extreme heat or extreme cold, heavy steel armor becomes impractical. Of course, this means playing a desert or an arctic game, but in either case, the normal D&D temperature rules explain why the technology for heavy metal armor was never developed even if other technologies were developed.

3. A different method of magic. If it costs enhancement bonus ^2 to make magic heavy armor (or ^2 for medium armor and ^3 for heavy armor), it will be more effective to make light armor with a higher enhancement bonus than to make magic heavy armor. This would also explain why the technology never developed in civilized lands.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Actually, one other thought: giving the most common god a domain with heat metal as a 1st level domain spell would also provide enough of a disincentive to discourage the wide use of heavy armor.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Make it illeagal in the kingdoms your players adventure in. Just like real life, the police/guards/soldier don't like having civilians on the same level as them with regards to armament. Knowledge of armor making is tightly controlled by the government and skilled armorers only sell to the government. If a character shows up armored in a town, the presumption is that he plans to attack someone and the first person to see him runs for the guard.

Alternately use/increase the fatigue penalty for wearing armor over an extended period.

 

[Marchen]

Less resources sounds good. Heavy armors are expensive to create as it is, but if the metals and ore required to produce them are a strained resource then such items will sky rocket in value.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

2. Extreme temperature. In extreme heat or extreme cold, heavy steel armor becomes impractical. Of course, this means playing a desert or an arctic game, but in either case, the normal D&D temperature rules explain why the technology for heavy metal armor was never developed even if other technologies were developed.

Even not-so-extreme temperature, heat stroke was dead common in heavy armors, a gambeson is essentially a quilt, and armor was often blacked with linseed oil to prevent rust, sucking up the heat quite nicely.

The Auld Grump

 

[Snapdragyn]

Additional options:

1) Preponderance of water-based travel. Heavy armor is a definite negative if there's a credible chance you're going to end up in the drink.

2) I may be off here, but I don't think most full plate wearers were footsoldiers. Limit access to mounts & the impetus for engineering full plate technology is lessened.

3) Didn't the advent of crossbows (or longbows?) play a role in the fall of heavy armors from primacy in RW usage? Play this up with shopkeepers only selling light stuff & warning the PCs against the dangers of how vulnerable the slower movement of heavy armors would leave them to archers.

Whichever way you go, I'd definitely consider the effects that lower AC availability will have on the party once they reach the levels where they'd normally be able to start getting into the heavier armors; whether increased avialability of relevant magical items or the use of a defensive bonus is needed will of course depend on your campaign & the adversaries they'll be facing.

 

[smilinggm]

Just Curious What does this Question have to do with the RPGA?

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Same reason cops don't regularly wear full swat forced entry outfits.

It's bloody cumbersome.

I ran a Grim Tales based game not too long ago, with a greater focus on lighter armor. Really it just sort of flowed naturally out of the system. GT's encumbrance rules penalized Attack Bonus as well as skill checks. I suggested that the game would involve as much interpersonal RP as combat, if not more. I also set the whole thing on an airship ... and nobody was much interested in taking large penalties to Jump checks.

One really effective way of encouraging lighter armor is TIME. You can't really wear full plate to go grocery shopping ... make an issue of when they're in armor and not wearing the armor. How long it'll take to get into that heavy suit, as opposed to the guys who run out in chain shirts.

But the thing is, if you're playing with regular D&D, then limiting armor is limiting what people can play. The system is balanced around those heavier armors being in there.

--fje