So, ancient armor questions...

[Cheomesh]

What's the hold up putting ridged armor on the "abdomen"? You can still bend at the waist then, right?

M.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Cheomesh

What's the hold up putting ridged armor on the "abdomen"? You can still bend at the waist then, right?

M.

Ridged armor?

If you mean 'rigid' armor, no, that's sort of exactly what you can't do if your abdomen is covered in inflexible material.

[Polydamas]

You get the most mobility if the breastplate goes no lower than your navel. Most historical breastplates err on the short side, probably because armour is worn much more often than it is fought in.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Cheomesh

What's the hold up putting ridged armor on the "abdomen"? You can still bend at the waist then, right?

M.

Rigid. Stiff. Inflexible. Not bendable. Take an iron bar and stuff it down your pants, so it runs from your crotch up your abs to your breastbone, and then try to tie your shoelaces :)

Originally Posted by Bruno

Rigid. Stiff. Inflexible. Not bendable. Take an iron bar and stuff it down your pants, so it runs from your crotch up your abs to your breastbone, and then try to tie your shoelaces :)

Is that an iron bar down your pants, or are you just happy to see me?

Plate armor is too rigid for things like abdomen, knee and elbow - so is segmented plate the natural alternative?

And what of scale or brigandine - do they have a segmented alternative, or are the stats unchanged if you were to make a kilt out of strips of leather onto which metal scales had been sewn, or make the brigandine equivalent to segmented plate?

And Heavy leathers, that don't have the "flexibility" asterisk - they qualify as "semi-rigid" in that you can't wear them under anything, but you can wear them in bendy locations?

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Fez

Plate armor is too rigid for things like abdomen, knee and elbow - so is segmented plate the natural alternative?

Yep - or mail, another popular go-to because it is of course quite flexible.

Originally Posted by Fez

And what of scale or brigandine - do they have a segmented alternative, or are the stats unchanged if you were to make a kilt out of strips of leather onto which metal scales had been sewn, or make the brigandine equivalent to segmented plate?

Scale - you get a more flexible version by using a lighter grade of scale.

Not sure about brigandine off the top of my head.

Originally Posted by Fez

And Heavy leathers, that don't have the "flexibility" asterisk - they qualify as "semi-rigid" in that you can't wear them under anything, but you can wear them in bendy locations?

The leather "dress armour" items I have at home would be too stiff to have as a solid piece across the abdomen, and they aren't even waxed, boiled, or layered. The shoulder piece is segmented but the segmentation is purely decorative (just like the rest of the "armour" ;). No clue about real leather armour techniques.

[Hedonismbot]

What should I call the 'skirt' on a suit of armour like this (which would seem to cover the abdomen region)? Segmented plate of some weight?

http://www.digital-images.net/Images...astle_1647.jpg

Originally Posted by Hedonismbot

What should I call the 'skirt' on a suit of armour like this (which would seem to cover the abdomen region)? Segmented plate of some weight?

http://www.digital-images.net/Images...astle_1647.jpg

I'm no armor expert, but the diagram at the beginning of Instant Armor calls that the "fauld" and I would think it was the very definition of segmented plate.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Fez

Plate armor is too rigid for things like abdomen, knee and elbow - so is segmented plate the natural alternative?

I'm not sure you need segmented plate for the knees and elbows. The inside of the joint is always going to be uncovered by rigid protection, and for the outside, ordinary athletic protection typically uses a single plate.

Originally Posted by Hedonismbot

What should I call the 'skirt' on a suit of armour like this (which would seem to cover the abdomen region)? Segmented plate of some weight?

http://www.digital-images.net/Images...astle_1647.jpg

Segmented Plate covering the abdomen and probably some of the legs.

[Humabout]

I believe those are tassets. They generally hang from the breastplate or fauld.