Equipment loadouts for early 15th century?

[Joseph Paul]

Doh! Missed the German stipulation Phayman.

[phayman53]

Originally Posted by Joseph Paul

Doh! Missed the German stipulation Phayman.

That's okay, the first time I read it I missed the early part of the early 15th century stipulation. Easy to do...

[Anders]

It's for a game set in the Darklands universe, which begins in 1400.

[phayman53]

Originally Posted by Anders

It's for a game set in the Darklands universe, which begins in 1400.

I take it you are using the more realistic armor rules from Low-Tech, correct?

[Anders]

Some of them. I'll be using Chest/Abdomen hit location but I won't bother about other subdivision of hit location. Nor will I use Harsh Realism. But weights and costs, yes.

[phayman53]

I decided to write up some possible common soldier helmets based on some of those manuscript images. Some are much more expensive than others, but most common soldiers seem to wear some kind of head protection in manuscripts, even if it is only a textile coif. Here they are:

Flat-Topped Cheap Kettle Hat:
Skull Cap, DR4 Plate, Cheap Quality (-1 DR), Flat Topped, Brimed: DR3, 3.3 lbs, $69, protects face on 1 on 1d6 or 1-5 on 1d6 from top attacks

Dome Topped Cheap Kettle Hat
Skull Cap, DR4 Plate, Cheap Quality, Brimmed: DR3, 2.8 lbs, $138, protects face on 1 on 1d6 or 1-5 on 1d6 from top attacks

Kettle Hats almost always seem to either be worn over a mail coif or some kind of textile coif-like hood, so I have elected to not give them extra padding (though they probably had some padding, just not enough to qualify for +1 DR). Instead I have given some coif options below that can be worn under a kettle hat or on there own (extra padding just for a kettle hat is $10, 1.2 lbs if a character does not want a coif). For the mail coif, Dan Howard has pointed out that mail probably should never be made "cheap" as a huge part of the cost is time in making it, so I have not made the coif cheap.

Light Mail Coif, Padded
Light Mail plus Padded Cloth protecting the skull, back of the face, and neck, DR4/2*cr, 5.4 lbs, $165, protects ears (1 on 1d6)

Historically, though, coifs in this period seem to be of the kind that protects the upper chest, but I was not sure if you wanted this much detail. If so, weight and cost would be: 8.1 lbs, $247.50 and it should protect the chest on 1-2 on 1d6 (including vitals).

Padded Cloth Cloth "Coif"
Padded Cloth covering the same area as the coif: DR1*, 1.8 lbs, $15 or 2.7 lbs, $22.50 if it covers the upper chest.

Light Layered Cloth "Coif"
Same as above but using light layered cloth: DR2*, 3.6 lbs, $45 or 5.4 lbs, $67.50

Cheap Open Faced Bascinet, Padded
Medium Plate Bascinet (DR6), Cheap, plus padded cloth liner: DR6, 6.5 lbs, $262.50, protects the ears (1 on 1d6) and gives hard of hearing.

Usually Bascinets are shown with mail aventails, though not always. If they had them they were put on with the helmet, not separately. Aventails seem to have been padded, so I have included padded cloth:

Light Mail Aventail, Padded, Neck Only
DR4/2*cr, 0.9 lbs, $27.50

Light Mail Aventail, Padded, Long
DR4/2*cr, 3.6 lbs, $110, covers neck and chest on 1-2 on 1d6

There also seem to have been some kind of scale helmets that some common soldiers wore. I have chosen cheap heavy scale for this one. It is not lined with padding because they also seem to usually have been worn over a textile coif:

Padded Cheap Scale Helm

Heavy Scale Pot Helm, Cheap Quality, DR4, 8 lbs, $88

Hope these are helpful!

[Anders]

I'll allow cheap mail, to simulate hand-me-downs from olde times. Wear and tear has reduced the protective value of the armor.

[phayman53]

One thing you also might consider for less expensive armor for lower status warriors is allowing scale armor (and cheap scale armor) in place of mail. I know a lot of people seem to downplay the existance of scale armor in the middle ages, but there is manuscript evidence for it, as is shown by this image and others. It seems to show up on some lower status warriors where one would expect to find mail (as you can see from the image, mail is also depicted by the artist on some of the warriors by sideways semicircles with alternating grain while the scale is distinctly depicted as overlapping U shapes)--such as in aventails and faulds. Scale is heavier than mail but is a little more than 60% the cost for similar DR (except for heavy scale). So if some of your PCs or their opponents are not full knights but still have enough money for some kind of metal body armor, it might be a good option and seems to have historical precedent in the period.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by phayman53

One thing you also might consider for less expensive armor for lower status warriors is allowing scale armor (and cheap scale armor) in place of mail.

Darklands certainly allowed scale armour, so if the campaign is based thereon, it might seem appropriate...

[Anders]

Oh yes. Scale armor is very much part of the setting, although it is rather crappy armor. Cheap, though.