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Old 08-25-2016, 08:58 PM   #1
clnoel
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Default Cost Factor for odd Armor

Background: I run my GURPS campaign in the D&D world of Eberron. One of my players is building a new NPC as a "Syberis kobold", which is a kobold race with wings that lives on tall mountaintops.

I've built out all the stats, no problem. My question is: How much should armor cost for this race? I haven't been able to find generic rules for armoring odd body shapes, unless they are so odd you can effectively go for horse barding instead.

Assuming that he doesn't armor his wings, should his torso armor cost more because it has to have holes in the back for his wings? Should his leg armor cost more because kobolds are toe-walkers? Or should these be accounted for by assuming that the armor you start with is "fitted" for you (Low-Tech p.103)?

What if he finds some great armor somewhere down the line, and wants to have it refitted for him? Is that still accounted for by a craftsman spending an hour and making the Armory+2 check (again, Low-Tech p.103), or should it cost more because it takes longer or is a more difficult check?

Last edited by clnoel; 08-25-2016 at 08:59 PM. Reason: Grammar correction
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Old 08-27-2016, 04:02 AM   #2
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Cost Factor for odd Armor

I would assume about the same price in materials, but how much vendors/crafters demand for out of the ordinary gear is campaign specific.

"Toe-walkers"? Do you mean digitigrade like most mammals rather than our plantigrade like bears?
If so, then it probably isn't technically harder to make shoes/boots for. Its again depends on crafter's experience and exotic gear markup.
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but most of how much refitting would cost depends on crafter experience and markup. Though it may cost a bit more due to adjusting support components in torso armor. You can't just cut holes and hope none of the removed bits were necessary to hold everything together. I imagine as I'm not a tailor/armorer.
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Old 08-27-2016, 06:32 AM   #3
malloyd
 
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Default Re: Cost Factor for odd Armor

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Originally Posted by clnoel View Post
I've built out all the stats, no problem. My question is: How much should armor cost for this race? I haven't been able to find generic rules for armoring odd body shapes, unless they are so odd you can effectively go for horse barding instead.
If this race makes its own armor, there's no particular reason for it to cost more or less than armor made by humans for humans. If you want to buy armor from somebody who has never made a set for your race, he may charge a premium (and suffer a skill penalty for lack of familiarity), but as there is no particular increase in materials costs or necessarily in time required, it would mostly be to cover the frustration of working around that non-familiarity penalty.

Quote:
What if he finds some great armor somewhere down the line, and wants to have it refitted for him? Is that still accounted for by a craftsman spending an hour and making the Armory+2 check (again, Low-Tech p.103), or should it cost more because it takes longer or is a more difficult check?
Realistically, it's probably *impossible* for many kinds of armor over differently shaped locations. But that applies to differently shaped humans too. This rule is a generous simplification, if you are using it in the first place you might as well use it for this too.
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Old 08-27-2016, 06:39 AM   #4
Culture20
 
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Default Re: Cost Factor for odd Armor

My question is: how strong are their wings? Can the kobold support the extra weight and still fly?
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Old 08-27-2016, 01:11 PM   #5
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Cost Factor for odd Armor

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Originally Posted by Culture20 View Post
My question is: how strong are their wings? Can the kobold support the extra weight and still fly?
It'll take magic to get them in the air in the first place unless they're smaller than ducks assuming anything even vaguely humanoid. I doubt glossing over air encumbrance as much more cumbersome than terrestrial would be the breaking point for many players. ;)
I say that having once tried really hard to make a technically possible flying humanoid. At best they're the size of ducks, really weird looking, and have issues with drag, balance, and other things.
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Old 08-27-2016, 02:26 PM   #6
Bruno
 
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Default Re: Cost Factor for odd Armor

Given a TL 3-4 world where everything is hand made one-offs, you may not get charged a mark up at all.

Instead, you'll likely get something Cheap for standard cost, if the person making it isn't any good with your body shape and doesn't have the skill to figure it out on the fly. If they're ethical, they may charge you less, knowing that they're producing a kinda shoddy product.

If they're excitable and curious, they may do it at cost for the chance to learn how to make a breastplate for a winged kobold (for example) - but you could end up paying for two or three times the normal materials as there's a few failed experiments. And waiting a long time.

Manufacturing at this TL is a personal relationship, and it's going to depend on the people doing the work.
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Old 08-27-2016, 02:51 PM   #7
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Cost Factor for odd Armor

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Originally Posted by Bruno View Post
...
Manufacturing at this TL is a personal relationship, and it's going to depend on the people doing the work.
That's really the biggest issue many of us moderners fail to realize. Haggling exists, and it will cost what they think you will pay FAR more than a catalogue style it-costs-what-it-costs here and there.
I think one unmentioned issue is whether their torsos are shaped differently than normal humanoids or mixed with bird/bat/pterasaur features. A giant bird keelbone and massive flight muscles flexing all over the place during flight must be hell to armor effectively. But most flying humanoids are more angelic with no flight muscles, just wings.
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Old 08-28-2016, 06:06 AM   #8
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Default Re: Cost Factor for odd Armor

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Originally Posted by clnoel View Post
What if he finds some great armor somewhere down the line, and wants to have it refitted for him? Is that still accounted for by a craftsman spending an hour and making the Armory+2 check (again, Low-Tech p.103), or should it cost more because it takes longer or is a more difficult check?
I'd suggest you add the physiology penalty (p. B181) to that roll.
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Old 09-03-2016, 11:09 PM   #9
clnoel
 
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Default Re: Cost Factor for odd Armor

I feel blind!

Physiology modifier is exactly what I was looking for! Using the -2 penalty turns the Armory +2 check into an Armory+0 check. This means that you either need to find someone more skilled (which is more expensive because they presumably have higher wealth level) or have someone less skilled take more time (which is more expensive based on an hourly rate). In either case, it'll probably cost about double to have the armor refitted.

Or I could consider that -2 an "unfamiliarity penalty" as listed under Armory, which has the same effect.

Also, I decided that the race's own armorers would have regular armor for their race readily available. That suggestion made a lot of sense, so his starting armor will be purchased as regular. And having armor specifically made and fitted for him (which I consider the definition of "fine" armor in my world), would cost the same regardless of who was making it, because (as stated above) that's a personal relationship.

Thanks for all the suggestions!
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