Armor Quality

[NeonWolf]

I'm starting up a game based on the "Dies the Fire" series. Now the interesting point is that in Sydney at about the time this "happened" we had a display of Austrian Arms and Armor. Now this to me would be high quality gear.

Add this to the thought that you could make your armor out of better material (I know about those rules) and designed better (maybe).

Brings up the question. Why is there no rules for Armor Quality like there is for weapons?

[Nymdok]

I presume that if there are, it will be in Low Tech that is due out later this year. Untill that time, consider the options in DF:Adventurers and see what you can come up with.


Nymdok

[Bruno]

Utratech uses general Quality rules for equipment, and extends them to Armor as far as I know. The major benefit is reduction of weight, IIRC.

[Gudiomen]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Utratech uses general Quality rules for equipment, and extends them to Armor as far as I know. The major benefit is reduction of weight, IIRC.

And I suppose the ruggedness and some other enhancements would be occasionally useful, for resisting rust and such.

[Kelly Pedersen]

In my low-tech martial arts games, we've house ruled that Fine armor can be either 25% lighter, or have 25% more DR, and Very Fine armor can be 50% lighter, have 50% more DR, or split the difference: 25% more DR and 25% lighter.
Honestly, I don't know if that's historically accurate or not at all. It seems to work as a rule of thumb, though.

[DanHoward]

Compendium II p. 43 had an optional rule that allowed a -10% weight reduction for a +25% increase in cost. The new version of Low Tech will cover armour quality in a lot more detail.

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

In my low-tech martial arts games, we've house ruled that Fine armor can be either 25% lighter, or have 25% more DR, and Very Fine armor can be 50% lighter, have 50% more DR, or split the difference: 25% more DR and 25% lighter.
Honestly, I don't know if that's historically accurate or not at all. It seems to work as a rule of thumb, though.

the mass reduction seems excessive to me, and also the ability to have better DR. If you want better DR, use a stronger kind of armour. If you think mail has too little DR, upgrade to plate. Or upgrade to heavy mail. Or if there is no heavy mail, make your GM aware of the problem and wait while he solves it.

-10% mass for Fine and -20% for Very Fine might be good. (although one must be mindful that some of the Enchantments from GURPS Magic can interact with this, and IIRC they are also in DF.)

[Gudiomen]

Mind you, -50% would be unbelievable if GURPS Basic armors weren't so overweight. With that in mind, I think the rule works ok.

The compromise I've made was...

Standard Weight - "off the shelf" armor (only available in fantasy, or for flexible armor like mail)... it's big, and fits just about anyone.
Historical Weight¹ - "sized" armor it's the right size for somebody your weight and height, but will fit badly and be uncomfortable with someone of different build.
Historical + Fine (DF1) - "fitted" armor, it was measured and made for you, it'll fit badly for anyone else, and won't even be usable by people of different build. You might have to get it refitted if you gain a few pounds, or it becomes uncomfortable.

¹best aproximation I could get from dozends of forum debates and sources.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by Gudiomen

Mind you, -50% would be unbelievable if GURPS Basic armors weren't so overweight. With that in mind, I think the rule works ok.

The compromise I've made was...

Standard Weight - "off the shelf" armor (only available in fantasy, or for flexible armor like mail)... it's big, and fits just about anyone.
Historical Weight¹ - "sized" armor it's the right size for somebody your weight and height, but will fit badly and be uncomfortable with someone of different build.
Historical + Fine (DF1) - "fitted" armor, it was measured and made for you, it'll fit badly for anyone else, and won't even be usable by people of different build. You might have to get it refitted if you gain a few pounds, or it becomes uncomfortable.

¹best aproximation I could get from dozends of forum debates and sources.

Ok but that would make more sense if you stated what the various classes above do to weight/DR....

[Stripe]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

Compendium II p. 43 had an optional rule that allowed a -10% weight reduction for a +25% increase in cost. The new version of Low Tech will cover armour quality in a lot more detail.

Yes!!!!!!!

^I had to have 10 characters, thus the extra exclamation marks. My "yes" probably only warranted a maximum of three exclamation marks. Ignore the rest.