Ceramic Low-Tech Armour

[DanHoward]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

What about rigid armor? If you didn't have metal at all would you just forgo the advantages of rigidity? Would you lacquer or glue cloth until it's in plates? What about weird fibers? Petroleum products? Natural plastics?

There are plenty of examples of rigid cloth armour. Take a look at modern kendo armour. It all depends on the number of layers and how it is quilted.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

What about rigid armor? If you didn't have metal at all would you just forgo the advantages of rigidity? Would you lacquer or glue cloth until it's in plates? What about weird fibers? Petroleum products? Natural plastics?

Using the rules in Low Tech, even TL0 Layered Cloth or Heavy Leather is effectively Rigid, as are Cane, Straw, Wood and Horn. Stone armor has marginally better DR than Heavy Layered Cloth, but considering the massive encumbrance it would likely be less debilitating to layer flexible Cloth or Leather armor under a more conventional rigid piece. Of course, if Ceramic is treated as Cheap Stone then it's no more protective than Heavy Cloth, making it even less worthwhile.

This is of course ignoring the Fantasy Tech or Rule-of-Cool angle, which could let you arbitrarily add effectiveness until you reach a balance you like.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

Nothing that is as good as cloth.

Bear in mind that lack of metal armor may also indicate lack of metal weapons, and things like sharp shards of glass do a pretty good job of going through cloth; you want an armor material hard enough to blunt or break glass points, and I don't think either cloth or leather will do the job. That doesn't require more than a thin layer of hard material, though -- something like thin tiles layered on armor that is mostly cloth or leather.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Bear in mind that lack of metal armor may also indicate lack of metal weapons, and things like sharp shards of glass do a pretty good job of going through cloth; you want an armor material hard enough to blunt or break glass points, and I don't think either cloth or leather will do the job. That doesn't require more than a thin layer of hard material, though -- something like thin tiles layered on armor that is mostly cloth or leather.

Something along the lines of how weapons receive a breakage penalty when parrying weapons of a superior material? I could see that. However, it would realistically mostly be an issue for sharp-but-brittle blades (Obsidian or glass), and anything marginally rigid (including Cane, Horn, or boiled and treated Leather) would easily dull the edge. Any of those materials would be better as an armor, and be effective against brittle weapons.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

Using the rules in Low Tech, even TL0 Layered Cloth or Heavy Leather is effectively Rigid, as are Cane, Straw, Wood and Horn.

Yeah, I realized that after I posted. Well, this is how I lose all those internets I win.

This is of course ignoring the Fantasy Tech or Rule-of-Cool angle, which could let you arbitrarily add effectiveness until you reach a balance you like.

Yeah, I agree. The OP could do this, if he wants some a historical constructions. The end result could easily suspend disbelief if you keep the DR reasonable and the pseudoscientific handwavium reigned in.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

If Mythbusters didn't use bark cloth - ideally mulberry - and if they didn't quilt the layers together, then the results don't mean much. .

It was mulberry and I don't know what you mean by "quilted". It was 25 layers thick and "stapled" into panels with metal posts and then strung together mimicking a suit of repro Chinese lamellar armor they got off the Internet.

They tested it with arrows, swords and a flintlock pistol that I'd rate at 1D+1. It failed to stop a ,45 Long Colt (not the full cavalry barrel so I'd only pout that at 2D+1). That's why I rate its' DR at more thna 4 but lss than 8. DR5 seems likely and it did degrade under multiple hits. Many types of real armor do.