Materials for armor in Fantasy game

kdarc · 08-28-2011, 10:55 AM

So in my fantasy game, I'm trying to flesh out the selection of arms and armor to make the setting a bit more unique and interesting. To make it all a bit more interesting and, well, "fantastic", I'm trying to come up with some materials for armor and such. I also liked it in RPG's when there were new stuff to fashion other stuff from and every piece of armor wasn't the same. ("Yawn, another plate cuirass...")

In particular, I'm looking to make the Dark Elves of my setting a bit more unique in their equipment. Culturally, think the Dunmer from Elder Scrolls (feuding houses somewhat united under a foreign Empire, homeland relatively desolate and filled with ash and rocks, a natural affinity for magic...). If nothing else, I might also shamelessly rip off their style of armor, bonemold. (Link: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Bonemold) But any suggestions are quite welcome!

Just out of curiosity, have you ever used weapon/armor/other materials in fleshing out a world?

Dustin · 08-28-2011, 11:40 AM

If you have Low-Tech, you can use it to help distinguish materials. Take existing armor flavors from Low Tech and assign them exclusively to fantasy materials (Quality Leather, Lightened, etc). One fantasy metal could offer Edge Protection, another could always be considered Lightened, another could be +1 vs crushing, etc. My fantasy games often include Atlantean armor, which is bronze plate with all the TL4 bells & whistles (fluting, etc). My current campaign includes Sea Leather, cribbed from the Elric RPG, which is just cuirboulli that helps you float (armor encumbrance doesn't count against swimming rolls).

I.C.E.'s Middle Earth RPG also had a nice array of fantasy metals available for weapons and armor, might be worth a look.

Turhan's Bey Company · 08-28-2011, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdarc

So in my fantasy game, I'm trying to flesh out the selection of arms and armor to make the setting a bit more unique and interesting. To make it all a bit more interesting and, well, "fantastic", I'm trying to come up with some materials for armor and such.

Not to be self-serving or anything, but Dungeon Fantasy 8 has some variant materials for both weapons and armor, as well as a few oddball exotic weapons (there are a few in Fantasy-Tech as well, but I think DF8 has more of what you're looking for). You might also want to look into Low-Tech and Low-Tech Companion 2 for a more realistic set of variant materials and customization rules.

Also, there was a thread on an Elder Scrolls conversion some time ago which has suggestions on how to convert some specific items from there. Worth searching for.

Purple Haze · 08-28-2011, 12:09 PM

I have chitin from various gigantic insects, wyrm skin, and dragon skin (really good but dangerous to wear as dragons reincarnate and while they don't mind (too much) being killed...).

Bruno · 08-28-2011, 12:17 PM

The Low Tech armor system also makes it pretty easy to add new material types, once you've got an idea of what the basic properties should be like (gives X DR, weighs Y lbs for a torso-covering piece, costs Z$ for the torso-covering piece).

Refplace · 08-28-2011, 02:11 PM

I mostly reused some of the standard materials from fantasy and myth and assigned them X properties.
Adamant I have used as a metal and a crystal but either way it was lighter and gave better DR.
Orichulium was a green jade like substance that was more a ceramic then anything and was magic resistant.
Mithril was a silvery and easily enchanted metal about as light as aluminium but hard as steel.
Used various woods and leathers to provide special properties based on origin.
Even used Morganti steel (from the Vlad Taltos series) that was a necromantic metal.

mhd · 08-28-2011, 02:58 PM

Speaking of utterly fantastic materials, what would be a bearable, non-utterly-munchkiny way of treating something that has mass like steel or bronze, but is literally unbreakable once forged and specially treated?

That certainly doesn't sound like infinite DR to me, more like infinite edge (and tip) protection, i.e. unless you bypass it (chinks, other location) you'll always get a wound multiplier of 1. Not quite sure if that's enough, though.

08-28-2011, 10:55 AM	#1
kdarc Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Aarhus, Denmark	Materials for armor in Fantasy game So in my fantasy game, I'm trying to flesh out the selection of arms and armor to make the setting a bit more unique and interesting. To make it all a bit more interesting and, well, "fantastic", I'm trying to come up with some materials for armor and such. I also liked it in RPG's when there were new stuff to fashion other stuff from and every piece of armor wasn't the same. ("Yawn, another plate cuirass...") In particular, I'm looking to make the Dark Elves of my setting a bit more unique in their equipment. Culturally, think the Dunmer from Elder Scrolls (feuding houses somewhat united under a foreign Empire, homeland relatively desolate and filled with ash and rocks, a natural affinity for magic...). If nothing else, I might also shamelessly rip off their style of armor, bonemold. (Link: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Bonemold) But any suggestions are quite welcome! Just out of curiosity, have you ever used weapon/armor/other materials in fleshing out a world?

08-28-2011, 11:40 AM	#2
Dustin Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: The former Chochenyo territory	Re: Materials for armor in Fantasy game If you have Low-Tech, you can use it to help distinguish materials. Take existing armor flavors from Low Tech and assign them exclusively to fantasy materials (Quality Leather, Lightened, etc). One fantasy metal could offer Edge Protection, another could always be considered Lightened, another could be +1 vs crushing, etc. My fantasy games often include Atlantean armor, which is bronze plate with all the TL4 bells & whistles (fluting, etc). My current campaign includes Sea Leather, cribbed from the Elric RPG, which is just cuirboulli that helps you float (armor encumbrance doesn't count against swimming rolls). I.C.E.'s Middle Earth RPG also had a nice array of fantasy metals available for weapons and armor, might be worth a look. __________________ My gaming blog: Thor's Grumblings Keep your friends close, and your enemies in Close Combat.

08-28-2011, 12:09 PM	#4
Purple Haze Join Date: Jul 2006	Re: Materials for armor in Fantasy game I have chitin from various gigantic insects, wyrm skin, and dragon skin (really good but dangerous to wear as dragons reincarnate and while they don't mind (too much) being killed...).

08-28-2011, 12:17 PM	#5
Bruno Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Canada	Re: Materials for armor in Fantasy game The Low Tech armor system also makes it pretty easy to add new material types, once you've got an idea of what the basic properties should be like (gives X DR, weighs Y lbs for a torso-covering piece, costs Z$ for the torso-covering piece). __________________ All about Size Modifier; Unified Hit Location Table A Wiki for my F2F Group A neglected GURPS blog

08-28-2011, 02:11 PM	#6
Refplace Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yukon, OK	Re: Materials for armor in Fantasy game I mostly reused some of the standard materials from fantasy and myth and assigned them X properties. Adamant I have used as a metal and a crystal but either way it was lighter and gave better DR. Orichulium was a green jade like substance that was more a ceramic then anything and was magic resistant. Mithril was a silvery and easily enchanted metal about as light as aluminium but hard as steel. Used various woods and leathers to provide special properties based on origin. Even used Morganti steel (from the Vlad Taltos series) that was a necromantic metal.

08-28-2011, 02:58 PM	#7
mhd Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Land of the Beer, Home of the Dirndls	Re: Materials for armor in Fantasy game Speaking of utterly fantastic materials, what would be a bearable, non-utterly-munchkiny way of treating something that has mass like steel or bronze, but is literally unbreakable once forged and specially treated? That certainly doesn't sound like infinite DR to me, more like infinite edge (and tip) protection, i.e. unless you bypass it (chinks, other location) you'll always get a wound multiplier of 1. Not quite sure if that's enough, though.