fantasy TL3 armor full kits v2

[Gef]

The idea here is to have ready-to-go choices at each wealth level with fairly consistent DR across locations at prices that don't make the player say, at some future point, something along the lines of "Hey, I coulda had better DR and lower weight for less cash with scale sollerets instead of medium leather shoes!" I've rewrought these kits since Instant Armor came out, and I'm starting a new thread so that these revisions don't wind up 20 posts deep. I'm sticking with published stats instead of "unofficial" errata mainly because Instant Armor did, but in playing around with Dan's suggestions, I found them to have their own wonkiness. Reckon I'll choose the official wonkiness. While I'm running a fantasy campaign, these suits are mundane, the starting point before fantasy materials and other magic are applied. WOFA:

For POOR warriors

RAWHIDE (partial DR 2 non-metallic, 21.8#, $73, 44s, Stealth -1)
Issued to levies if they're lucky. Rarely enchanted or worn over other armor, but levies happily replace it with anything they can scrounge. Armor consists of a cap, greaves that cover only the front of the shins, and a “jack” – theoretically a hauberk, but sometimes just a vest.
ENC: No encumbrance on its own or with summer clothing for a man of ST 11, light encumbrance with arms (light large shield and cheap spear), or medium encumbrance with an under-provisioned pack
CONSTRUCTION: Medium rawhide (skull, torso, front shins).
DR: 2, but only on certain locations
WEAKNESS: Intended to be supplemental protection for a nice big shield, it leaves plenty of targets unprotected, and it provides no protection at all when soaked. However, the way to get rawhide to fit is to soak it, then wear it, so that's actually an advantage, because otherwise the poor dumb bastards would have -1 to DX for lack of tailoring.

For STRUGGLING warriors

CLOTH (DR 2/1* non-metallic, 23.4#, $409, 67s)
The equivalent of a modern heavy jacket and jeans, rugged wear that is socially acceptable in certain places and professions though not disguised as clothing per se. Rarely enchanted, for magic is detectable, and stealth is better protection than extra-light armor. Armor consists of tough cloth like quarter-inch felt including a scarf to wrap around the face, extra padding over the chest for warmth, plus soft leather gloves, boots, and a hat with a brim for protection against sun and rain, worn in place of normal clothing instead of over it.
ENC: No encumbrance on its own, light with gear.
CONSTRUCTION: Light leather, lined (pothelm with brim); heavy cloth (face, back of head, neck, arms, abdomen, legs); light layered cloth (chest); light leather of quality (gloves); light leather (boots, integrated with moccasins).
DR: 1* overall, 2* for chest, 2* against cutting for skull, hands, feet, and sometimes (1-in-6) face and legs.
WEAKNESS: This armor is ALL weakness in combat but effective protection from the many environmental dangers that deal less damage than an armed foe. It’s flexible, so 10 hits that don’t penetrate armor, like 10 trips through a thorny thicket, cause 1 point of blunt trauma.

[Gef]

For AVERAGE warriors

SCALE (DR 3/2, 45.3#, $777, 105s, Stealth -2)
The most common armor in the Empire of the Shards because it is general issue to the imperial regiment and copied by most militia and house troops who can afford it. Regimental suits are enchanted with Fortify +1, in theory and often in practice. Consists of a helmet, banded mail collar, splinted armor for the limbs, and scale hauberk, gauntlets, and sollerets.
ENC: Light encumbrance on its own or with summer clothing, medium encumbrance with arms (spear or cheap falchion and kite shield), heavy with pack. If he drops his gear, a soldier can swim in this armor at only -2.
CONSTRUCTION: Munitions light plate, line (bascinet); light plate (nasal, cheeks); banded light mail (neck); light scale (torso, gauntlets, sollerets); reinforced light layered cloth (shoulders, upper arms, elbows, thighs, knees), reinforced heavy cloth, lined (forearms, shins).
DR: 2 overall, flexible on limbs, DR 3 against cutting on limbs, DR 3 except against crushing on torso and extremities, DR 3 on skull, neck, and usually (4-in-6) for the face.
WEAKNESS: As a compromise between defense and expense, it’s light, comfortable enough to sleep in, and better than nothing…but not a lot better. Against a mace or spear, it amounts to a speed bump, as their respective damage bonuses equal the resistance of the armor before taking basic thrust or swing damage into account. Edge protection is what this armor is designed for, and it will prevent penetration of all but the heaviest chop from an ordinary man with a shortsword or handax, but that doesn’t mean the blow won’t crack a rib. The regiment’s primary defense is their shield wall. Limb armor is flexible and thus vulnerable to wrestling moves and blunt trauma, but the latter is not worth tracking since anyone who takes enough hits to accumulate a point of trauma damage through this armor will have taken enough regular damage to be unconscious or dead. Because a regimental soldier needs to see and hear, his helmet imposes a penalty of only -8 to hit the ears and -9 for the eyes.
VARIANTS: Replace one gauntlet with a gadling (extra +1 punching damage) for half a pound and 120 bucks.
LAYERING: Mail or silk. Why not? They just cost 3 times more than a regimental soldier can afford.

For COMFORTABLE warriors

MAIL (DR 4/2, 60.8#, $1382, 85s, Stealth -2)
The armor of choice for flush warriors, worn by squires, yeomen, successful mercenaries, and officers of the regiment, often as the compelling enticement to accept promotion. Armor consists of a combination of mail and plate, including a helm with a lobsterback and visor over an aventail in the front, mail gauntlets and segmented plate sabatons.
ENC: Medium with a weapon, heavy with a shield.
CONSTRUCTION: Munitions reinforced light plate, lined (bascinet); munitions double-reinforced light plate (visor); medium segmented plate (lobsterback, sabatons); munitions heavy mail (aventail, gauntlets); munitions combined mail (torso, arms, legs).
DR: 4 overall, 2 against crushing on hands and throat and sometimes (1-in-6) on face, otherwise 3 against crushing except on feet, head, and back of neck.
WEAKNESS: A crushing blow to the throat, where it counts double, is the best attack against this armor, and next best is to smash a finger, since those can’t take much damage anyway. Otherwise the reduced effectiveness against crushing is not much of a drawback, because it doesn’t get a damage modifier anyway. Mail is lighter than plate, but not actually light unless you double the price. A typical knight errant wears a helm which doesn’t impair hearing, but the penalty to strike his ears is only -8. With his visor down, he has no peripheral vision, and with it up, his face is only partially protected (2-in-6, as the raised visor acts as a frontal brim).
VARIANTS: Replace the sabatons and combined mail with flexible heavy mail for $160. This further decrements damage against crushing and opens a vulnerability to blunt trauma, saving only five-and-a-half pounds, but it makes you eligible to wear an armored surcoat (below), still within the starting budget, barely, of a character in a martial profession with comfortable starting assets. Further upgrade the munitions heavy mail to good quality finemesh, net cost $2687 and weight just 47#.
LAYERING: Leather or silk; the former is affordable. With flexible mail, an armored surcoat works well; it’s a relatively cheap way to get better edge protection for the head and torso.

LEATHER (DR 3*, 44.5#, $1671, 135s, Stealth -2)
Good leather compares favorably to metal scale or segmentata, in terms of cost and weight (and especially in conjunction with other cost factors), while not-so-good leather is about like cloth, only heavier. Marines especially like tough leather scale, they who can afford it, which would be those serving aboard merchantmen of the Keeven League. Consists of metal boots and bracers, a regiment-style helmet, leather gauntlets and a large hauberk of leather scale.
ENC: Light by itself or with a summer clothing and a long knife, medium with more threatening arms. If he drops his gear, a marine can swim in this armor at only -2, assuming he even knows how.
CONSTRUCTION: Munitions light plate, lined (forearms, shins, bascinet); munitions reinforced light plate (nasal, cheeks); hard medium leather of quality (gauntlets), light layered leather of quality (torso, shoulders, upper arms, elbows, thighs, knees).
DR: 3* overall, sometimes (4-in-6) protects the face, rigid on head, feet, and sometimes (3-in-6) on limbs.
WEAKNESS: The armor is light, but no portion of it is weaker than another except the face, and of course the regimental helmet has the drawbacks that come with unimpaired senses. With metal components, DR is only 2 against lightning bolts thrown by the enemy ship’s weather witch.
VARIANTS: Upgrade leather styling for $230 and see if that earns a +1 reaction bonus, because styling the metal components costs another $1100 including a crest for the helm in the shape of a fin. Mer scale is common among Kivese marines. No, they don’t skin mermaids, but trade with them for the hide of fell seabeasts. Preserving the natural look of the hide takes as much skill from the armorer as more traditional embellishment, but it looks neat.
LAYERING: Silk if you’re wealthy, and because the hauberk is flexible, you can wear it with an armored surcoat.

[Gef]

For WEALTHY warriors

LAMELLAR (DR 3, 47.7#, $3195, Stealth -2, Reactions +1)
There is no “Chinese Mountain” scale in my campaign because there is no China, but there is star scale, cost effective relative to segmented plate in conjunction with other cost factors. (I'll call this one "lamellar" because it gives slightly better protection for the weight than does scale above.) Temple knights favor star scale first because the stars symbolize angels, in the Church of Man, and secondly because it is light and attractive, two important traits for protracted ceremonial duties. Layered over mail, it is also quite effective on the battlefield. Deacons enchant the suits to protect better, especially against tarnish, and to weigh even less. Consists of a complete suit of star scale below the neck, with a visored helm and bevor.
ENC: Light on its own, medium with arms.
CONSTRUCTION: Stylish munitions plate, lined (bascinet), stylish light plate (visor, bevor), stylish light star scale (torso, arms, legs, gauntlets, sollerets).
DR: 3, everywhere.
WEAKNESS: The helmet imposes Hard of Hearing, and its visor imposes No Peripheral Vision. Church knights on guard duty may raise their visors so at least one sense works, in which case they have only partial face protection (2-in-6). Ideally, squires in lighter armor should be the lookouts.
LAYERING: Typically mail, perhaps silk or leather as well.

PLATE (DR 5/4, 84.9#, $3300, 177s, Stealth -3)
The iconic armor of imperial chivalry. Consists of segmented plate everywhere that full plate is not available at TL3. Per the Instant Armor tables, DR maxes out at 4 for extremities and 6 for the limbs before layering penalties kick in, and better armor for head and torso quickly becomes expensive or heavy or both. This suit is not the best available, but it is the best with anything like an economy of scale; enchanting it is cheaper than superior craftsmanship. With enchantment and a layer of mail, this suit provides excellent protection, though it weighs down your horse as much as a second rider would. (Note on enchantent: Fortify +1, for 50 energy, is quickly enchantable. Fortify +2, as a differential from +1, enchanted piecemeal for 75 energy for the largest piece, is also quickly enchantable, easily so with modest Energy Reserves. Fortify +3 for a differential cost of 300 energy for the largest piece is also quickly enchantable if professional enchanters have considerable energy reserves. In my campaign, those enchanters are 100pt characters with reserves of 50 energy, heavily limited, including Enchantment Only and Gadget: Wand. Such enchanters are well-compensated, but Fortify +3 with an extra level for those weaker extremities would be well within the budget of a very wealthy knight.)
ENC: Heavy.
DR: 5 overall, 4 for the hands and feet.
WEAKNESS: This much armor is heavy, and yet it is in a “sweet spot” where better armor becomes considerably more expensive, so otherwise it has no weakness except for electrical attacks that bypass metal armor and the usual issues with wearing a helmet (described above for MAIL).
VARIANTS: A fullhelm instead of a visor saves a hundred bucks and adds half a pound. Medium copper plate replacing segmented armor (everywhere except the abdomen) saves fifteen pounds but increases cost to $5733. Copper is allowable under rules as written but ahistorical; in my fantasy game these pieces could represent the rejects from an alchemy lab or dwarven forge or actual copper in defiance of some other world’s history.
LAYERING: Typically mail, perhaps silk and leather as well.

For DEAD BROKE warriors

MIXED (DR 4/0*, 16.8#, $4332, 60s, Stealth -3)
The arenas of the empire’s southern provinces issue “armor” (if you can call it that) to their fighting slaves that is designed to show off their physiques; defense is a secondary consideration. Actually, a gladiator has pretty good protection (DR 4) for the most critical spots (skull, neck, heart, groin), even if most of his body is bare. That means that instant kills are unlikely, and of course other injuries are susceptible to healing magic.
ENC: None.
CONSTRUCTION and DR: Stylish light plate, lined (single-piece crested pothelm, skull DR 4); stylish hard heavy leather of quality (dog collar, neck DR 4); stylish finemesh mail (“chainmail bikini” modeled as a pectoral, upper chest DR 4, or 2 against crushing, on 4-in-6); stylish spiked light plate (vambraces, forearm DR 3, elbow strike damage +1); stylish studded light leather (what gladiators think of as boxing gloves, hand DR 1, or 2 against cutting, punching damage +1); stylish heavy leather of quality (loincloth, groin DR 4, or 3 against impale); stylish hard medium leather of quality (greaves, shin DR 3 from the front only); stylish hobnailed sandals (DR 1 for the soles, bonus for fighting on bad terrain).
WEAKNESSES: None, from the perspective of Madieran slavers who actually pay for it!
VARIANTS: Any number of them. For instance, a male gladiator might have an arm protector instead, covering the outside of one arm from shoulder to elbow. This particular example requires no recalculation because it uses the same amount of mail as the usual halter.

[Gef]

UNDERGARMENTS

MEDIUM LEATHER (DR +2/1* non-metallic, 33.6#, $280, 84s, DX -1, Stealth -1 more, Intimidation +1)
Extra DR 2, or just 1 against impale, for all locations except face and extremities. For example, in conjunction with combined MAIL, net DR is 3 against lightning spells, 5 against crush and impale, and 6 against everything else.

LIGHT MAIL (DR +6/1*, 39.8#, $2240, 65s, DX -1, Stealth -3 more)
Light mail all locations but head, for extra DR 3, or just 1 against crush. Includes a standard which doubles that bonus for the upper chest, 50% of the time (3-in-6). At least, that’s how I choose to interpret “apply 50% of DR” along with automatic protection for the vitals on a chest hit; in other words, like a front and back pectoral of the same size. Also has a crested greathelm of light plate, for extra DR 3 for head and neck, stylish so it matches ecclesiastic armor. I’m not sure if it qualifies for a reaction bonus in the absence of other stylish pieces. The greathelm imposes Tunnel Vision. Counting as an extra layer imposes no penalty for the head but does penalize DX for the neck, which would affect attacks with the head.

LIGHT LEATHER OF QUALITY (DR +2/1* non-metallic, 9.2#, $2520, 84s, no penalty to DX)
Extra DR 1, or 2 against cutting, for all locations except the face and extremities. Counts as clothing, so it imposes no penalty for layering and no penalty to Stealth! Therefore recommended for anyone who can afford it, in conjunction with other layers.

SILK (DR +2/1* non-metallic, 16.8$, $2800, 42s, DX -1, Stealth -1 more)
Extra DR 1, or 2 against cut and impale. Health benefits as well as damage resistance. One wonders if it is possible to have a silk undergarment of the thickness of clothing, like the light leather above, that would provide the health benefits for lower weight and cost, without a layering penalty.

ARMORED SURCOAT (DR +2/0*, 17.1#, $153, 29s, DX -1, Stealth -1 more)
Actually this is not an undergarment but an outer layer, a sleeveless coat hanging down to the calf designed to be worn over armor and emblazoned with the colors of the knight who wears it or the house whom he serves. In this case, the coat is thick enough to provide some protection and reinforced over the torso. Extra DR 1 for shoulders, torso, thighs, and knees, or DR 2 against cut for the torso. Accompanies a munitions-grade coif with extra DR 2 for the head, except against crushing.

[Gef]

THREAT ENVIRONMENT

As I said, my campaign is fantasy. The idea was to incorporate all the “weird stuff” from GURPS in a non-silly way, so I have standard spells, alternate magic systems including psi as magic, superpowers a.k.a. chaos mutations, and the magic of motion; in my world, cinematic equals kinemagic, and Weapon Master is an inborn talent like Magery, hard to come by if you’re not born to it. That said, I run with non-cinematic point totals, typically 100 to start, and that makes you a special person. Journeyman crafters have 25 points, masters 50, and that’s enough to be a skill 16+ expert with Guild Rank and a Comfortable or Wealthy income. Likewise a 50pt veteran soldier can easily have skill 16 with his best weapon. With 100 points, a player can afford a jorneyman wizard with Comfortable Wealth and a 50pt energy reserve (One College Only and requires either a familiar or gadget: wand), or he can afford a knight, much like that veteran soldier in ability but with the balance of points in Legal Enforcement, Military Rank, and Wealth, yielding some free status.

Wizards have energy reserves and knights have money. How does that interact? Well, modest magic items are fairly common, even among freemen. I allow limitations on spells which give bonuses to skill. Several limitations grant a bonus which makes possible a coven of enchanters with 13 members, allowing quick enchantment up to about 750 energy. Cost to enchant is $1 per energy, but retail is twice that to pay for distribution. That’s for commercial grade, where the limitations are seen as a benefit by the state. For instance, most commercial-grade enchantment fails in the presence of a bit of mithril. The stuff is rare, but senior gendarmes have mithril badges to protect themselves from criminals with enchantment. Also, a cloak of invisibility may be useful to a stage hand, but not so much a bank robber, because it gives off a blatant magical aura that bank guards are equipped to detect. Military-grade enchantment cannot have such limitations, so the practical limit for quick enchantment is about 400 energy. Increase these thresholds by 50% and double the price per energy for whole circles of powerful better-paid enchanters, but be aware that they will specialize in products for which there is consistent demand. Powerful unique items will require slow enchantment. Also, apply a generous (to the guild) surcharge of 10% per additional spell on the same item, to cover the risk of quirking.

So, a level each of Accuracy, Puissance, and Penetrating are quick enchantable, and so is a second level in conjunction with Bane. I rule that Bane can apply to a hit location, halving cost to enchant, thus you get “heartseeker” weapons with a bonus to strike the vitals and “vorpal” weapons with a bonus for the neck. Cost to enchant is 100 for Bane, 250 times 3 for the first level of each spell, 750 times 3, divided by 2, for the limited second level of each spell, and throw in 400 for Shatterproof to protect your investment, plus 70% for 8 castings, for a total of $4037.50, double to cover the cost of distribution to $8075 plus the cost of the weapon itself.

Suppose the weapon is a fine spear with +1 to hit and +1 damage, base cost $280 before enchantment. As an impaling weapon, it’s enchanted as a heartseeker. A Very Wealthy knight can afford one, along with his horse and some good armor (say plate over mail from the list above, with Fortify +2 and Lighten 25% for $660). With ST 13, he inflicts 1d+5 if he goes for the vitals, and he takes a net penalty of zero, counting the enchantment and quality bonus. If he hits another knight armored like himself, with a double-layer of mail over the heart, DR 13 divided by 3 is 5, 1d net to the vitals, tripled, yields a major wound, with unconsciousness resulting from a roll of 5 or 6, but it is survivable. By comparison, a regimental soldier (scale with Fortify +1) would only stop 2 points, and net 1d+3 tripled will assuredly cause unconsciousness and maybe a death check! This from one blow, without Extra Effort, by a character who is not a Weapon Master. Such is the power of money.

Sir Mundane can never acquire kinemagic, but he might with effort learn to match such natural talent with hard-won skill, for about the same point cost, learning a technique that gives +2 damage and a combo for an extra attack – preferably a feint, since his foes know to cover their hearts. Now with a Mighty Blow and his special technique, he inflicts 1d+9, quite possibly enough to kill another knight on the first blow! This is still doable with an optimized 100pt character and quite natural for 120 to 150 points, perhaps raised in play during the early stage of a campaign. My last one endured for years and PCs attained 250 to 300.

That was a spear, by the way. Make it the morning star “Brainbane” in the hands of a weapon master, 2d+9 to the skull with extra effort, the penalty to parry a flail makes up for the bonus against a telegraphic attack to make up the penalty to hit the skull. Again subtract 5 for some pretty good armor, and you get 2d+4 quadrupled. That’s good for 3 or 4 death checks.

Foes of this stature are uncommon, but not unheard of. The point values just aren’t high enough; heck, they’re well below Dungeon Fantasy. There is healing magic, of course, but that’s no good once you’re dead. Heavy armor can save your life making healing possible, but non-wealthy characters are outa luck. Weapon Masters can dish it out, but they can’t take it, and likewise the effect of enchantment, particularly Penetrating Blade, leads to weapon supremacy over armor. All of which leads me to the conclusion that there should be an Armor Enchantment for Hardening, so priced that the first level is affordable by merely Comfortable professional soldiers, but the second level is not amenable to quick enchantment.

I'm aware that I went heavy on the weapon cost for this example, cutting deep into the knight's starting budget. If he pays for his horse as an ally or has enough skill to dispense with Accuracy, then he can have Lighten 50% and Fortify +3, with an extra level on the extremities, on armor layered over light leather of quality. As long as the DR is divided by 3, these improvements make no difference; the fact that armor is a bit easier to enchant than a weapon is wiped out by the existence of Penetrating Blade with no counter. My campaign features other forms of magic; in particular clergy use path magic and the empire is the world's policeman in part because the have the most organized church. Spell magic of the standard system may be the least powerful, but it is also the easiest (game mechanically), therefore the most common and the most commercial. It's possible to have tier 5 runic enchantment of penetration that ignores hypothetical tier 6 magical hardening, but that at least will be more rare (thus more expensive).

I've tried various means of adjusting the balance of offense and defense for Weapon Masters. Of course they're elegible to purchase DR as a ki-based advantage but that just makes them impervious to common threats. The best I've come up with is to adapt the Flesh Wounds version of Extra Effort from GURPS Action, spending FP to overcome injury, but I don't want to put magical healers out of business so that benefit is temporary. Also, I limit the damage bonus from Weapon Master to +2 instead of +2 per die. The balance isn't perfect but it does help prevent fights from being a contest of who fails their defense first, one party unscathed and the other unconscious and dying, always in less than half a minute.