Low-Tech Armour Loadouts.

Sam Baughn · 10-19-2010, 12:27 PM

Here's another one...

Late Medieval Knight in Full Plate (around 1450 AD)

Bascinet of Heavy Plate (DR 9) with Fluting, $5,000, 7.2 lbs.
Visor of Medium Plate (DR 6) with Fluting, $3,125, 4.5 lbs
Gorget of Medium Segmented Plate (DR 4), $45, 1.2 lbs.
Cuirass - Heavy Plate (DR 9) with Fluting on front of chest, Medium Plate (DR 6) on the back, $8.437.50, 18.3 lbs.
Pauldrons and Rebraces - Heavy Segmented Plate (DR 5) on shoulders and upper arms, $240, 6.4 lbs.
Cowters - Medium Segmented Plate (DR 4) on elbows, $45, 1.2 lbs.
Vambraces - Medium Plate (DR 6) on forearms, $625, 5 lbs.
Gauntlets - Light Segmented Plate (DR 3) on hands, $100, 0.8 lbs.
Faulds and Culets - Medium Segmented Plate (DR 4) on abdomen and thighs, $630, 16.8 lbs.
Codpiece - Light Plate (DR 3) on groin, $50, 0.4 lbs.
Plate Cuisse - Light Plate (DR 3) on front of thighs, $225, 1.8 lbs.
Poleyns - Heavy Segmented Plate (DR 5) on knees, $60, 1.6 lbs.
Greaves - Medium Plate (DR 6) on shins, $1,250, 10 lbs.
Sabatons - Light Segmented Plate (DR 3) on feet, $60, 1.6 lbs.

TOTAL: $19,892.50, 76.8 lbs.

This is pretty much the hollywood image of a knight in shining armour, from the last days of heavy shock cavalry.

I wasn't sure if the armour should use hardened steel or not. In the end I decided against it on the basis that the cost was already frightening enough; hardened steel would triple the price.

Exactly what grade of armour to use on which body part was mostly a matter of guesswork. I knew that the chest would probably be the strongest and guessed that the skull would also be well protected, then worked my way down from there. The end result is a rather messy mix of different DRs, but that seems to be fairly standard with this system.

The main weak point I think could possibly do with up-armouring is the abdomen, since DR 4 could well end up getting carved open with a sword or stuck through with a spear. Maybe increasing the protection granted by the faulds to the abdomen and decreasing that given to the thighs would be the way to go, but I'm not really sure how realistic that is.

The gauntlets and sabatons are rather vulnerable, but I think it's probably realistic that the amount of armour you can put on hands and feet before you have problems is going to be very limited.

10-19-2010, 12:27 PM	#6
Sam Baughn Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and some other bits.	Re: Low-Tech Armour Loadouts. Here's another one... Late Medieval Knight in Full Plate (around 1450 AD) Bascinet of Heavy Plate (DR 9) with Fluting, $5,000, 7.2 lbs. Visor of Medium Plate (DR 6) with Fluting, $3,125, 4.5 lbs Gorget of Medium Segmented Plate (DR 4), $45, 1.2 lbs. Cuirass - Heavy Plate (DR 9) with Fluting on front of chest, Medium Plate (DR 6) on the back, $8.437.50, 18.3 lbs. Pauldrons and Rebraces - Heavy Segmented Plate (DR 5) on shoulders and upper arms, $240, 6.4 lbs. Cowters - Medium Segmented Plate (DR 4) on elbows, $45, 1.2 lbs. Vambraces - Medium Plate (DR 6) on forearms, $625, 5 lbs. Gauntlets - Light Segmented Plate (DR 3) on hands, $100, 0.8 lbs. Faulds and Culets - Medium Segmented Plate (DR 4) on abdomen and thighs, $630, 16.8 lbs. Codpiece - Light Plate (DR 3) on groin, $50, 0.4 lbs. Plate Cuisse - Light Plate (DR 3) on front of thighs, $225, 1.8 lbs. Poleyns - Heavy Segmented Plate (DR 5) on knees, $60, 1.6 lbs. Greaves - Medium Plate (DR 6) on shins, $1,250, 10 lbs. Sabatons - Light Segmented Plate (DR 3) on feet, $60, 1.6 lbs. TOTAL: $19,892.50, 76.8 lbs. This is pretty much the hollywood image of a knight in shining armour, from the last days of heavy shock cavalry. I wasn't sure if the armour should use hardened steel or not. In the end I decided against it on the basis that the cost was already frightening enough; hardened steel would triple the price. Exactly what grade of armour to use on which body part was mostly a matter of guesswork. I knew that the chest would probably be the strongest and guessed that the skull would also be well protected, then worked my way down from there. The end result is a rather messy mix of different DRs, but that seems to be fairly standard with this system. The main weak point I think could possibly do with up-armouring is the abdomen, since DR 4 could well end up getting carved open with a sword or stuck through with a spear. Maybe increasing the protection granted by the faulds to the abdomen and decreasing that given to the thighs would be the way to go, but I'm not really sure how realistic that is. The gauntlets and sabatons are rather vulnerable, but I think it's probably realistic that the amount of armour you can put on hands and feet before you have problems is going to be very limited.