03-02-2022, 06:47 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portland, Maine
|
Cape, Cloak & Robes as Armor
I feel that a cape can add protection of sorts.
Many a swashbuckling movie has had villain or hero swirl his cape during a sword fight. Many a barbarian has had blows to the back softened by a fur cape. I suggest there are two ways of using these: 1. Misdirect/Parry: done by swirling the cape toward the attacker. ITL Defending p 117 I would suggest that a cape has a set number of "defends" before it is ruined; perhaps 5. Also, a torn cape is evidence of a fight and lowers your respectability. See ITL p 108 "Using up" your shield.2. Armor - done by wearing it. A fur may act as leather armor per Hexagram #4 Not By Iron Alone by Howard Kistler p. 23. I would give a fur cape Stops 1 point capability as its not tailored to be armor.Unless you have your fur cape hooked by iron clasps, it shouldn't interfere with your spellcasting. __________________ - Hail Melee
__________________
- Hail Melee Fantasy Chess: A chess game with combat. Don't just take the square, Fight for it! https://www.shadowhex.com Last edited by JohnPaulB; 03-02-2022 at 06:53 AM. |
03-02-2022, 09:14 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
|
Re: Cape, Cloak & Robes as Armor
My treatment of the fencer's cape from my house-rule equipment guide:
Cape: Some fencers use a cape as an off-handed weapon. It is most often used to block like a shield, stopping 1 point of damage, but is effective only against one handed melee weapons. Alternatively, a cape can be used to attack a foe or his weapon, much as a main-gauche. Such attacks cause no damage, but can trip or entangle the foe, or bind his weapon. If you choose to attack a foe’s body, resolve as an attack with a bola (including all hit-location-specific aiming penalties, but with no range penalty — the cape stays in your hand). However, all effects of a successful entangling attack persist for only 1 turn (i.e., the target will naturally come loose relatively easily and quickly). If used to successfully attack a foe’s 1-handed weapon, the target weapon and cape are tangled together and useless for other purposes. The foe can attempt to pull the weapon loose in place of a normal attack (resolved as a 3d roll vs. DX). Simultaneous attacks with cape and another weapon follow standard rules for two-weapon fighting rather than the unique main-gauche rules. A Cape counts as a fencing weapon (and can be used to deliver the fencing talent disarm attack), but only if you also know the ‘Cape’ Unusual Weapon talent. |
03-02-2022, 09:23 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
|
Re: Cape, Cloak & Robes as Armor
John Paul,
I think this is a nice bit of flavor, not really overpowered. The fur cape, for instance, plays about the same role as a small shield strapped to the back. Using the cape for Defend, however, doesn't quite capture the cinematic examples. Most swashbucklers have a weapon in one hand and use the cape in the other, in which case defend is already an option and the cape adds nothing. Perhaps instead one could use it as a parry action, as in the Two Weapons skill? Henry, I'm not sure what you mean by a zero damage weapon. What good does that do? It doesn't even allow a forced retreat, does it? |
03-02-2022, 09:35 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New England
|
Re: Cape, Cloak & Robes as Armor
That would unlock the "attacks against a Fencer who has weapon(s) in hand" adjustment to the attacker's DX.
|
03-02-2022, 09:50 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New England
|
Re: Cape, Cloak & Robes as Armor
Quote:
|
|
03-02-2022, 06:10 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2018
|
Re: Cape, Cloak & Robes as Armor
I treated this issue as a talent.
Cloak (2) You can use a cloak effectively in combat as a shield and/or distract an opponent. It stops 1 hit like a small shield and it also gives an opponent a penalty of -1 DX in attacks against the cloak user. I know no one will like the idea, just thought I would throw it out there. |
03-02-2022, 06:50 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New England
|
Re: Cape, Cloak & Robes as Armor
Actually, the simplicity of that solution is appealing.
|
03-03-2022, 07:56 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
|
Re: Cape, Cloak & Robes as Armor
I'm not crazy about the idea that cloak gives you the same -1 to hit benefit as shield expertise.
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|