[Low-Tech/High-Tech] Looting and Improvising arms and armour in Victorian London

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Presumably that depends on the weight of leather, the quality of fit, and the quality of stitching. Taking leather sheets, making holes in them with an awl, wrapping it around the torso, and lacing it together with heavy cord shouldn't be too time consuming (though simply cutting any material suitable for armor is going to be quite time consuming). If you want to shape it so it actually has good coverage and fits well, it's a lot bigger task.

The player is resigned that there will be gaps in coverage along the sides, covered only by, at most DR 1* leather used to connect together the two thicker areas of layered aprons. Also, fit will be as good at it can be in 3-5 hours, not as good as actual purpose-made leather armour could be.

Is there any reason why 30+ lbs. of wrapped chains around the chest area would not be practical armour, in particular if a seamstress is available to make a leather undergarment (and any cloth needed) and sew a leather covering above?

How much DR could that give? Is treating it as Cheap Heavy Mail with the Banded option reasonable or too generous?

Are there any better options, in the timeframe that Father MacManus has? Assuming that a foundry and an ironmonger's shop are both nearby.

Originally Posted by Anthony

However, I would suggest forgetting about general improvised armor, other than heavy clothing (DR 1 vs cutting) and instead constructing improvised shields.

No doubt there will be some improvised shields, but those do not go too well with the most effective weapons that the survivors have available, i.e. shotguns and rifles. Also, they require some training to use alongside most of the effective improvised weapons, such as polearms, mauls, axes and such.

I imagine that fixing knives to poles will be an eary priority for refugees with some military knowledge unable to find enough firearms. Skill with a bayonet is fairly transferable to spears, bills and glaives and the wide variety of bladed instruments available will give plenty of polearm heads.

On the other hand, anyone who proposes to leave his home or the safety of holy ground, for example members of the foraging parties, will have to contend with a lot of threats that do crushing, cutting or impaling damage. Crushing and cutting is probably most common; usually 1d-5 cut to 1d-3 cut from flesh-eating rats and pigeons, crazed pecking fowl and chickens, but with 1d-2 cut and up to 1d+1 cut or more being far too possible in the case of horribly twisted feral cats and larger fowl, carrion eating wild dogs, demonic pigs escaped from slaughterhouses and even stranger things.

Some of the criminals and other unfortunates who roam the streets have grown monstrous teeth and claws and even spiked stingers; with 1d+1 cut or 1d imp being not uncommon damage from them. Criminals who lack such natural weaponry usually carry razors, knives, cudgels, hammers and cleavers, doing anywhere from 1d-3 cut to 2d cut and 1d to 2d+1 cr. There are also twisted horse-beasts with tentacles or glowing eyes, most of them with huge hungry mouths full of teeth. Those do 2d+ cut and 3d+ crushing.

The organised groups of kidnappers who appear to be working for the villains tend to have firearms, with most carrying pistols that do 1d pi- to 2d pi+, but some having stolen shotguns doing 1d-3 pi- up to 2d-1 pi. There are a few with old breech-loading muskets with Snider conversions (3d+2 pi++) or even older muzzle-loaders (4d pi+ to 4d+2 pi++), but there are probably not going to be any practical armour designs that matter against such weaponry.

Just to survive against the most common threats of feral and twisted animals, however, DR 1-2 armour for the legs is extremely practical. Criminals with claws or melee weapons make that same DR 1-2 elsewhere also a very desirable acquisition. If one could have DR 3+ over vital areas, it would not be a bad idea, either.

Particularly for a ST 20 PC about to deliberately head into danger, against all sorts of hostile creatures.