These are the armor rules. It is pretty much the same as John's except I removed Asia and a few others. Shields are completely reworked.


Armor

Cost: Normal cost in GP.
AC: This is the armor bonus to AC that the armor gives when worn normally.
MDB: The Max Dex Bonus is the maximum amount of dexterity bonus that can be applied to AC. Note that exotic materials (such as mithral) can improve this.
ACP: The Armor Check Penalty. This applies to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks. Double the normal value is applied to Swim checks.
DR: Wearing the armor may grant a damage reduction, as listed. This DR stacks with any others.
ASFC: The Arcane Spell Failure Chance is the flat percentile rolled when casting spells in armor.

Movement
By default, donning armor reduces movement. For a base move of 30, it goes to 20, and for a base move of 20 it goes to 15.
STR1: The amount of Strength necessary to reduce the movement penalty by one step, from 20 to 25 for a character with base movement of 30. It does not modify the movement of a character with a base move of 20 (it remains at 15).
STR2: The amount of Strength necessary to ignore the movement penalty. Characters move at their normal base movement if they possess this amount of strength.
STR-run: The amount of Strength necessary to run at x4 in the armor. Otherwise run at 3x.

For Small size all required Strength scores are 2 lower than listed.

Weight: Weight in pounds.


Quilted Armor has DR 3/- versus small piercing weapons (arrows, bolts, darts, shuriken, thrown daggers, but not sling bullets or firearm bullets)

Chainmail has DR 1/- versus slashing weapons that lack bludgeoning and piercing.

MW - Some armor only exists as mastwork.

PRC is the damage reduction versus piercing ranged weapons that quilted armor gets.
SLS is the damage reduction versus slashing weapons that chainmail gets.
SIL is easier to silence: the armor check penalty for hide and move silent checks is reduced by 3. Brigandine has a check of -1 instead of -4 for hide and move silent.



Shields

The existing feat Shield Proficiency applies to Simple Shields.

Barbarians, bards, clerics, druids, fighters, paladins, and rangers automatically have Shield Proficiency as a bonus feat. They need not select it.

An additional feat, Martial Shield Proficiency, works exactly as Shield Proficiency does for Martial shields. Fighters and Paladins automatically have the the Martial Shield Feat.

Martial Shields

Metal Heater Shield
http://fiberglassblades.com/Twilight_pr ... hield.html
Cost: 13 gp
AC bonus: +2
ACP: -1
ASF: 10%
Hand: Grip shield or no shield bash.
Casting when hand not gripping shield: Yes
Shield Bash: 1d4 / 20x2 / Light / Bludgeoning
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: No
Drop Shield: Move Action
Special: +1 to saves versus spells, spell like abilities, and supernatural abilities that require line of sight. +4 versus any disarm attempt.

This medium metal shield has a rough outline of a Victorian era clothes iron. This shield is very agile and can be used to attack. The leverage provided by this shield can be used to prevent many disarm attempts. The shield is strapped to the forearm and cannot be disarmed. The hand is may be used to hold a small object or cast. If the hand is used to hold an object, a shield bash may not be performed.

Kite Shield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_shield
Cost: 26 gp
AC bonus: +3
ACP: -2
ASF: 20%
Hand: Grip shield or AC bonus reduced to +2 and no shield bash.
Casting when hand not gripping shield: No
Shield Bash: 1d3 / 20x2 / One Hand / Bludgeoning
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: No
Drop Shield: Move Action
Special: +1 to saves versus spells, spell like abilities, and supernatural abilities that require line of sight or effect an area.
Special: +4 versus trip and disarm

This large wooden shield is teardrop shaped, and often has heraldry or identifying marks painted on the front. It often has metal or leather at the edges. It provides exemplary protection to the lower body. It is large enough that it can sometimes offer defenses against certain magical effects. It’s large size makes it excellent for maneuvering into position in melee, but it is lackluster as a weapon. This shield is strapped to the forearm and cannot be disarmed. The hand is properly used to grip the shield- if instead it is used to hold a small object, the AC bonus of the shield is reduced from +3 to +2. A weapon cannot be wielded with the shield hand, nor can it be used for casting.

Scutum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutum_%28shield%29
Cost: 17 gp
AC bonus: +5
ACP: -10
ASF: 50%
MDB: 2
Hand: Grips shield.
Casting when hand not gripping shield: No
Shield Bash: No
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: No
Drop Shield: Move Action
Special: +2 to saves versus spells, spell like abilities, and supernatural abilities that require line of sight or effect an area.
Special: See Shield Cover
Special: When employing a Scutum in combat, you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls because of the Shield’s encumbrance.
Special: If a nearby ally (within 5 feet) is using a Parma or Scutum, the bonus granted by this shield rises to +6.

This large wooden shield is as tall as you are. It can be used to provide total cover at the expense of all attacks in a round (the round may still be used for other things). The size of the shield is such that it sometimes offers defenses against magical attacks. The Scutum is bulky and disrupts your attacks. The Scutum is strapped to your arm, and the hand may be used for no other purpose. The Scutum cannot be used to make a shield bash.

Figure of Eight Shield
http://www.salimbeti.com/micenei/images ... ield12.jpg
Cost: 14 gp
AC bonus: +4
ACP: -8
ASF: 40%
MDB: 3
Hand: Grips shield.
Casting when hand not gripping shield: No
Shield Bash: No
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: No
Drop Shield: Move Action
Special: +1 to saves versus spells, spell like abilities, and supernatural abilities that require line of sight or effect an area.
Special: See Shield Cover
Special: When employing a Figure of Eight shield in combat, you take a -2 penalty on most attack rolls because of the Shield’s encumbrance. The exception is melee attack rolls made with the spear, longspear, shortspear, and javelin, which suffer no penalty.

This large wooden shield is as tall as you are, but has indentions at each side to allow for spear based attacks. It can be used to provide total cover at the expense of all attacks in a round (the round may still be used for other things). The size of the shield is such that it sometimes offers defenses against magical attacks. The Figure of Eight shield is bulky and disrupts attacks not made with certain hafted piercing weapons, such as the spear, longspear, shortspear, and javelin. The Figure of Eight shield is strapped to your arm, and the hand may be used for no other purpose. The Figure of Eight shield cannot be used to make a shield bash.


Shield Cover: As a move action, you can take cover (+4 AC, +2 Reflex, Immune to Attacks of Opportunity) behind your shield, though this reduces your ability to attack or cast. When you do this, you gain cover relative to all attackers (not versus those you consider allies), though cover provided by a shield does not allow you to make a Hide check. You have a -2 penalty to your own attack rolls, and must pass a Spellcraft check of DC 12+twice spell level to cast a spell. The cover and the penalties to hit and cast both persist until the beginning of your next turn, though you may spend a move action to extend them for another round instead of allowing them to expire. You may NOT attempt a "Special" attack while using Shield Cover (grapple, trip, disarm, sunder, etc).


Simple Shields

Linden Shield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thorsberg_Shields.jpg
Cost: 3 gp
AC bonus: +2
ACP: -1
ASF: 10%
Hand: Grip shield or lose disarm bonuses and no shield bash
Casting when hand not gripping shield: Yes
Shield Bash: 1d6 / 20x2 / One Hand / Bludgeoning
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: Yes, but gain +4 on check to oppose (see special)
Drop Shield: Free Action
Special: +4 against disarm (you lose this bonuses if you grip an item in your hand)
Special: Against natural melee weapons, the AC bonus is increased to +3 .The user must be able to perceive the attacker and not be flat footed.

This large round wooden shield is made from basswood and is less likely to splinter than other kinds of wood. It is a relatively mobile shield that is relatively easy to construct, and you can use it to attack. Only part of your forearm is strapped in and you hold a central bar, making it possible, though difficult, to be disarmed of the shield. You can drop the shield quickly. The size of the shield reduces the angles of attack available to an opponent, making it harder to disarm any weapon and making it difficult for the attack range of natural weapons to be brought to bear. The hand may be used to hold a small object or to cast. If the hand is used to hold an object or cast, you lose the bonus against bull rush and disarm, and cannot make a shield bash (this penalty lasts until the beginning of your next turn).


Wooden Heater Shield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heater_shield
http://home.arcor.de/mustangace/sca_cla ... play31.jpg
Cost: 7 gp
AC bonus: +2
ACP: -1
ASF: 5%
Hand: Grip shield or no shield bash.
Casting when hand not gripping shield: Yes
Shield Bash: 1d4 / 20x2 / Light / Bludgeoning
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: No
Drop Shield: Move Action
Special: +1 to saves versus spells, spell like abilities, and supernatural abilities that require line of sight.

This medium wooden shield has a rough outline of a Victorian era clothes iron. The front is normally covered in leather, which often has identifying marks upon it. This shield is agile and can be used to attack. The shield is strapped to the forearm and cannot be disarmed. The hand may be used to hold a small object or to cast. If the hand is used to hold an object, a shield bash may not be performed (this penalty lasts until the beginning of your next turn).


Targe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targe
Cost: 9 gp
AC bonus: +2
ACP: -1
ASF: 15%
Hand: Grip shield or no shield bash and AC bonus reduced to +1.
Casting when hand not gripping shield: No
Shield Bash: 1d4 / 20x2 / One Hand / Bludgeoning
Shield Bash (Spiked): 1d6 / 20x2 / One Hand / Piercing
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: No
Drop Shield: Move Action
Special: Versus wielded (non natural) melee weapons, the AC bonus is increased to +3. The user must be able to perceive the attacker and not be flat footed.

This circular medium iron shield is covered in leather or wood, which typically has designs representing the owner. This shield can be used to attack, and often has a spike that can be screwed on to aid this attack. The shield is strapped to the forearm and cannot be disarmed. The hand is properly used to grip the shield- if instead it is used to hold a small object, the AC bonus of the shield is reduced from +2 to +1, and a shield bash cannot be made.

Parma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parma_%28shield%29
Cost: 7 gp
AC bonus: +2
ACP: 0
ASF: 20%
Hand: Grip shield or no shield bash.
Casting when hand not gripping shield: Yes
Shield Bash: 1d3 / 20x2 / One Hand / Bludgeoning
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: No
Drop Shield: Move Action
Special: Versus thrown weapons and missile attacks, the AC bonus is increased to +4. The user must be able to perceive the attacker and not be flat footed.
Special: If a nearby ally (within 5 feet) is using a Parma or Scutum, the bonus granted by this shield rises to +3, or +5 versus thrown weapons and missile attacks.

This small metal shield is circular or oval in shape. This shield is light enough that attacks with it are less effective than other shields, but still agile enough to offer extra protection against thrown and missile weapons. The shield is strapped to the forearm and cannot be disarmed. The hand may be used to hold a small object or to cast.

Buckler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckler
Cost: 11 gp
AC bonus: +1
ACP: -1
ASF: 5%
Hand: Holds shield at all times.
Casting when hand not gripping shield: N/A (No)
Shield Bash: 1d3 / 20x2 / Light / Bludgeoning
Shield Bash (Spiked): 1d4 / 20x2 / Light / Piercing
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: Yes
Drop Shield: Free Action
Special: +2 to defend against any combat maneuver (grapple, trip, disarm, bull rush, feint, overrun, sunder, trip)
Special: Versus melee attacks, the AC bonus is increased to +2. The user must be able to perceive the attacker and not be flat footed.

This small metal shield is circular or rectangular in shape. It is gripped in the fist, and can be disarmed as any other weapon. This shield sometimes has a spike, and is sometimes used as a weapon. The hand holding the shield is subject to the same restrictions as with most weapons- the shield must be dropped in order to do anything else with the hand.

Triangular Magewood Shield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targe
Cost: 50 gp
AC bonus: +1
ACP: -1
ASF: 0% / 5% *
Hand: Grips shield but can be used for casting*
Casting when hand not gripping shield: N/A
Shield Bash: No
Wield Weapon: No
Disarmable: No
Drop Shield: Move Action
Special: The arcane spell failure chance is only 0% if the user is proficient with this shield. This value is 5% for a nonproficient user.

This triangular shield is made of a blend of woods with inherent mild magical properties. If the user is proficient with this shield, no arcane spell failure chance is incurred. The shield is strapped onto the forearm and cannot be disarmed, and the user grips a bar. Unlike with most shields or objects, somatic components may be performed with the fingers while the bar is gripped. The hand cannot be used to hold items. The shield is not substantial enough to perform a viable shield bash.

While I also play the buckler as it is in the PHB, be aware that it is not accurate- no shield was strapped on to the arm in that fashion. The buckler in particular was held in the hand. This bothers me, but nowhere near enough to try to change it- the game is literally built around that assumption, and I would have had to revisit a lot of classes (for instance, a dual wield fighter could have a highly enchanted buckler, gaining +6 AC some rounds where he gives up his off hand attacks, with the disadvantage of an additional -1 on those offhand hits normally). I have considered renaming it, but ultimately didn't do that either. I believe it was based on a legitimate historical misunderstanding when the game was created, which makes a difference to me.


Since many players don't know the differences between the shields:

The buckler offers the weakest protection, but it is strapped on, leaving your hand free to wield weapons or do anything else you would normally do with that hand.
The light shield is strapped on and grasped, but you can use the hand to "carry other things" but not wield weapons. I have normally interpreted this to mean that your hand is fully functional but you can't be using a weapon.
The heavy shield is strapped on and grasped, but you can NOT use the hand for other things. I have normally interpreted this to mean exactly that.


ON THAT NOTE- what are your rules as regarding potions? In this game, Keichi has drunk a potion without dropping a katana, something I have forgotten except when my characters do it (he originally got the auric sword because the blademaster dropped it so that he could drink a teleport potion, which the rules say is correct).

Specifically:

By rules, getting a potion out is a move action, and drinking it is a move action. Pouring it down someone's throat is a full round action. You must have a free hand to manipulate, drink, or pour a potion, or something functionally similar (ex: telekinesis)

By my house rules, it's a move to get the potion out, and a move to drink it or pour it down someone's throat.



So here's my questions, which I have failed utterly on in this game, and possibly this life.

Getting a potion out of your pack is a ______ action.
Drinking a potion you are holding is a ______ action.
Getting a potion out of an ally's pack is a _____ action.
Making an ally drink a potion is a _____ action.
Getting a potion out CAN/CANNOT be done without dropping your weapon.
Getting a potion out CAN/CANNOT be done with a buckler.
Getting a potion out CAN/CANNOT be done with a light shield.
Getting a potion out CAN/CANNOT be done with a heavy shield.

I assume that if you can get a potion with a condition above, you can also drink or pour it.


So back to shields:

In your game, what can you do with a buckler, a light shield, and a heavy shield?

Keichi would have to drop the weapon. If they were two smaller weapons I could imagine holding both weapons in one hand for a moment, perhaps at the cost of additional movement or a feat or something, but I don't see that happened with two katanas.


Getting a potion out of your pack is a _Move__ action that can be performed while also actually moving.
Drinking a potion you are holding is a _Move_ action.
Getting a potion out of an ally's pack is a _Move_ action.
Making a helpless ally drink a potion is a _Standard_ action.
Getting a potion out CANNOT be done without dropping your weapon.*
Getting a potion out CAN be done with a buckler.
Getting a potion out CANNOT be done with a light shield.**
Getting a potion out CANNOT be done with a heavy shield.

*The implication is you are wielding two one-handed weapons. If you are wielding a two-handed weapon, you can do it. If you are wielding a one-handed weapon and a light weapon... let's talk.

**A one-handed weapon could be transferred to the hand holding the shield. Not for the purpose of using the weapon, of course, and it stands to reason that if you drink a potion that way while in a threatened square you're an epic dumbass and should suffer for it. Perhaps a free attempt at a disarm or something. You could drink a potion held in your shield hand, so I suppose you could run around the battle a cure potion in your hand, though you clearly get no bonus from the shield during an attack of opportunity made while drinking a potion held in your shield hand.

I assume that if you can get a potion with a condition above, you can also drink or pour it.


Did I miss an aspect of it? The intent is to go primarily by the book. Things I may further develop are the shield bash (which I think is stupid), shattering a shield, and multiple shields used for cover instead of AC.

Shields are weapons. Removing shield bash would be a massively ahistorical call, as well as a sweeping nerf in mechanics terms. To me this feels like you read my email and were surprised with my take on shields, which I assume is new to you.

Shield bash is the way the weapon aspect of the shield is modelled. It is a baseline feature of every shield, not requiring a feat. It is a two weapon combination, both in game and in history.

Here is an article on sword and buckler fighting. Note that in history, a buckler is grasped in the fist, and a shield is strapped on (D&D has the buckler as strapped on leaving the hand free, a feature of no historical shield)

http://www.thearma.org/essays/SwordandBuckler.htm

Note there are references to dealing damage with the buckler, and the spikes sometimes on them.


This is a good read that you I think know all of, but just in case:
http://www.thearma.org/essays/TopMyths.htm

They do add that shield use was rarer than depicted (we knew that) and that dual wield was more common than we think (news to me).


Either way if I talk about why I feel shields are in a good place and your next response is to remove shields and replace them with something else not useful like shields in history... Well, that seems pretty confusing man.


Also: consider making a "mage's shield" that has the old ASF percent and AC bonus. It is unlikely that we will see much of that, but I could see a character with that type of skillset wishing to trade a point of AC for a higher chance to cast.

I wasn't talking about getting rid of it. My meaning was that I haven't looked at it at all. I seem to recall that in 3.0, the best fighter was a dual-wielder of shields. I just want to make sure I don't create something where that becomes true again.

I think pushing people around, knocking them back, stepping into blows, etc... that's all part of the AC benefit of shields. I think causing real damage is a little silly, which is why I call it weaksauce. I'm not planning on getting rid of it, though.

Also: give some examples of why a character would use a light over a heavy shield. The light shield thus far seems to have little utility by strict reading (as you say, you could go into a fight with one potion in that shield hand and drink it when appropriate, but you can't use it to grasp a new potion and perhaps not pick up anything else (that is what you implied- but it is also what the rules say).

That could well be enough incentive. One potion could easily be enough.


I do not believe I have ever made an NPC using a light shield unless it was the only one allowed to him, is what I am saying. Which could be fine too.

Add:

The shield bonuses no longer stack, which means that the double shield guy is never optimal.
However, I go further and rule that the shield interferes, and only one shield can be used to attack. The double shield fighter is a rules artifact, an ahistorical abomination.

Completely updated. This is 99.9% John's work. The 0.1% is for showing up.

While trying to figure out my armor setup, I had to tab back and forth with encumbrance. It occurred to me that we could easily have this on the same page.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/carryingCapac ... ryingLoads
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/carryingCapacity.htm

Broadly: If you have a Medium Load, you count as wearing Medium Armor for the purpose of skills or abilities you can't do in medium armor, and likewise with heavy load and heavy armor. This seems to apply to stuff like "you get X feat, but you only benefit from it while you are in light armor", the implication being that a medium or heavy load also crosses you out. A sorcerer or wizard wouldn't be restricted from spellcasting (they can cast in any armor- they just get a chance to fail based on the armor properties, not the weight of it), but if you have a power to ignore the spellcasting restriction in light or medium armor and are wearing breastplate but carrying a heavy load, you would have to roll the breastplate's spell failure chance (the heavy load counts as heavy armor and the "as long as you are in medium or less" no longer applies).

Medium Load: Max Dex Bonus restricted to +3, armor check penalty at least -3, a 30 foot speed human limited to 20 feet.
Heavy Load: Max Dex Bonus restricted to +1, armor check penalty at least -6, a 30 foot speed human limited to 20 feet.

If your armor has worse, then the armor one counts- they don't stack.


NOTE: Dropping most things is still a free action. So if you really are playing an encumbered sorcerer, you can, on your turn, drop your knapsack or whatever, and then move freely. This means you should never really take these penalties in most combat, even if you are heavily encumbered, but you'll have to track that you dropped your bag, and where.

Zem and I have been discussing as regards barding. While I don't think we ended up with anything on that, it occurred to me that we don't have any descriptions of the armors.

Light Armor

Padded:
PHB: "Padded armor features quilted layers of cloth and batting. It gets hot quickly and can become foul with sweat, grime, lice, and fleas."
Me: I think that if you have magical padded armor, it should probably be proof against lice and fleas? This armor has the highest allowable Dex bonus. By stock rules and our rules, it's able to get up to an AC bonus of +19, if you have the Dex.

Quilted:
PRD: "This enhanced form of padded armor has internal layers specifically designed to trap arrows, bolts, darts, shuriken, thrown daggers, and other small ranged piercing weapons. When these kinds of weapons strike you, they tend to become snagged in these layers and fail to harm you."
Me: This is written as a type of premium padded armor that is designed to minimize ranged weaponry. I think it's based on some of the silk armors used by Mongols. It's similar to padded, but we have a lower Dex bonus for it, as its presumably heavier.

Leather:
PHB: "The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by boiling in oil. The rest of the armor is made of softer and more flexible leather."
Me: No complaints about leather. Leather is the only armor with more than +1 AC that also offers no baseline armor check penalty, making it favored by anyone who has to use skills often.

Studded Leather:
PHB: "This armor is made from tough but flexible leather (not hardened leather as with normal leather armor) reinforced with close-set metal rivets."
Me: Studded leather is a part of D&D lore, but it's not clear that it was really an independent thing. It was very good in 2ed D&D, the mainstay of rogues, but in 3ed it offers a -1 to some skill checks. It still brings the +3 AC that made it famous back then, but is one lower in max dex bonus. While we kept it, the more historically justified leather scale is about the same thing, and is represented as such.

Cord:
OA: "Cord armor consists of ropelike fibers woven and knotted into a thick, tough, fabric. It is typically found among more barbaric cultures or in places where leather is scarce."
Me: We mostly imported this straight from oriental adventures. There's a need for armors that are able to be cast in without special class abilities, and there's a need for more of the barbaric style armors. This fits both categories.

Bone:
OA: "Bone armor is sometimes worn by nezumi or barbarian soldiers or sorcerers. The armor consists of a cloth or leather coat reinforced with strips of bone, and leaves the limbs free."
Me: This was written as a campaign specific armor in Oriental Adventures, but in the days since the 80s and 90s, a lot more actual historical bone armor has been found. We actually buff the armor slightly (taking the arcane spell failure chance down to 10%), but it remains an armor that is almost strictly worse than studded leather and leather scale (if you are in the market for +3 AC with no metal) and chain shirt (if you want +4 AC in light armor). By realism, it should be reasonable niche, and the stats seem to keep it that way. Our mechanical niche is that it has only a 10% ASF with +3 AC. Its large ACP (armor check penalty of THREE!) is out of line with other light armors, which should keep it out of the hands of most characters.

Leather Scale:
OA: "Leather scale armor is just like the scale mail described in the Player's Handbook, except that the scales are made of cured leather instead of metal."
Me: Gems like this really make splatbooks worth owning: it's a real world armor that had a lot of history and for some reason didn't make the cut in the PHB. We actually nerf the one in OA, which has +3 AC / +6 MDB, down to +3 AC / +5 MDB. It's a solid choice still.

Chain Shirt:
PHB: "A chain shirt protects your torso while leaving your limbs free and mobile. It includes a layer of quilted fabric worn underneath to prevent chafing and to cushion the impact of blows. A chain shirt comes with a steel cap."
Me: The developers clearly had some idea of "partial armors", and I think that they couldn't make the math work out in ways that were both realistic and worth the hassle. In any event, this is generally considered the prince of light armors mechanically, despite the obvious questions about "what if I put on like, some gauntlets?". This armor at least existed, and was common. Reasons to avoid it in game include having access to exotic materials, or having a reason to avoid metal. It has an ACP of 2, limiting its use by characters who want to sneak around, without making it unavailable to them.


Medium Armor

Hide:
PHB: "This armor is prepared from multiple layers of leather and animal hides. It is stiff and hard to move in. Druids, who wear only nonmetallic armor, favor hide."
Me: In fact Druids normally wear some kind of leather under core rules, because medium armor hobbles them so. We fixed that, of course- a druid in our games wearing hide, who has a strength of 13 to 16, can move 25 feet, and one with a strength of 17 or more is unhindered. Regardless, this is the mainstay of primitive armors in the PHB, and as part of our efforts to properly represent the advantages of heavier armor, Hide has an AC boost of +4. It's odd that the PHB rules go out of their way to mention druids, instead of telling you about fleas and lice as they did for padded...

Layered Leather:
AEG: "The equivalent of hide armor among humans and demihuman races is layered leather armor, wherein many layers of normal leather armor are bonded to one another to form a heavy, thick plate of protection. This armor is considered hide armor with regard to weight and cost, but does not suffer the problems of odor and disease seen in hide and padded armors."
Me: This is a pullover from second edition. It was considered a subset of hide armor there, and has historical precedent, especially for eras and races where armor creation is not as well understood. In our games, it has the same stats as Hide armor, but costs more (because leather requires more work than hide). Presumably its cleaner.

Scale Mail:
PHB: "This armor consists of a coat and leggings (and perhaps a separate skirt) of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish. This suit includes gauntlets."
Me: This is the second scale armor on the list, and this one is made of metal. This is a historic armor with plenty of cultures using it in the real world, though it should probably be called "scale" or "scale armor". We have improved it from the baseline, but not enough to make it stand out over other medium armors mechanically. If you have an average strength, you would be better served by scale mail or brigandine than the heavier armors in this category. It's also easier to cast in, but bad enough that you wouldn't want to.

Partial Armor:
OA: "A light suit of armor for samurai who do not wish to be heavily burdened, partial armor consists of a breastplate protecting the chest, stomach, and back, thigh covering, and shin guards."
Me: This is a reasonably silly description, and is overly specific. The important part is that this represents what happens when you start taking apart a heavier armor that isn't full plate, and it's good to have an answer to that question. We probably need more work mechanically to distinguish this from scale mail.

Brigandine Armor:
OA: "Brigandine armor consists of a coat of leather plates, each plate consisting of leather with a strip of steel inside. It is essentially a light form of splint mail, and is common in many cultures in Oriental Adventures."
Me: This is common in many cultures, period. This also stands in over the jack of plates, a reasonably civilian accessible version. It shouldn't have been relegated to the Oriental Adevntures. Of the three armors that grant +5 AC, this is generally the best, with low strength required for full mobility, and a -1 to move silently instead of the expected -3.

Chainmail:
PHB: "This armor is made of interlocking metal rings. It includes a layer of quilted fabric worth underneath to prevent chafing and to cushion the impact of blows. Several layers of mail are hung over vital areas. Most of the armor's weight hangs from the shoulders, making chainmail uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. The suit includes gauntlets."
Me: This was a go-to armor in past editions and is pretty glorious in history. Mail armor is pretty great, and the PHB version's +5 AC with a +2 MDB was hardly ever selected over chain shirt's +4/+4, or Breastplate's +5/+3. Our version has +6/+3 and a 1 DR versus purely slashing weapons (we keep the worst-in-class -5 ACP and 30% ASF). The hope is that this gives it enough of a niche to actually be put on characters in great enough measure to reflect its power historically. It's probably our most buffed medium armor. Note that a mithral version of this is particularly excellent (it counts as light armor), a consideration in campaigns where there's enough wealth to make that a possibility. Also, the chain shirt comes with a matching cap- why not this guy? That's odd, right?

Breastplate:
PHB: "A breastplate covers your front and your back. It comes with a helmet and greaves (plates to cover your lower legs). A light suit or skirt of studded leather beneath the breastplate protects your limbs without restricting movement much."
Me: This was the best of the worst category of armor in the core rules. Our version takes it from +5/+3 to +6/+3, tying it with chainmail, but keeping the better ACP of -4 and the reasonable-but-unimportant 25% ASF. Breastplate is the more mobile of the top two medium armors, and of course, if you can get a mithral version, you'll be wearing one of the two best light armors as well.


Heavy Armor:

Splint Mail:
PHB: "This armor is made of narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a backing of leather that is worn over cloth padding. Flexible chainmail protects the joints. The suit includes gauntlets."
Me: This is a historical category of armor that almost no one in D&D ever wears. Maybe a guard or something. We didn't really change that, even though we buffed it, along with all heavy armors. Instead of being +6 AC with a max dex bonus of +0, we went with +7 AC and +1 max dex bonus. There is no reason to ever wear this over banded mail, however.

Banded Mail:
PHB: "This armor is made of overlapping strips of metal sewn to a backing of leather and chainmail. The strips cover vulnerable areas, while the chain and leather protect the joints and provide freedom of movement. Straps and buckles distribute the weight evenly. The suit includes gauntlets."
Me: Wikipedia and other sources argue that banded mail may not have existed, or may have been a type of splint mail. The older D&D books basically call armor with vertical splints "splint mail" and armor with mostly horizontal splints "banded mail". Zem and I didn't think we should mess with this too much, I think?- as the academics aren't explicitly clear on it- there's art showing what we would call banded mail, after all.
This is the only inexpensive heavy armor in the game, even though few players ever mess with it. The core rules version is +6 AC and +1 MDB, and our version goes up to +7 and +2. Its other stats are basically like splint mail, as they are in core.

Field Plate:
AEG: "Field plate is actually a more commonly used form of full plate armor (described later). It consists of shaped and fitted metal plates riveted and interlocked to cover the entire body. Like plate mail, a set of field plate usually includes gauntlets, boots, and a visored helmet (see Helms). A thick layer of padding must be worn under the armor. "
Me: This 2ed armor was lost, in my opinion without cause, in 3ed. This represents a type of more mobile plate armor than full plate, and we inserted it as +7 AC and +2 max dex bonus. This puts it in the same category (+7 armor bonus) as splint and banded, with a more generous max dex bonus than splint (tied with banded), and a lesser ACP than both (-4 versus -5 or -6). Its extreme cost (1500 GP) makes it the second most expensive armor, and out of range of guards and common foot soldiers, but very much within the price range of nobles, player characters, landed gentry and/or knights, etc. Plate armor was such a disruptive technology that it needs to be more than just one spot on the armor table, in my opinion. We don't say it in our rules, but at least my intention is that the rule about refitting full plate (the 2d4x100 gold cost) should apply to field plate.

Half Plate:
PHB: "This armor is a combination of chainmail with metal plates (breastplate, epaulettes, elbow guards, guantlets, tasses, and greaves) covering vital areas. Buckles and straps hold the whole suit together, and distribute the weight, but the armor still hangs more loosely than full plate. The suit includes guantlets."
Me: We imported this from core and buffed it. Instead of an AC of +7 and max dex bonus of 0, we bring this in as having an AC bonus of 8, and a max dex bonus of +1. This keeps the same general relationship with full plate: it has much of the same components, but does not require the level of customization, armorsmithing, and/or tailoring to be effective, but pays that price in mobility. This is visible in the worst-in-class ACP of -6, ASF of 40, but the lesser covering of the legs allows it some reprieve when it comes to character movement speed. Its easier to move 25 (strength 15, same as field plate), move 30 (strength 21, worse than field plate), or run (strength 25, same as field plate) than it is to do those things in full plate (19/25/27).

Full Plate:
PHB: "This armor consists of shaped and fitted metal plates riveted and interlocked to cover the entire body. The suit includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and a thick layer of padding that is worn underneath the armor. Buckles and straps distribute the weight over the body, so full plate hampers movement less than splint mail even though splint is lighter. Each suit of full plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armorsmith, although a captured suit can be resized to fit a new owner at a cost of 2d4x100 gold pieces. Full plate is also known as field plate."
Me: Obviously we split field plate into the more mobile variants of full plate. This is the top of the line armor, the most impressive, and almost no player would wear it unless they were just sold on the fantasy. The PHB description is long and interesting, and the mechanics just never helped it be true to reality or even really true to fantasy. Our version of full plate changes from +8 AC with a +1 MDB into +10 and +2. We also eliminated the non-masterwork versions of field plate, half plate, and full plate, as the masterwork cost was a pretty trivial part of the overall cost of the armor, and the description CLEARLY excludes the possibility of this being a commodity piece in any way. Note that the "best armor" by AC and dex magnitude now actually IS this armor, instead of it being tied with fucking padded. You know, the one I described first, with the lice and fleas in the description.

Mithral note: If this is made of mithral, it ends up being categorized as medium armor with a cost of 10,350 GP, an AC bonus of +10 (unchanged), a max dex bonus of +4 (up by 2), an armor check penalty of -2 (buffed by 3), and weighs only 25 pounds (down from 50 by a factor of two). For the purposes of taking damage, it still has 50 hit points (5x AC bonus), but has a hardness of 15 instead of steel's 10.

Adamantine note: If this is made of adamantine, it costs 16,350 GP, has an AC bonus of +10 (unchanged), a max dex bonus of +2 (unchanged), an armor check penalty of -4 (buffed by 1), and weights 50 pounds (unchanged). It also grants a DR of 3/-, stacking with all other forms of damage reduction. For the purposes of taking damage, it has 66 hit points (50 xAC x1.333_), but has a hardness of 20 instead of steel's 10.




Zem has seen a lot more armors and their effects, as well as the effects of the shield rules. I hope they are working out, and I won't have a more nuanced opinion until I get to run a game with these rules. If we want to do custom barding, these descriptions should probably serve as starting points as to which sort of armors make any sense at all for animals to wear. I sure as hell don't want to deal with banded barding versus splint barding- that conversation will probably make my brain leak out my ears.