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Post by paulhodgson777 on Mar 31, 2016 19:29:26 GMT
I was also thinking about this the other day. We are only level 3 in the new campaign and can't afford magic yet, but was thinking small things like Swordnut mentioned above.
You can "upgrade" the armour by adding things or getting better fitting or better quality armour. The bonus could be resistance to one type of melee damage (slashing, piercing, etc) or perhaps 1 point of damage reduction, a bonus to intimidation if you add bones or something to the armour, a bonus to persuasion if the armour is beautifully engraved... things like that.
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Post by swordnut on Apr 1, 2016 7:03:02 GMT
Pet hate: Spikes on armour. They make you easier to hit. More things to catch the weapon and direct it at you or turn you around (if they are big spikes). Grappling is impaired because your opponent has more holds on you and greater leverage than you have on them. Against an un-armoured opponent, sure you do more damage, but why? That you are armoured and they aren't is already so much of an advantage they should probably not have bothered.
It's from the story of the lampton worm, they guy also had to fight in a river, which is essentially suicide in plate armour.
End rant.
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Post by Vulash on Apr 1, 2016 14:48:10 GMT
Pet hate: Spikes on armour. They make you easier to hit. More things to catch the weapon and direct it at you or turn you around (if they are big spikes). Grappling is impaired because your opponent has more holds on you and greater leverage than you have on them. Against an un-armoured opponent, sure you do more damage, but why? That you are armoured and they aren't is already so much of an advantage they should probably not have bothered. It's from the story of the lampton worm, they guy also had to fight in a river, which is essentially suicide in plate armour. End rant. Eh, I don't know. I was a wrestler - I'd gladly wrestle someone in chainmail. They'll be slow and encumbered. But if they had spikes? Especially small spikes - that would sure hurt! I don't entirely disagree just not sure it's that black and white! Also it's fun to think about haha. I don't really use any of those small modifications honestly. The beauty of 5e is the simplicity, and adding so many little tweeks here and there feels a bit like gaming the system and adding multiple modifiers - which was part of 3es problem. I think at one time I would have been all about that, but my tastes change through time.
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Post by Tesla Ranger on Apr 1, 2016 16:13:10 GMT
If we were going by what's realistic or effective then most of our "typical" styles of armor wouldn't be available. Spikes would be right out, as would any conventional mechanism for "upgrading". Chainmail and plate would be so expensive that you'd probably spend the whole campaign running around in something like a Gambeson. That's sort of like what D&D calls "Splint Mail" (which was always a bit of a misnomer) but instead of metal or wood plates you would usually use a heavy cloth or leather. It was reasonable protection and not too heavy but best of all it was reasonably repairable and inexpensive. Historically it was the defacto armor for rank and file (and adventurers) pretty much from the early Roman empire until firearms became prolific (roundabouts the early 19th century I think).
Boiled leather was another option but it would be more expensive and wouldn't offer much better protection than the gambeson, at least against swords and arrows. Against blunt weapons boiled leather was about as good as armorers got. Lamellar was another option, especially in the East, with overlapping plates of leather, wood, or metal tied together. Your typical suit of samurai armor is a good example of lamellar. Great protection, repairable, but expensive as all hell. Chainmail didn't limit movement as much as some other armors, but it was pretty expensive, prone to damage, and not easy to have repaired. It wasn't that practical except as a layer under something else.
The ever popular Plate was even worse as practical armor. Aside from being insanely expensive and very difficult to repair or fit, it limited movement enough that it was best used against someone else in plate armor. As a result, it found its role in parades or tournaments far more often than open warfare. The image of knights roaming the country side in shining plate armor is as much fantasy as gnomes riding a flying carpet.
Which isn't to say there's any need for D&D to reflect reality. We call it "fantasy" for a reason. If it seems interesting and you can suspend your disbeleif, go for it.
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Post by swordnut on Apr 1, 2016 19:14:58 GMT
You are both right, of course. Some things make my eye twitch though
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Post by halfacreoffun on May 19, 2016 21:45:21 GMT
I like the idea of enhanced weapons and armor based on physical improvements not necessarily magical enhancements. I have always absolutely hated the "you find a +1 long sword" meh. Why is it +1 what is special about it? Unless it's a life steal dagger or extra damage to a particular creature I don't see why it has to be magic.
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Post by donosaur on May 25, 2016 13:30:58 GMT
I like to think of the +1 weapon or armor as just being a piece of exquisite craftsmanship that exists as a trope in fiction. It's a Hatori Hanzo blade...it doesn't shoot lightning or glow in the dark, but it's undeniably better than normal swords. Plus the +1 makes it never rust or degrade I think, so it's a good option for heirlooms. A 500 yer old mundane sword is just a rust pile, but 500 year old +1 sword is as sharp as the day it was first honed.
That being said, one of my players has just chosen to take a bunch of dragon wing membrane she ripped off a young green dragon and wants something made out of. I told her the dragon wasn't old enough to provide any kind of armor or magic benefit, but she wants to have like, a shirt made out of its skin anyway. She's a big scary tiefling with a skill in intimidation, so I think I'm going to have the dragon-skin shirt give her another +1 to intimidation checks. It's DRAGON skin, after all, you don't get that by being a pushover.
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