Armour Prices, Rules and Descriptions
Below is a table of armour prices. It also serves as a reference for different types of armour and allows you to work out armour encumbrance. There are two ways to use the armour in Fantasy Hero games. The simple way is use a simple activation roll. In this case, the cost listed translates into the cost for 8- / 11- / 14 - or complete (18-) protection. The weights of armour are calculated on the same principle. It is possible to mix armour types - for instance a Chain mail vest (8-) with plate vambraces (one more area for a total of 11-). A warrior with this combination would make his armour save on 11-, but a roll of 8 or less would mean he only counts Chain mail as his protection.
A more complicated (but more satisfying, to my mind) route is to use hit locations. In this case, what armour is being worn where, is defined by the player. The system outlined below can serve both uses. Note that what follows is a pretty gross approximation, but has the advantage that it is quick and easy to use (unless you're an armour geek, do you really care how much a pauldron weighs and costs?).
If you do care about such stuff, it is pretty easy to define what areas are left uncovered, since you already know what the armour in question looks like - you'll have to do the individual armour weights and prices yourself, though.
If you use activation rolls:
- An 8- roll translates to protection for (and armour price/weight is calculated off) covering for the central body region (Hit locations 10-12).
- An 11- roll translates to protection for (and armour price/weight is calculated off) covering for the full body, shoulders and head regions (Hit locations 3-5, 9-13).
- An 14- roll translates to protection for (and armour price/weight is calculated off) covering for the body, head, shoulders and upper arms, vitals and thighs region (Hit locations 3-5, 8-14).
- Complete protection of course includes every area, including hands and feet.
Most armour also requires some sort of padded coat to be worn underneath and this is included in the DEF value, but NOT in the cost. As a final note, the prices are heavily "fantasy genre" influenced, but were based originally on a manifesto of costs prepared for the Dukes of Szforza in Milano, in the late 17th century - which seemed appropriate to the Gothick Empires game setting. As for the other equipment lists, all costs are given in "generic" silver pieces and will be modified in different areas, by the actual currency in use. You should see the currency pages of the different kingdoms to calculate actual prices in those areas.
A description of armours is given after the price list. The price list is simply an attempt to give a relative cost for these armours, since actual price will vary wildly depending on location, quality and circumstances.
So, to provide an example:
Item
Cost (s.p)*
Protection
Weight (Kg)
Padded undergarment
10 / 15 / 20 / 25
1 PD/ED
0.9 / 2.2 / 3.1 / 3.5
Shield : Small
30
+1 DCV
2 (STR min 5)
Medium
40
+2 DCV
4 (STR min 7)
Large
50
+3 DCV
6 (STR min 10)
Leather armour
10 / 15 / 20 / 25
2 PD/ED
1.3 / 3.1 / 4.4 / 5
Quilted or padded armour
18 / 25 /30 / 45
2 PD/ED
1.3 / 3.1 / 4.4 / 5
Studded or reinforced leather
30 / 45 / 55 / 70
3 PD/ED
1.8 / 4.4 / 6.1 / 7
Plant fibre armour
Not applicable
3 PD/0 ED
1.8 / 4.4 / 6.1 / 7
Cuir bouilli
30 / 45 / 55 / 70
4 PD/ED
1.8 / 4.4 / 6.1 / 7
Splint armour
150 / 225 / 300 / 350
5 PD/ED
3.5 / 8.8 / 12.3 /14
Chain mail
300 / 450 / 600 / 800
6 PD/ED
5 / 12.5 / 17.5 / 20
Lamellar armour or Brigandine
600 / 900 / 1200 / 1500
6 PD/ED
5 / 12.5 / 17.5 / 20
Composite Plate and Chain
800 / 1200 / 1600 / 2000
7 PD/ED
10 / 25 / 35 / 40
Plate Harness
/ / /3000 +
8 PD/ED
28
Gauntlets : leather 8 each
1 PD/ED
0.25
chain or similar 50 each
6 PD/ED
1.5
plate 180 each
8 PD/ED
3
Helmet: light 15
5 PD/ED
2
medium
35
6 PD/ED
3
great 55
8 PD/ED
5
Before setting out to visit his friends, Ralf the Mostly Harmless decides to equip himself with a short chain byrnie and a light helmet, which costs him 315 silver Faends. He also needs a gambeson (quilted undergarment) to go under that, which costs him another 10 Faends. Using the quickie system, he now has an armour roll of 11-, for 5 DEF, and if he rolls 8-, he gets 6 DEF. Alternatively, he has 6 DEF in locations 10-12 and 5 DEF in locations 3-5. The armour weighs a bit less than 8 kilos.
Encumbrance and PER rolls
We will use the rules as listed in the HSR when it comes to DCV penalties for weight. Thus light armour (such as Ralf's outfit in the example above) will normally cause a penalty of -1 on DCV and DEX rolls (or on any roll that involves normal movement, such as spellcasting with Gestures), while a heavy suit of composite plate would cause a penalty of -3. The same penalty also applies to PER rolls made by the armour wearer unless he takes the time to remove his helmet. and associated headgear. Impoirtantly, it also applies to all rolls which require movement -not just those based on DEX, such as, for example, a sorceror's magic roll, which includes gestures.
I do allow players to buy 5 point combat skill levels in DCV "Only to offset DCV penalties for fighting in armour" which is a -1 disadvantage.
Time to get in and out of armour
One of the consequences of the "Real Armour" limitation is that it takes time to get in or out of. The time actually varied greatly depending on the construction of the armour and the experience of the person putting it on, but as a general rule of thumb, you can use the following guide:
Putting on a helmet, grabbing a shield
1/2 phase
Putting on simple body armour, such as a hauberk
Full Phase
Putting on simple leg or arm protection (vambraces, mail chausses)
Full Turn
Putting on complex harnesses
1 minute for each limb
Getting out of armour takes about the same time as getting in, except that if the character can use a blade, the time can be reduced one step on the time chart, since straps and bindings can be sliced away. Of course the armour won't be of much use afterwards!Using shields in combat,
Although there is more to the use of a shield than just holding it in front of you like piece of wood, I have assumed that learning to use a weapon also includes basic instruction on how to use a shield defensively. This allows you to use the shield to gain a DCV bonus (only against attacks on your front or shield side). If you want to use the shield offensively, then you have to buy WF: shield (although shields are included in WF: Common Melee weapons for most cultures). A shield used offensively can use its DCV bonus as an OCV bonus in a block. It may also be used to thump opponents, acting as a 2d6 HA, or a 1/2 d6 HKA if equipped with a thrusting spike. Shields are not ideal weapons however, and take an OCV penalty equivalent to their DCV bonus.
Smashing armour and shields
Combatants may decide to target their opponent's armour and/or shield instead of directly attacking. In this case, the attack is assumed to be directed at a focus, and thus takes a penalty of -2, but if attacking a shield, it gets no DCV bonus and instead gives the attacker an OCV bonus equivalent to its normal DCV bonus. This is because you are normally holding your shield between you and an incoming weapon (even though you normally try to deflect an attack with a shiekd rather than block passively). Shields are often thus destroyed in combat. Most shields are made of wood (DEF 4) and are designed to take a beating, so they have a higher BOD score than their mass would suggest (twice their DCV bonus). Shields often had metal reinforcing to prevent their wood being split (giving them DEF 6) and small and medium shields were sometimes made entirely of metal (the weight precluded larger shields entirely of metal) or faced with metal, and are thus DEF 7. The DEF of Armour is given above. Generally, each hit location will have 2-3 BOD, depending on its mass.
The DEF and Body of magic armour and shields is not calculated like this, but instead is derived from active points as outlined in the HSR.
Armour Descriptions (with hit locations)
The names given to various bits of armour varied with time and place - below is a rough guide to help you make sense of things. be aware that spelling was more or less considered up to personal taste through most of this era, and that the same piece of armour could be referred to by different names - or the same name used for different items - depending on who was writing. If you really want to know more detail, consult a decent book on armour (with illustrations!)
Item
Hit Locations
Description
Aillettes
9 Small rectangular plates (apparently of cuir bouilli) which were attached to the shoulders to protect the shoulder and neck.
Aketon
10-12 or 13 Padded cloth body armour, worn underneath (or occasionally over) heavier armour to absorb impact. Heavier versions were often worn by less well equipped troops or in hot weather as comfortable light armour. Sleeveless
Armet
3-5 Close-fitting, full helmet, with (normally) a heavy visor and narrow slits for vision
Arming Cap
3 Quilted cap - usually of cloth occasionally of leather. Normally worn under a helm. but often worn as protection in its own right
Aspercote
8-12, or from 3-15 Body armour, sometimes of splint, but normally mail. Usually covered torso and upper arms - could have a coif,full sleeves with built-in "mittens" and fall below the knee. (Also known as Ausperg, Hauberk, Hauberg etc)
Aventail
5 Guard attached to a helmet which offers some protection to the neck. Normally of mail but could be of articulated plates
Backplate
10-11 Covers the back of the torso.
Barbet
3-5 Elegant one-piece helmet with a single T-shaped opening for both vision and ventilation
Barrel Helm
3-5 Heavy cylindrical metal helm that enclosed the whole head and rested on the shoulders. Heavy and hot!
Bascinet
3-5 Small close fitting helm that left the face free, with a detachable visor. Ifthe visor is removed (as it often was) location 5 is not protected.
Bevor
5 or 4-5 Effectively a very heavy gorget, designed to be worn under a sallet
Breech
13 Mail flap that covered the groin.
Breastplate
10-11 Covers the front of the torso.
Brigandine
10-11, or 9-11 Armour made by rivetting small metal plates between two sheets of heavy clot or thin leather.
Burgonet
3-4 Light helm, leaving the lower face free for ventilation. Sometimes combined with aventail or bevor to cover location 5
Byrnie
10-11, or up to 9-12 A chain mail vest - normally covering just the torso, but sometimes longer.
Camail
5 Chainmail guard attached to a helmet, which offers some protection to the neck.
Casque
3-5 Heavy cylindrical metal helm that enclosed the whole head and rested on the shoulders. Heavy and hot!
Cerveille
3 Simple iron cap, normally worn under a mail coif, but occasionally on top of it.
Chapeau-de-Fer
3-4 A large round metal "hat", which left plenty of ventilation, but also decreased protection. The broad rim did give some extra protection
Chausses
14-16 Leg armour, normally of mail, but occassionally of reinforced cuir boulli.
Coat-of-Plates
10-11, or up to 9-12 Armour made by rivetting small metal plates between two sheets of heavy clot or thin leather.
Coif
3-5 Armoured hood protecting thehead and neck. Normally of mail. but sometimes leather or even splint.
Cops
7 or 15 Armour for the joints, these were called either knee-cops or elbow-cops Normally of metal, but sometimes of cuir boulli.
Coude
7 Armour for the elbows (part of a harness)
Cuirass
10-12 Large breast and backplate, covering the torso.
Curie
10-13 or 14 Breastplate and thighguards made of cuir boulli (hence the name) sometimes reinforced with metal.
Cuir Boulli
varies Leather armour, made surprisingly strong by repeated boiling (normally in oil).
Cuisses
14 Armour for the thighs. Normally metal but sometimes of cuir boulli, or even quilted armour.
Epauler
9 Shoulder armour
Fauld
12 Stomach protection. In early (transitional) plate this was seperate piece, in later armours it was incorporated into the breastplate (in function, if not name).
Gambeson
Varies from 10-12 to 3-4, 7-14 A padded and quilted body armour. Unlike the aketon, the gambeson generally had sleeves, and could even have built in mittens.
Gauntlets
6 Armour for the hand - could be of any material, I've even seen cuir boulli and quilted hand armour.
Genouillerie
15 Metal protection for the knees (part of a harness).
Gorget
5 Prtiection for the throat. Gorgets were sometimes so large they also offered some protection in location 10
Great Helm
3-5 Heavy metal helm that enclosed the whole head and rested on the shoulders. Heavy and hot!
Greave
15 or 16-17 Armour for the lower leg
Harness
A suit of plate armour, or sometimes the components of a suit of armour (for example, leg harness, etc)
Hauberk
8-12, or from 3-15
Body armour, sometimes of splint, but normally mail. Usually covered torso and upper arms - could have a coif,full sleeves with built-in "mittens" and fall below the knee. (Also known as Ausperg, Aspercote, Hauberg etc)
Heaume
3-5 Heavy cylindrical metal helm that enclosed the whole head and rested on the shoulders. Heavy and hot!
Hosen
14-16 or 14-18 Leg armour of mail.
Jack
Varies from 10-12 to 3-4, 7-14
Padded cloth body armour, worn underneath heavier armour to absorb impact. Heavier versions were often worn by less well equipped troops or in hot weather as comfortable light armour.
Jamb
15-16 Armour for the lower leg (in a full suit of plate)
Kettle Hat
3-4 A large round metal "hat", which left plenty of ventilation, but also decreased protection. The broad rim did give some extra protection
Lamellar
varies Lamellar armour is made of small, overlapping plates laced together. It could sometimes be combined with mail. The plates could be of metal, but were often of horn, which while not as tough, was much lighter. Mostly Lamellar was used for torso protection, but arm and leg protection of lamellar was not unknown.
Nasal Helm
3-4 The classical "norman" helmet - a simple pointed metal helm, sitting on top of the head, with a nose guard.
Pauldron
9 Shoulder armour.
Plackart
11-12 Essentially a metal stomacher. Worn during the transitional era to offer extra protection to the stomach
Plastron
10-12
Large breast and backplate, covering the torso. Sometimes of cuir boulli, but often of metal (and then called Plastron de Fer)
Poleyns
15 Armour for the knee. Normally of metal, but sometimes of cuir boulli.
Rerebrace
8 Armour for the upper arm
Sabatons
17-18 Articulated metal shoes. Could have long pointy toes, or large, rounded ones - or anything in between
Sallet
3-4 or 5 Heavy helm that covered the head, but left the neck and chin bare for ventilation
Schynbald
15-16 Armour for the lower leg, normally of iron
Spangelhelm
3-4 The classical "norman" helmet - a simple pointed metal helm, sitting on top of the head, usually with a nose guard. In some cases they included face protection in which case location 5 is covered.
Sollerets
17-18 Articulated metal shoes.
Taces
12 Articulated metal plates covering the stomach.
Tassets
13 Articulated plates that hung down over the thighs. In some cases, these were exaggerated almost to the point of looking like a heavy metal skirt.
Vambrace
7 Forearm protection. Normally metal, but sometimes cuir bouilli or leather.
Ventail
5 Mail flap that protected the face and throat.