Artifact armors

Arthur

Arthur

One Thousand Club
The page 391 of the core book states that the magic version of the Superheavy Plate is an artifact ***** item. Isn't that a little too much? Ok, it's a great armor. One of those made of orichalcum will give you soak 17/17 and hardness 11/11, which basely makes you a walking war tank, but artifacts with a rating of 5 are supposed to be world-shaking! As powerful as it is, this armor is nothing but an armor that does nothing except for taking blows instead of you, it has no additional ability. Try comparing it with some dragon armor from the Oaldenol's Codex and you will see they are of completely different power levels. My question is: is that armor truly supposed to be of rating 5 or it's some kind of misinterpretation from my part?
 
Rating is also a reflection of rarity and difficulty to produce as well as in-game effects.


Artifact superheavy plate armor is going to cost you a ton of resources to make, even in places like the Blessed Isle where wonders similar to this are mass-produced.  Not everyone can wear it, not everyone is comfortable wearing it with the mobility penalty it has.


I understand the argument that other, more powerful and more beneficial artifacts are the same rating or, in some cases, a lesser rating. But in this case, I think on like this:


You may as well be a veritable tank while wearing superheavy plate. You're also going to move about as fast as one.  You can trade off being able to soak a ton more damage than lesser armors, but that's magical metal covering your entire body.  Enough magical metals in fact to ransom entire kingdoms if you go by a default Resource cost of Rating+2 which is what we generally do in our games.  There likely wouldn't have been enough made in the First Age to allow for every single Exalt to have a set, making it fairly rare in the Age of Sorrows.  To reflect the the material, monetary, labour and production costs of relatively few sets of this armor, I'd leave it as Artifact 5.
 
Rhapsody said:
Rating is also a reflection of rarity and difficulty to produce as well as in-game effects.
Artifact superheavy plate armor is going to cost you a ton of resources to make, even in places like the Blessed Isle where wonders similar to this are mass-produced.  Not everyone can wear it, not everyone is comfortable wearing it with the mobility penalty it has.


I understand the argument that other, more powerful and more beneficial artifacts are the same rating or, in some cases, a lesser rating. But in this case, I think on like this:


You may as well be a veritable tank while wearing superheavy plate. You're also going to move about as fast as one.  You can trade off being able to soak a ton more damage than lesser armors, but that's magical metal covering your entire body.  Enough magical metals in fact to ransom entire kingdoms if you go by a default Resource cost of Rating+2 which is what we generally do in our games.  There likely wouldn't have been enough made in the First Age to allow for every single Exalt to have a set, making it fairly rare in the Age of Sorrows.  To reflect the the material, monetary, labour and production costs of relatively few sets of this armor, I'd leave it as Artifact 5.
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Yeah, but most warstriders and every rate 5 manse cost as much or far more than a superheavy plate to make. Still they can be acquired with the same amount of background dots.
 
My opinion: Someone hadn't gotten the Artifact Rating guidlines in place when they wrote up the Artifact armours. They goofed. Seriously, if you want that much Soak, get a Warstrider or Celestial Battle Armour. Both offer comparable Soak and a whole host of other advantages, though they do require maintainence.


It can be barely justified as a Artifact 5, but I wouldn't hesitate to allow someone to tack on a few extra powers if they were making their own.
 
Poor armors...


What about Starmetal Superheavy plate?  Now that's tanking.


If a Twilight wears that thing he's incredibly hard to kill.  However, he's my take on it:


An artifact weapon is really awesome.  But without charms you're really not that powerful.


Same with armor.  Itself makes you really tough, but without charms, you're just another guy in super heavy armor.


6 motes in Armored Scout's Invigoration negates the Superheavy Plate's fatigue and mobility.  And the coolness factor of donning an awesome armor, in a single action, is a big plus (anyone Guyver fans?)


Snake style is also incredible in Superheavy plate.  A 5 stamina, 5 MA character with a few charms Snake Style scene long charms can soak 27L/27B.  Then he can just walk around, getting wailed on as much as he likes, while striking back at the enemy with his counterattack (and since he doesn't need to parry or dodge to reduce things to ping, his counterattacks become massive).
 
Re: Poor armors...

Praedoran said:
Snake style is also incredible in Superheavy plate.  A 5 stamina, 5 MA character with a few charms Snake Style scene long charms can soak 27L/27B.  Then he can just walk around, getting wailed on as much as he likes, while striking back at the enemy with his counterattack (and since he doesn't need to parry or dodge to reduce things to ping, his counterattacks become massive).
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Except that you can't use armor with Snake Style.


Dude completely encased in metal trying to weave and bob and generally be hypnotic across the battlefield? Not in my games, bub.
 
I thought that the Form Charm had specific description that it cannot be used with armor.
 
I think someone left out some errata somewhere, because nowhere does it state anything about armor whatsoever. Not whether you can use it, or whether the style is incompatible. I just rechecked my book.


But folks, use your common sense.  If the Charms have descriptors like "bends and weaves with the utmost grace" and "sinuous and slow movements" and "quick as lightning", are you really going to let someone in superheavy plate be able to pull off these feats? Really?


Maybe I'm alone in this thought, but certain types of armor are going to be ridiculously unsuited for the movements required for certain types of martial arts katas.  Personally, I wouldn't allow it. *shrug* A breastplate, maybe. Silken armor, definitely.  Buff jacket, sure.  Superheavy plate? Nuh-uh.
 
Realism?


Huh?  You're applying realism to Exalted? :)  Superheavy plate is attuned to a wearer and thus, actually very mobile.  You're just as mobile in a non-artifact reinforced buff jacket.  And it's just as tiring.  And with the charm I described earlier, a Solar can reduce this to nothing and act as if she were unarmored (wow, I used the she pronoun... guess I've read the book too much)


Giving Martial Artists the ability to wear armor was a big decision to improve the combat ability of those types.  And besides, with realism we wouldn't have any chainmail/plate bikini's running around...
 
Power armor from Wonders of the Lost Age have a repair rating, something that you don't have on your Superheavy "normal" artifact armor.


Besides from that, it may have gotten that rating as a game mechanism to prevent most players from taking it at character creation. It's easier to tell players no artifacts above rating 3 and no magitech, than to justify why they are not allowed to take one artifact 3 (as it probably should be) but are allowed to take others.


As soon as game have started artifact rating doesn't matter as much - unless you still have to buy your backgrounds - so if it's a artifact 3 or 5 is not important, and if you are going to sell it, in the end it's your storyteller that tell you how much someone will buy it for.
 
I would not be averse to adding a couple of small powers to the Armour to bring it up to scratch.


Scroll of the Monk is very specific about which MA's can use armour and which cannot. Thematically I would put Snake as being akin to Mantis style, and you can’t use armour for that. The 2e errata has come out and no mention made of it. Difficult to judge this one.
 
I think its on the wiki that one of the authors states that Snake is allowed with armor. The format of SotM hadn't been established when the Core book was written, so since it doesn't exclude the use of armor its allowed.
 
Yes, the writer of snake style specifically said it's fine with armour, it's meant to be.

But folks, use your common sense.  If the Charms have descriptors like "bends and weaves with the utmost grace" and "sinuous and slow movements" and "quick as lightning", are you really going to let someone in superheavy plate be able to pull off these feats? Really?
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Kinda like a snake, completely covered in armoured scales?
 
FluffySquirrel said:
Yes, the writer of snake style specifically said it's fine with armour, it's meant to be.
But folks, use your common sense.  If the Charms have descriptors like "bends and weaves with the utmost grace" and "sinuous and slow movements" and "quick as lightning", are you really going to let someone in superheavy plate be able to pull off these feats? Really?
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Kinda like a snake, completely covered in armoured scales?
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Snake scales are made of keratin. Superheavy armors are mostly made of tougher than diamond magical metals (or moonsilver). There is a huge difference there. But if it was stated by an author that it's allowed, I'm not gonna argue.
 
Gtroc said:
disbelief? I don't think there is such a thing as disbelief.
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Would you believe the Unconquered Sun would fly down in a car that's turned into a jet and solve all Creation's problems by shooting them with automatic rifles and then blowing them up?
 
Also, I have some prime martian swampland for sale. Low prices and very good development prospects. :twisted:
 
well obviously those things are true...I am a little short of cash for the swampland though. it is upsetting as that's the best deal I have gotten so far.
 
I can offer you a loan at a good rate. :twisted:
 
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