Layering armor

C

Cynis Filthist

New Member
A player of mine was wondering what would be the effects of for instance of stacking multiple armors.


For instance putting a buff-jacket over chain-mail shirt?  I'm thinking I'd say no just for ease of use.  but does anyone have any suggestions?
 
If I were to allow that sort of thing, I'd also stack the penalties.
 
obviously.  though i think i'd add an additional penalty for each layer. (both armor has a +1 penalty, its a +3).  However the lil munchkin in question has a spell of elemental infusion that he can use to reduce mobility penalty.


hehe.
 
I'd call that a benefit of investing XP in sorcery :)


Edit: If it starts to piss you off, just have someone countermagic it a particularly inopportune moment.
 
My impression has always been that unless otherwise noted, armor:


1) is not concealable by regular clothing or anything short of a very voluminous cloak (anyone have a thesaurus with a 'v' word for clock :/ );


2) cannot be worn with other armor.


Don't have any specific rule on this, but note that there's some artifacts out there that specify they are exceptions to one and/or two, and thus to me suggest the rule.


For instance, chain shirt says it can be hidden under normal clothes, but silk armor (SoS III, SoandSos Codex) can specifically be worn with other armor.


On the flip side, chain shirt + buff jacket pretty much should be a less effective Reinforced Buff Jacket (since most the areas a chain shirt would cover would be considered 'vitals').  Just me, but I'd say give him the same armor as a reinforced buff jacket, but raise the mobility penalty to -3.  He can at most remove 1 pt of MP being having the infusion on the buff jacket, but nothing for putting it on the chain shirt.


The reasoning is that the reinforced buff jacket is designed specifically to try and give as much mobility for it's protection.  His method is more hodge podge and doesn't deserve any better on the MP.  The equal soak is more of a give me to him, but just easier to deal with.


Again, the only reason I'd go with it is that there is essentially a combined method armor of chain shirt and buff jacket.  Even so, there's nothing wrong with still denying him out right.
 
I think making too many rules about armor is silly. It would be perfectly within the setting to make a bracelet that gives you +10B/+10L, and I don't know how anyone could argue that it can't be worn with Superheavy Plate.


Wearing two suits of armor might be physically implausible, but it's hardly abusive compared to what can be done by magical means.
 
Considering armor bonuses to soak do not stack with other armor bonuses unless they explicitly state otherwise (as in the case of a Silken Armor (Oadenol's Codex, p. 159), which explicitly states you can use it with other armor, or the Lunar Charm Armor Forming Technique (Lunars p. 160) which will stack with Moon Faced Mail or Moonsilver armor), one cannot stick a Chain Shirt on under a Breatsplate, Lamellar or Superheavy Plate. Or...they could, but the soak will not stack, but the mobility and fatigue will. So...not worth it.


Simply put, since items such as Silken Armor explicitly state they can stack, it must thereby be assumed that other armors cannot, since they do not say that they can. There is also the fact that Charms that grant Armor soak (noted to be different than Natural Soak) cannot be used while wearing armor (not counting Armor Forming Technique's noted exception)...one would assume that if charms cannot, standard equipment and artifacts wouldn't either.


But really, if Silken Armor has that as part of it's 'special powers,' it can't be something can't be done normally.
 
Taking Flaggs advice into consideration, I might now actually allow such a thing; however, I'd be sure to have pretty much every NPC ridicule him for looking like such a tool. They'd also start calling him "Michelin Man", without knowing what it means.
 
Flagg said:
I think making too many rules about armor is silly. It would be perfectly within the setting to make a bracelet that gives you +10B/+10L, and I don't know how anyone could argue that it can't be worn with Superheavy Plate.
Wearing two suits of armor might be physically implausible, but it's hardly abusive compared to what can be done by magical means.
Click to expand...
Yet, basic armor is rather common, whilst the bracelet can only be obtained by great lenghts- either searching for it or the materials to make it.


And of course the outrageous bonuses are from magic.  Magic trumps mundane, except for fae magic and cold iron.
 
Note that your Buff Jacket plus Chain shirt is basically the book description of one form of a Reinforced Buff Jacket. A number of the other armors are rather similar in this respect, being the cobination of 'lesser' armors into a greater whole.
 
Flagg said:
I think making too many rules about armor is silly. It would be perfectly within the setting to make a bracelet that gives you +10B/+10L, and I don't know how anyone could argue that it can't be worn with Superheavy Plate.
Wearing two suits of armor might be physically implausible, but it's hardly abusive compared to what can be done by magical means.
Click to expand...
But what happens when you start stacking magical means?  How about Silken Armor underneath a buff jacket, underneath orichalcum super heavy plate with a bangle, a necklace AND a pinky ring of "auspicious protective twinkdom"?


It is abusive, however the end numbers stack up - it's an abuse of logic to try to squeeze in as many consequence-free modifiers as one can by trying to bend the rules in a way they weren't meant to go by arguing a very fuzzy concept of "reality".  We're talking about a game that doesn't give stats for helmets and in which articulated plate can mean "golden ashtrays that hide the naughty-bits".  Who cares if you COULD theoretically wear a buff jacket under an over-sized breast plate - as has already been pointed out the term "buff jacket" or "chain shirt" aren't references to specific articles or armor but complete defense packages complete with all the accouterments necessary for total bodily defense.
 
Sato said:
How about Silken Armor underneath a buff jacket, underneath orichalcum super heavy plate with a bangle, a necklace AND a pinky ring of "auspicious protective twinkdom"?
Click to expand...
Then you're a tank with all your motes committed and you can't do jack shit but soak.


...and you're STILL susceptible to Essence ping.
 
Personally, if I were to allow someone to stack armor, they'd only benefit from the highest hardness.
 
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