Armor in RPG's

[ONINOTAKI18]

So with the upcoming change in editions for D&D I have been contemplating the role of armor in RPG's. I have come to a few realizations about what I want, and am curious as too what other board members would like to see in their games.

Things I like an armor system to do in an RPG:
1)provide me with many viable choices, most of which are based off of historical models.

2)All me to mix and match character concepts and armor types, so that I can build just about whatever combination I can dream off (fencer in full plate, brigand who only wears heavier armor above the waste, and lighter armor below etc)

3)each armor type have a purpose that is not easily eclipsed by another armor

4)in regards to computer RPG's I want armor to make my character look cool, no matter what type I am wearing

5)each armor mechanically represents what its concept implies it should do.

6)have a system of improving armor over time/experience that makes sense (do not make plate available before chain, even if chain is 3 ranks up the light armor scale, and plate is only 2 ranks up the heavy armor scale, oblivion I am looking at you lol)

7)Provide my character primarily with benifits that differ based on the armor and its role, as opposed to differentiating between armor types by penalties.

Thats a pretty rough list of what I would like to see in armor, and sadly I have a really hard time finding a game that provides for all of the above.

Anyway what do you guys look for in an armor system for it to make you feel it does a good job?

 

[Asmor]

Simplicity. For example, in my current Savage Worlds campaign, I say that lightly armored people get +1 toughness, heavily armored people (like the party's samurai dwarf) get +2, and I'm open to the idea of a +3 armor but haven't put any in yet.

 

[werk]

Anyway what do you guys look for in an armor system for it to make you feel it does a good job?

Wow, I think I'm looking for something very different than you. That is so complex as to make me play naked. (my character, of course)

I look for a simple yet elegant system, largely based on damage reduction rather than increasing the difficulty to hit the creature wearing it. I don't want to divide the body up in quadrants or body parts that are tracked individually or separately from the whole, especially if that system isn't echoed in the core mechanics. I don't want to have to track large numbers of damage, hardness, wear, cost to repair, decreased effectiveness, or anything requiring battletech-era diagrams or running percentage calculations.

I would go for very vague.
Light armor - absorbs 5 points of damage from every attack, weighs n#, reduces speed x.
Med armor - absorbs 10 points, etc, etc/

Leave the styles and names of pieces, etc, to fluff completely removed from the mechanic.
You want to wear a breastplate and silk stockings...we'll call that medium, treat it like medium, describe however you like.

The more years I play, the more minimal a game I prefer.

 

[frankthedm]

I want a system where the players are rewarded for covering up their soft, yielding human flesh with a skin of steel. The protection armor offers should far outweigh the lack of agility incurred by it. Let those who go without armor die messily. I also want enough granularity from the weapon system where heavier weapons like axes, maxes and picks ARE better at punching through armor than blades.

 

[Ranger REG]

I prefer the "armor as DR" rules in Unearthed Arcana, where it has the stats to deflect (bonus to AC/defense) as well as absorb (DR).

The formula is so simple you can practically convert any d20/OGL armor stats that only has bonus to AC/defense.

Personally, an armor that can absorb 10 points of damage ought to be made of present-day composite material.

 

[jmucchiello]

Problem with straight DR is it makes small weapons completely useless. I haven't tried this but I've always thought it should play into the abstractness of the hit point system. Armor grants temporary "Con". You gain temporary hit points equal to 3 or 4 times the AC bonus of the armor PER Hit Die. The temporary hit points are lost first and recharge between battles when you untwist your greaves, tighten loose straps and unkink tangled chains.

Non-proficiency can even be worked in by granting 3 hp/level/AC without proficiency and 5 hp/level/AC with proficiency. Additional expertise would increase the number of hp/level/AC. Obviously the numbers here need to be tested.

 

[Ranger REG]

Problem with straight DR is it makes small weapons completely useless.

True, but isn't want armor technology is built for? When one builds a dagger, one builds a better chain armor to make dagger impenetrable. When one decided to upgrade a dagger to a zweihander, one builds a better plate armor (with rounded edges) to make zhweihander inflict less damage or turn a damaging direct hit to a grazing one.

When it comes to reality, nothing is balanced.

I still stand my statement though, that any armor that can absorb 10 points of damage are used by the bomb squad or built by Tony Stark.

 

[Jackelope King]

Since I've been playing Mutants & Masterminds lately, I really have come to prefer armor adding to your toughness, not adding to your defense. Armor makes you harder to hurt, not harder to hit.

 

[Arkhandus]

The Chronicles of Ramlar (not d20, though similar to D&D or AD&D in many ways) handles armor reasonably well like this, but probably not quite as well as it should (or at least not quite as completely as you're looking for). Armor is generally ablative in Chronicles of Ramlar; it gives you armor points in each armored location, which soak up damage until they're exhausted, at which point the armor in that location is broken.

You can get either a full suit of a particular armor type, or equip different kinds of armor to different hit locations. Each type of armor or piece of armor has an Encumbrance Value (which is for determining if you're encumbered or not, and it penalizes roguish skills for sneaking and stuff as appropriate), a cost, a particular value in armor points, and a Defense Modifier. Most armors have either a +0 Defense Modifier, or a negative one, like -1 or -5 or whatever; this is essentially like a penalty to Armor Class in D&D terms, making you easier to hit. However, some of the lighter armors instead give a Defense bonus of +1 or +2, making you a bit harder to hit, since they don't interfere as much with your movement and just help deflect or block attacks a bit.

Chainmail reduces damage from slashing attacks by 5 points, but for some reason they didn't make any similar rules for other armor types. The heavier an armor is, the more expensive it'll be, the more armor points it'll grant to hit locations covered by it, the higher its Encumbrance Value will be, and lower its Defense Modifier will be. A few spells in the game ignore armor, IIRC, but most do not.

Armor in The Chronicles of Ramlar can be repaired to its normal armor point value after suffering damage, and it can be customized with upgrades through the proper skill and expending some time, money, and skill rolls.

 

[logan9a]

Anyway what do you guys look for in an armor system for it to make you feel it does a good job?


To answer your question, speed.

There are two types of roleplayers, the typical and the over educated. The typical roleplayer has about as much idea of armor as they do on the care and construction of a yurt. The over educated roleplayer will wax philosophical and quote various sources too cumbersome to read should they actually be able to be looked up on the internet.

Being that I like a much simpler system than D&D (not into wargaming, minis, etc - my tastes tend to go to stories as those who listen to the podcast know) hence I go for simplicity in the armor. I don't use hit locations because it slows down battle to a crawl. I go for fast resolution. People still take damage when in armor, they just take a bit less and a different kind. Armor lowers your stamina (in general) not speed. I've messed around in plate, chain, leather and pleather - very different stuff. I've watched people do cartwheels in full plate. I know from experience that all of the weight from chain is on your shoulders. (Personally I'd suggest anyone who hasn't worn armor to get out and do some LARPs rather than read about it - but those same folks buy books on swimming and don't get in the water....)

So, to summarize my wild rant,

Speed of play and simplicity.