Zardnaar
Legend
As the title says. This is a 50 minute documentary on Netflix. Basically they recreate a knights armor, test it vs contemporary gunfire and then make a elaborate set as worn by the nobility in late 16th Century England which was the twilight of ye olde Knight in Shining Armor.
This has sort of been an interest to me since I was young and specifically in D&D since the mid 90s and the 2E Fighters Handbook. In 5E tool proficiency and downtime could be used to make your own set. In 2E the players down times made their own masterwork weapons and armor using 3E terms.
Turns out our ancestors were a bit more clever than the dumbass medieval bumpkin stereotype. Anyway some things from the documentary.
Water powered bellows and hammer for forging via waterwheels.
Mass production pre industrialization
Common Soldier Breastplate. 1/16 of an inch. Can be penetrated by contemporary gun.
Nobles Full plate. 1/16th on the sides, 4 times thicker in the middle.
Folded steel kinda like a katana.
Layered two layers are used.
Very flexible, you can ride a bike, stand up from the ground and almost jog in it. AD&D and 3E may have got it right allowing dexterity bonuses to apply +1 or +2 in 3Es case.
Curved and angled with small protruding "Pike" almost. Google IS3 tank for an idea, WW2 tank armor late war similar ideas.
Etching with gold inlay took about a year. Unadorned was still 1000 hours. Presumably experienced Craftsmen could make it faster/ use more people.
So was it bulletproof? Yes a musket fired at maybe 20 metres or so failed to penetrate and the ball disintegrated and was deflected.
Well guns and armor overlapped each other by 200 years. The Breastplate at least was bullet proof/highly resistant.
Opinion: New Tactics
Knights became obsolete though. Arguably the armor didn't fail but it was to expensive and guns were cheap. Not all of the Knight would have been bullet proof along with the horse.
Additionally more than guns were being used to counter them. Pikes, guns, crossbows and bigger swords in mixed formations were being used. Spanish Tercio and German Landsknechts.
Kinda wanna play a fighter now. Von Chugstein the Sailor Knight, Dwarven of course. Granite boat and all (ripped off from the forums apologies to the OP).
My first character ever was a fighter. He got his full plate in B/X and made it to level 4 after a year of playing 30 odd short sessions (1.5 hours). Sir Andal and his coat of arms I painted with model paint.
This has sort of been an interest to me since I was young and specifically in D&D since the mid 90s and the 2E Fighters Handbook. In 5E tool proficiency and downtime could be used to make your own set. In 2E the players down times made their own masterwork weapons and armor using 3E terms.
Turns out our ancestors were a bit more clever than the dumbass medieval bumpkin stereotype. Anyway some things from the documentary.
Water powered bellows and hammer for forging via waterwheels.
Mass production pre industrialization
Common Soldier Breastplate. 1/16 of an inch. Can be penetrated by contemporary gun.
Nobles Full plate. 1/16th on the sides, 4 times thicker in the middle.
Folded steel kinda like a katana.
Layered two layers are used.
Very flexible, you can ride a bike, stand up from the ground and almost jog in it. AD&D and 3E may have got it right allowing dexterity bonuses to apply +1 or +2 in 3Es case.
Curved and angled with small protruding "Pike" almost. Google IS3 tank for an idea, WW2 tank armor late war similar ideas.
Etching with gold inlay took about a year. Unadorned was still 1000 hours. Presumably experienced Craftsmen could make it faster/ use more people.
So was it bulletproof? Yes a musket fired at maybe 20 metres or so failed to penetrate and the ball disintegrated and was deflected.
Well guns and armor overlapped each other by 200 years. The Breastplate at least was bullet proof/highly resistant.
Opinion: New Tactics
Knights became obsolete though. Arguably the armor didn't fail but it was to expensive and guns were cheap. Not all of the Knight would have been bullet proof along with the horse.
Additionally more than guns were being used to counter them. Pikes, guns, crossbows and bigger swords in mixed formations were being used. Spanish Tercio and German Landsknechts.
Kinda wanna play a fighter now. Von Chugstein the Sailor Knight, Dwarven of course. Granite boat and all (ripped off from the forums apologies to the OP).
My first character ever was a fighter. He got his full plate in B/X and made it to level 4 after a year of playing 30 odd short sessions (1.5 hours). Sir Andal and his coat of arms I painted with model paint.
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