This is part 6 of my ongoing series on improving the armor tables. Unlike my Fixing the Weapons Table posts, these changes should be considered entirely optional and a GM should carefully consider whether they want to use them in their game, because it might mean a lot of tweaking stat blocks behind the scenes. These changes are designed for GMs who love history and want their fantasy worlds to be a little more grounded in it.
This week I'm dropping the rules for partial and piecemeal armor, followed by some examples that illustrate the versatility of this system. Thus far, the armor I have presented has been full-body armor, protecting the wearer more-or-less head-to-toe. The following rules will allow a character to lighten the load by wearing only torso armor, or mix-and-match different armors to customize their dungeon-delving ensemble.
Pathfinder already has some armors that I would consider 'partial armors' - the breastplate and chain shirt spring to mind - though their relationship to more complete armors is ill-defined. There are also already rules for piecemeal armor, but I find them overly complicated and not particularly versatile. By their system, piecemeal armor is divided into torso, arm, and leg armor, and the only way to determine the stats of any given piece of armor is to find it on their tables. I have created a more versatile, consistent system of rules that lets you break down any suit of armor into two pieces (torso armor and limb protection), and mix and match them. I developed it for my own improved armor tables, but these rules can also be easily applied to the base Pathfinder armors, armor created for the d20 system by a third party, or your own homebrewed armors.
The following items and rules in gold and their accompanying tables are available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2015 Jonah Bomgaars and d20 Despot.
Partial and
Piecemeal Armor
Sometimes it is advantageous to wear only part of a suit
of armor, or to mix and match different armor types to gain some of the
advantages of both. In such cases, for
simplicity’s sake, any given suit of armor is considered to be made up of two
parts: the torso armor and the limb defenses.
The torso armor generally protects the torso, head, neck, shoulders, and
pelvic regions, while the limb defenses cover the hands, arms, feet, and legs. It should be noted that this is a simplified
abstraction; the actual components of any set of piecemeal armor may vary from
suit to suit.
A partial armor
is comprised of a single set of torso armor (or, more rarely, limb
defenses). A piecemeal armor is a
combination of one kind of torso armor with another kind of limb defenses.
To determine the
cost, armor class bonus, armor check penalty, arcane spell failure chance, or
weight of a set of torso armor or limb defenses, divide the base armor’s
statistics in half, rounding up or down according to Table 1. To determine the
maximum Dexterity bonus of a piecemeal set of armor, average the base armors’
max Dex bonuses together, rounding down.
The maximum Dexterity bonus for a partial set of armor is determined in
the same way, but in place of a second set of armor, use the ‘unarmored’
statistics presented below in Tables 3
and 4. To determine the hardness of
a set of piecemeal armor, average the values of the two base armors
together. A set of partial armor retains
the hardness of its base armor. Determine
the hit points of the armor as normal (armor bonus x5).
Hint: When rounding
the armor check penalty values, keep in mind that rounding a negative number up
brings it closer to 0 and rounding it down moves it farther from 0 (e.g. half
of -5 rounded up is -2; half of -5 rounded down is -3).
The armor class
bonus of the resulting armor determines whether it is Light, Medium, or Heavy,
and what move speed the armor allows.
The wearer must be proficient with the base armor(s) in order to wear
them without penalty (for instance, a character wearing plate torso armor and padded
limb defenses must be proficient with Heavy armor or suffer the normal
nonproficiency penalties, even though the resulting piecemeal armor is only Medium).
For ease of
reference, the statistics for each type of torso armor and limb defenses are
presented below. All normal mundane armor
impedes arcane spellcasting in some way.
If a set of partial or piecemeal armor has an arcane spell failure
chance of 0%, treat it as if it had a 5% chance of arcane spell failure when
worn. Any base armor that has an armor
class bonus of only +1 (arming doublet, hide (+1), leather, and woven armor)
provides no protection as a partial suit of armor. The statistics for such armors are presented
below purely for constructing piecemeal armors.
Piecemeal armors
can be purchased as a complete set of armor or they can be made by combining
parts of two pre-existing armors.
Similarly, partial armors can be purchased normally or they can be made
by removing parts from a pre-existing suit of armor. A suit of piecemeal armor is treated as one
object, even if it was originally made out of two different suits of
armor.
Partial armors
purchased as partial armors come with partial arming doublets, not full arming
doublets. When a character is wearing
only a partial set of an armor that has a full arming doublet underneath,
calculate the character’s AC as if the arming doublet made up the other part of
the armor.
Masterwork
The added cost of making an item masterwork is halved for
a partial suit of armor. However, being
masterwork grants a partial suit of armor no bonuses. Only a full suit of masterwork armor gains
the benefits of being masterwork.
Similarly, both halves of a suit of piecemeal armor must be masterwork
for the wearer to gain the benefits of masterwork armor.
Special Materials
Torso armors and limb defenses can be made out of special
materials just as full armors can. For
special materials that calculate cost by weight, use the weights presented in Tables 3 and 4. For determining the cost
of special materials that are calculated by armor type, use Table 2 to determine the armor type of
the torso armor or limb defenses in question.
Such partial
armors made of different special materials can be mixed and matched into
piecemeal armors. Determine the hardness
and HP of such an armor normally, by averaging the values of the two base
armors. Any bonuses granted by special
materials (such as the arcane spell failure chance decrease, maximum Dexterity
bonus increase, and armor check penalty decrease) do not stack with similar
bonuses granted by the special materials of the other half of the armor (e.g. piecemeal
armor made of mithral limb defenses and mithral torso armor doesn’t gain double
the bonuses of normal mithral armor.
Nice try though.) Adamantine
torso armor or limb defenses grant DR based on the type of armor that they are
as shown in Table 2 (e.g. a suit of
piecemeal armor made of mithral plate limb defenses and adamantine plate torso
armor would grant DR 2/-, even though the suit of armor is Heavy armor, because
the adamantine portion with a +4 AC bonus counts as Medium armor.
Magic Armor
Enchanting partial or piecemeal suits of armor has the
same cost as enchanting a normal suit of armor.
If a suit of magical armor is broken up into torso armor and limb
defenses, the enchantment remains with the torso armor. The separated limb defenses are no longer
magic, but remain masterwork, and retain a faint aura of magic matching the
aura of the torso armor. The enchantment
of the torso armor extends to any masterwork or better set of limb defenses
that it is paired with.
It is possible
to enchant a set of limb defenses, although it is rarely done. The enchantment on a set of limb defenses
extends to any masterwork torso armor paired with them. If paired with an enchanted set of torso
armor, the magic of the limb defenses is suppressed until the torso armor is
removed.
If either
enchanted torso armor or enchanted limb defenses are paired with non-magical
armor of less than masterwork quality, the enchantments on the armor are
suppressed until the inferior armor is removed, although the enchanted armor
pieces still detect as magic. If either
enchanted torso armor or limb defenses are paired with non-magical cold iron
armor, the enchantment is suppressed until the cold iron armor is removed; if
the cold iron armor is already enchanted, it behaves normally, with the
enchantments of the torso armor taking precedence as usual. The exception to this rule is if enchanted
cold iron torso armor is mixed with non-magical cold iron limb defenses, in
which case the whole suit of armor takes on the torso’s enchantments regardless
of the natural magical-damping effects of cold iron.
 |
| Early 17th century English breastplate and buff coat, similar to the armor described below; Royal Armouries, Leeds |
Cost 2,520gp; AC +7; Max Dex +3; Check Penalty
-4; Weight 45 lbs.
This armor consists
of a steel cuirass with integrated cuisses (upper leg defenses) worn over a
long buffalo-hide coat with tall hide cavalry boots and thick hide gloves. This combination of full plate and hide makes
an excellent armor for a cavalryman or pistolier.
Historical Notes: This is one configuration
of armor worn by wealthy troops in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially during
the English Civil War.
Composite Wooden
Armor
Cost 7gp; AC +3; Max Dex +4; Check Penalty
-3; Weight 22 lbs.
Employing heavy
wooden slats to protect the torso and more flexible rod-armor to protect the
arms and legs, this light, metal-less armor offers a lighter alternative to a
full suit of wooden slat armor while providing more protection than a typical wooden
rod cuirass.
Although this is
Light armor, it counts as Medium armor for the purpose of armor proficiency.
Historical Notes: This configuration of
wooden armor was more common amongst Native American warrior than full suits of
wooden slat armor. Their use has been
attested amongst tribes in New England, California, and the Pacific Northwest
coast.
 |
| 14th century German haubergeon; Royal Armouries, Leeds |
Haubergeon
Cost 150gp; AC +4; Max Dex +6; Check Penalty
-3; Weight 25 lbs.
A haubergeon is
a shorter version of a mail hauberk. Heavy
mail covers the entire torso and extends down to the mid-thigh, with sleeves
covering partway down the upper arm. It
is significantly lighter than a full mail hauberk while still offering
protection to the body’s vital areas.
Although this is
Medium armor, it counts as Heavy armor for the purpose of armor proficiency.
 |
| 18th century Rajasthani mirror-armor-style coat of ten-thousand nails; Royal Armories, Leeds |
Heavy Brigandine
Cost 500gp; AC +7; Max Dex +3; Check Penalty
-4; Weight 32 lbs.
This set of
brigandine armor incorporates larger plates of steel into the torso, offering
greater protection to vital areas, while using light mail to fill in some gaps
in the armor where it would be more convenient than plates.
Historical Notes: This armor is meant to
represent a variant of the Indian chihal’ta
hazar masha (coat of ten-thousand nails) that incorporates some principles
of mirror armor into its construction, offering a greater degree of
protection to the torso.
Other Names: Indian - chihal’ta hazar masha
 |
| Late 16th century English jack-of-plate, styled after civilian fashion (they also made stylish brigandine hats)
Royal Armouries, Leeds
|
Jack-of-Plate
Cost 100gp; AC +3; Max Dex +6; Check Penalty
-2; Weight 13 lbs.
This is simply a
doublet of brigandine, providing light and discreet protection for the torso
without sacrificing flexibility or fashion.
Although this is
Light armor, it counts as Medium armor for the purpose of armor proficiency.
Historical Notes: This is the most
common form of brigandine used in Europe, and was especially popular amongst
citizens of Italian cities who wished to protect themselves from robbers and
assassins.
Light Thorax
Cost 55gp; AC +3; Max Dex +5; Check Penalty
-1; Weight 18 lbs.
This simple
armor consists of a stout cuirass of boiled leather combined with greaves made
of dozens of layers of linen, shaped and stiffened with glue.
Although this is
Light armor, it counts as Medium armor for the purpose of armor proficiency.
Historical Notes: This is one example of
a lighter, cheaper hoplite armor worn by Greek citizen-soldiers who could not
afford, or did not want to wear, heavy bronze plate.
 |
| Left to Right: Central Asian mirror armor; Torso portion of a 16th C. Turkish mail-and-plate coat; 18th C mirror armor from Lahore;
Royal Armouries, Leeds
|
Mirror Armor
Cost 475gp; AC +6; Max Dex +3; Check Penalty
-4; Weight 35 lbs.
Consisting in
its simplest form as a series of four metal plates (called ‘mirrors’) wrapped
around the torso over a light mail hauberk, mirror armor was created to grant
greater protection to warriors than could be gained by mere light mail alone. More advanced forms of mirror armor have large
metal plates incorporated into the mail of the torso, in much the same style as
mail-and-plate.
Although this is
Medium armor, it counts as Heavy armor for the purpose of armor proficiency.
Historical Notes: Mirror armor as
described above developed as an up-armored form of light mail in Central Asia
and Persia, spreading throughout Russia, the Middle East, and India in the
Medieval and Early Modern period. The
metal plates were called mirrors because they were often highly polished. The wearing of mirror armor became associated
with the superstition that mirrors could protect you from the evil eye. Early mirror armor consisted of four square or
circular plates, lashed or hinged together, forming a box around the torso. Later designs often used the circular motif,
breaking the circle up into several large plates and incorporating them into
the mail. The principles of mirror armor
were also applied to brigandine in India (see Heavy Brigandine).
Other Names: Kazakh - shar-ayna; Ottoman - krug; Persian - chahar-ayneh; Russian - zartsalo;
 |
photo by Baron Franz von Stillfried-Ratenicz, 1881, via Wikimedia
Nanban dō gusoku |
Nanban Dō Gusoku
Cost 1,150gp; AC +7; Max Dex +2; Check Penalty
-6; Weight 60 lbs.
This style of
samurai armor features a solid steel breastplate with traditionally styled arm
and leg armor of alternating mail and plate, providing excellent protection
against sword, spear, and gun.
Historical Notes: Nanban dō gusoku was
Japan’s answer to European plate armor.
The cuirass (and sometimes the helmet)
was made in European style, but the mail-and-plate limb defenses
retained the classical samurai aesthetic, making what was probably the finest
armor to be made in Japan. The steel
breastplate was especially important because it was more resistant to bullets
than earlier samurai armors which were banded or lamellar armors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry for the late post, everybody! This one took a lot of work.
You might notice that there are a few ways to combine certain armors to make a piecemeal armor that is objectively better than one of the base armors. For instance, a mixing a leather lamellar torso armor with leather plate limb defenses makes for a suit of armor that is cheaper than regular leather plate and provides the same amount of protection, but has a batter max Dex bonus and armor check penalty. This isn't a bug, it's a feature. That's why people mix and match armor types!
Is this the final installment of the Improved Armor Tables? Maybe. I might have some other stuff to add later. For one thing, I need to re-vamp the rules for donning and removing armor. Plus, I have some ideas to change the way you pay for masterwork armor (and masterwork items in general), and a few add-ons that might be interesting to characters who like to spend money personalizing and improving their armor.
-your piecemeal d20 despot
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