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Plate Armour

Posted: Sat 25 Feb 2023, 18:37
by Aragorn
Do you think a PC should be aloud plate armour.

Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Sat 25 Feb 2023, 21:32
by Otaku-sempai
Maybe partial-plate could be allowed if it seems appropriate (say, for a Guard of the Tower in Minas Tirith). By this I mean a cuirass worn over mail.

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Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Sun 26 Feb 2023, 06:45
by Aragorn
That's the kind of thing I was thinking of, I am busy making a Gondorian as my Character in Strider Mode and thought it would be cool to let him have plate. What stats do you think the cuirass should have?

Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Sun 26 Feb 2023, 10:34
by Tolwen
Do you think a PC should be aloud plate armour.
IMO this depends to a good deal on the style and premises of your campaign. Interestingly, there is no positive evidence for any kind of plate armour by any culture in Tolkiens legendarium. Of course evidence is scarce, but wherever he refers to powerful armour worn by heroes (be it Dwarves, Númenóreans or Elves), we hear of some variation of "mail". The closest thing that comes to plate is the vambrace of Imrahil, but this is only a small piece of armour historically also in use with mail (especially with short-sleeved mail shirts to protect the lower arm) many centuries before the typical late-medieval plate appeared.
Now, beginning with the movies, some kind of plate armour was introduced (perhaps to differentiate different cultures visually and therefore show the higher development of Gondor compared to Rohan for example), so this has become kind of normal in visual depictions. MERP also had plate armour as a default possibility (but it was MERP of course ;) ). And the movie-style plate armour looks cool of course :)
So, I'd say do whatever fits to your game. There is no global "right" or "wrong", as it depends on several factors whose individual weight greatly changes the outcome :)

Best
Tolwen

Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Sun 26 Feb 2023, 12:19
by Harlath
That's the kind of thing I was thinking of, I am busy making a Gondorian as my Character in Strider Mode and thought it would be cool to let him have plate. What stats do you think the cuirass should have?
Easy to extrapolate from existing 2e armours, which offer a ratio of 1d of armour = 3 load. So a step beyond a mail hauberk would be 5d, load 15.

Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Mon 27 Feb 2023, 07:18
by Aragorn
Cool, thanks.

Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Sun 12 Mar 2023, 15:10
by CaptHaddock
Do you think a PC should be aloud plate armour.
IMO this depends to a good deal on the style and premises of your campaign. Interestingly, there is no positive evidence for any kind of plate armour by any culture in Tolkiens legendarium. Of course evidence is scarce, but wherever he refers to powerful armour worn by heroes (be it Dwarves, Númenóreans or Elves), we hear of some variation of "mail". The closest thing that comes to plate is the vambrace of Imrahil, but this is only a small piece of armour historically also in use with mail (especially with short-sleeved mail shirts to protect the lower arm) many centuries before the typical late-medieval plate appeared.
Now, beginning with the movies, some kind of plate armour was introduced (perhaps to differentiate different cultures visually and therefore show the higher development of Gondor compared to Rohan for example), so this has become kind of normal in visual depictions. MERP also had plate armour as a default possibility (but it was MERP of course ;) ). And the movie-style plate armour looks cool of course :)
So, I'd say do whatever fits to your game. There is no global "right" or "wrong", as it depends on several factors whose individual weight greatly changes the outcome :)

Best
Tolwen
Perhaps Eol's galvorn armour was a form of plate? But you're unlikely to come across that in the late Third Age!

Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Sun 12 Mar 2023, 17:17
by Sebastian
Question aside, if there is plate amor in Middle-earth at all, I don’t know how useful it would be while traveling alone. If you’re on horseback, fatigue from journey is manageable, but you will be weary in combat pretty fast with plate (assuming load 15), then maybe a shield, a sword, gets you pretty fast over 20 load. One or two good hits and you‘re weary.

From an atmospheric standpoint, only Gimli wore a short chainmail and Frodo his mithril shirt. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli only equipped themselves with armor at Helms Deep, if I remember correctly, cause there was a battle ahead.

Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Sun 12 Mar 2023, 17:37
by CaptHaddock
Question aside, if there is plate amor in Middle-earth at all, I don’t know how useful it would be while traveling alone. If you’re on horseback, fatigue from journey is manageable, but you will be weary in combat pretty fast with plate (assuming load 15), then maybe a shield, a sword, gets you pretty fast over 20 load. One or two good hits and you‘re weary.

From an atmospheric standpoint, only Gimli wore a short chainmail and Frodo his mithril shirt. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli only equipped themselves with armor at Helms Deep, if I remember correctly, cause there was a battle ahead.
So, wearing plate would be a good incentive to become a good singer/songwriter :D

Re: Plate Armour

Posted: Sun 12 Mar 2023, 18:25
by Sebastian
Definitely!