Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Wil Harvey 02-03-05, 11:41 PM	I'm undertaking a little project of re-balancing the core armors so that more than 3 or 4 are viable choices for a character. I have a question that may or may not affect a few things: does having armor custom-made for a particular person make a sizable difference in the protection/movement the armor offers? Obviously, having your armor custom-made will provide you with benefit, but is it enough of a benefit to translate into +1 AC, -1 ACP, etc.?
Vahenir 02-04-05, 12:27 AM	Actually... your typical "heavy" armours HAD to be custom made.. otherwise you couldn't wear them at all. The lighter armours might differ... generally, anything that has to hug the body (like a breastplate, full plate, half-plate, etc) needs to be custom-made in order to fit correctly. D&D ignores this little fact of armour. As for other armours, like mail - having that custom-tailored to your body is useful, but not entirely necessary. You might move in it a little bit easier - and it'll certainly feel more comfortable. But besides maybe having a one-point lower ACP - I can't see it affecting how armour works mechanics-wise.
Inigo Carmine 02-04-05, 01:08 AM	Seeing as how magic armor already fits itself to the wearer, I don't think it would offer a big enough bonus to have any mechanical effect. If you want to add some flavor, you can say MW armor is just that: armor perfectly fitted to the wearer (MW armor gives a -1 ACP). EDIT: Also it is assumed in D&D that fullplate is already custom fit From the SRD Full Plate: The suit includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and a thick layer of padding that is worn underneath the armor. Each suit of full plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armorsmith, although a captured suit can be resized to fit a new owner at a cost of 200 to 800 (2d4x100) gold pieces.
Watchman 02-04-05, 12:26 PM	In the sense that they weren't made in bulk (before late Renaissance or thereabouts, anyway, but even then mass-produced "munition" armour tended to be notably inferior to the "good stuff"), yes. Otherwise, assuming reasonably similar builds and heights on the would-be wearers, AFAIK the most that would need to be done is readjusting the assorted buckles and straps that hold the thing onto the body. And that's the true full plate, which was invariably specifically ordered by a rich customer. The rest of the Heavies are by definition of less "solid" costruction, and many can just as well be read as a mail hauberk combined with something else (primarily a lamellar or plate cuirass), all of which are by nature rather "adjustable". Actially tailoring a suit of armor for someone is, IMHO, part of what the D&D concept of "masterworking" represents - the rest being better materials and worksmanshipreducing encumberance. Actual qualitative increase in the costruction of the thing is a whole another matter; by the scale D&D uses, that'd amount to paying through the nose for a weeny nonmagical +1 AC bonus at best. Those superb fluted plate harnesses cost veritable fortunes back in the day, you know.
Tony Vargas 02-04-05, 01:45 PM	Full Plate was custom-fitted (heck, swords were sometimes 'custom fitted' in the sense that thier length and balance was tailored to the weilder). D&D doesn't try to represent such things because of the large part looting plays. :rolleyes: Anyway, the reasonable effect of custom-fitting would be to reduce Armor Check penalities - and since that's exactly what masterworking does, I'd be enclined to make the two identical. That is, MW armors are custom-fitted, and custom-fitting only works with MW armor... the only effect would be that you'd have to get MW armor 're-fitted' before you gained the full benefit of it.