Breastplate Question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Breastplate Question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
embers_brew
06-08-06, 10:07 PM This is probably an obvious question, but one that just occured to me.
In the discription of the Breastplate it states it includes a light skirt or suit of studded leather. Does this mean that if you removed the Breastplate you would have a functioning set of Studded Leather? For example while camping at night you could lower your AC but still maintain some level of protection for the attack that you just know is coming. If this is the case and you had said Breastplate Armor enhanced with lets say a +2 bonus, would the Studded Leather still be enhanced if you took the Breastplate off?
I appologize if this is a repeat question for those of you with years on the boards, but any input you could provide would be appreciated.
ajs
06-08-06, 10:35 PM Generally speaking, no. This would be a suit specifically made to complement the breastplate, and just as en example, it might have nothing but laces over the chest area. This is fine under a breastplate, but as standalone armor, laces kind of suck.

I would treat anyone with the under-armor on as being unarmored, or perhaps as having an extra point of armor, per padded.
DeadEye19
06-09-06, 04:36 AM I think it won't be even a complete suit of studded leather (open areas) an the protection wouldn't be as thick. I don't believe one should get AC bonus for it.
embers_brew
06-09-06, 08:33 AM Thank you so much for the feedback, while not the answer I was hoping for it does point me in the right direction. Hypotheticlly would it be possible (for more gold of course) to make armor that would function that way? If so how much more expensive would it be?
jaelis
06-09-06, 08:55 AM In principle, you could just wear a suit of leather armor underneath your breastplate. The AC bonuses wouldn't stack, but I guess the armor penalties would... that would be the price you would pay for the flexibility.

But why not just carry a spare suit of light armor around and change into it when you want to? If it's just for RP reasons, I'd probably let you put together a set of "composite" armor for the cost of the base armors combined and just the penalties of the heavier armor.
WayneTheGame
06-09-06, 09:01 AM My group used to play with a housrule that allowed this; basically you could remove parts of the armor to reduce it to something else.. e.g. if I had Full Plate I could remove the breastplate, greaves etc. and keep a chain shirt. Helped out a great deal; just get a "Chain (Night)shirt" and be done with it.. sleep in that in case you are attacked at night so it does not screw you over.
Johannixx
06-09-06, 10:06 AM You'd still have the suit of padded armor underneath the breastplate. A gambeson isn't much, but it's better than nothing.

This, IMHO, is where the mithril breastplate really shines. A barbarian/fighter I'm running has a suit of masterwork full plate retrofitted to a mithril breastplate. While on horseback, he wears the full suit of plate. When on foot, sneaking around, he wears just the mithril breastplate. When he sleeps, he wears the mithril breastplate.
Tony Vargas
06-09-06, 12:52 PM I really like the idea of 'stripping down' an armor into the equivalent of a lighter one, because it's just plain less silly than carrying around a suit of lighter armor to sleep (or whatever) in. Yes, by the rules, you /can/ wear a breastplate and carry a chain-shirt 'knightie' in your backpack to change into to sleep. Lettting someone strip thier breastplate down to studded, or even just the equivalent of padded, is a little more reasonable, and doesn't give them as much of an advantage as changing into a chain shirt (the only benefit is taking up less of thier encumbrance).

There /is/ a suit of armor that works this way, it's in the Planar Handbook, and it's called Sectioned Plate. It's a suit of MW full plate that you can strip down to an inferior breastplate (worse armor check penalty, slightly heavier), or even to a light-armor configuration that's about equal to studded (but with a much worse ACP). It's expensive, but it does about what you want.

It would be perfectly reasonable to create a similar concept breastplate that includes more studded-leather style protection and can be stripped down to a (perhaps slightly-inferior) suit of studded (or, alternately, it could be a slighly-heavier, slightly-higher ACP Breastplate that strips down to normal studded).
DaneDarkblade
06-09-06, 01:04 PM just spend the money and get the armor glamered. you can then sleep in it and take no penilty for it.
as for breaking down the armor not sure I would give you the ac of light unless you had the set specialy made but I would rule that if all you took off was the brest plate it would be much quicker to put the armor back on then if you took all of it off

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
embers_brew 06-08-06, 10:07 PM	This is probably an obvious question, but one that just occured to me. In the discription of the Breastplate it states it includes a light skirt or suit of studded leather. Does this mean that if you removed the Breastplate you would have a functioning set of Studded Leather? For example while camping at night you could lower your AC but still maintain some level of protection for the attack that you just know is coming. If this is the case and you had said Breastplate Armor enhanced with lets say a +2 bonus, would the Studded Leather still be enhanced if you took the Breastplate off? I appologize if this is a repeat question for those of you with years on the boards, but any input you could provide would be appreciated.
ajs 06-08-06, 10:35 PM	Generally speaking, no. This would be a suit specifically made to complement the breastplate, and just as en example, it might have nothing but laces over the chest area. This is fine under a breastplate, but as standalone armor, laces kind of suck. I would treat anyone with the under-armor on as being unarmored, or perhaps as having an extra point of armor, per padded.
DeadEye19 06-09-06, 04:36 AM	I think it won't be even a complete suit of studded leather (open areas) an the protection wouldn't be as thick. I don't believe one should get AC bonus for it.
embers_brew 06-09-06, 08:33 AM	Thank you so much for the feedback, while not the answer I was hoping for it does point me in the right direction. Hypotheticlly would it be possible (for more gold of course) to make armor that would function that way? If so how much more expensive would it be?
jaelis 06-09-06, 08:55 AM	In principle, you could just wear a suit of leather armor underneath your breastplate. The AC bonuses wouldn't stack, but I guess the armor penalties would... that would be the price you would pay for the flexibility. But why not just carry a spare suit of light armor around and change into it when you want to? If it's just for RP reasons, I'd probably let you put together a set of "composite" armor for the cost of the base armors combined and just the penalties of the heavier armor.
WayneTheGame 06-09-06, 09:01 AM	My group used to play with a housrule that allowed this; basically you could remove parts of the armor to reduce it to something else.. e.g. if I had Full Plate I could remove the breastplate, greaves etc. and keep a chain shirt. Helped out a great deal; just get a "Chain (Night)shirt" and be done with it.. sleep in that in case you are attacked at night so it does not screw you over.
Johannixx 06-09-06, 10:06 AM	You'd still have the suit of padded armor underneath the breastplate. A gambeson isn't much, but it's better than nothing. This, IMHO, is where the mithril breastplate really shines. A barbarian/fighter I'm running has a suit of masterwork full plate retrofitted to a mithril breastplate. While on horseback, he wears the full suit of plate. When on foot, sneaking around, he wears just the mithril breastplate. When he sleeps, he wears the mithril breastplate.
Tony Vargas 06-09-06, 12:52 PM	I really like the idea of 'stripping down' an armor into the equivalent of a lighter one, because it's just plain less silly than carrying around a suit of lighter armor to sleep (or whatever) in. Yes, by the rules, you /can/ wear a breastplate and carry a chain-shirt 'knightie' in your backpack to change into to sleep. Lettting someone strip thier breastplate down to studded, or even just the equivalent of padded, is a little more reasonable, and doesn't give them as much of an advantage as changing into a chain shirt (the only benefit is taking up less of thier encumbrance). There /is/ a suit of armor that works this way, it's in the Planar Handbook, and it's called Sectioned Plate. It's a suit of MW full plate that you can strip down to an inferior breastplate (worse armor check penalty, slightly heavier), or even to a light-armor configuration that's about equal to studded (but with a much worse ACP). It's expensive, but it does about what you want. It would be perfectly reasonable to create a similar concept breastplate that includes more studded-leather style protection and can be stripped down to a (perhaps slightly-inferior) suit of studded (or, alternately, it could be a slighly-heavier, slightly-higher ACP Breastplate that strips down to normal studded).
DaneDarkblade 06-09-06, 01:04 PM	just spend the money and get the armor glamered. you can then sleep in it and take no penilty for it. as for breaking down the armor not sure I would give you the ac of light unless you had the set specialy made but I would rule that if all you took off was the brest plate it would be much quicker to put the armor back on then if you took all of it off