Dragonhide Armor [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dragonhide Armor [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
MidnightLightning
11-08-05, 04:37 PM I'm getting a headache trying to figure out table 3-2 in the Draconomicon for this situation:

I've got a Huge (Copper) dragon's hide. I'm wanting to make Medium and Small sized equipment from it. From the table, I could make one set of Large hide armor. From the descriptive text, this is equal to 2 sets of Medium hide armor. One of those two Mediums could instead be 2 Small hide armor. So, from the hide's main portion, I'm going to make 1 set of Medium hide armor, and 2 sets of Small hide armor.

But now I'm having a headache: Because the table also says that for a hide that big, you can make a shield too. The text says that the shield is of equal size to the dragon. So I can make a Huge heavy shield, light shield, or buckler from that. But I don't want Huge, I want Medium or small. But the only descriptive text about scaling the shields states that two shields (exept towers) equal one hide armor of the same size of the shields. By inference then, since the ratio is 1:2 for going down a size in armor, I'll assume the amount of hide needed to make a shield (except tower) is the same as a suit of hide armor of one size smaller, or you could make 2 shields of one size smaller for every one shield of the current size.

So, I could make 1 Huge Heavy Shield, or 2 Large Heavy Shields, or 4 Medium Heavy Shields. But from the text, two shields equal one hide armor of the same size, so I've arrived at the possiblity that the line for a Huge dragon hide could have "2 Large" (or "1 Huge") set of Hide armor, and a "No" in the Shield Category. Does that make sense? To me it makes more sense to say that the leftover hide for making the shield is enough to make a shield of one size smaller than the dragon (the size of a hide armor made from that dragon, not the size of that dragon). Since then the dragons with "Yes" in the Shield? column would have enough surface area to make the equivilent "1.5" suits of hide armor one size smaller than the dragon it came from.

For those of you who actually have the book (I'm afraid of copyright issues if I reproduce it here), check my math to see if you agree that if you translate all the rules it lays out that you end up with sizes Large and larger hides have enough surface area to make 1.5 Hide armors of one size smaller than the Dragon.
MidnightLightning
11-08-05, 07:19 PM I think I may have found my solution by taking a step back and looking at the SRD's comments on Dragonhide:

Dragonhide
Armorsmiths can work with the hides of dragons to produce armor or shields of masterwork quality. One dragon produces enough hide for a single suit of masterwork hide armor for a creature one size category smaller than the dragon. By selecting only choice scales and bits of hide, an armorsmith can produce one suit of masterwork banded mail for a creature two sizes smaller, one suit of masterwork half-plate for a creature three sizes smaller, or one masterwork breastplate or suit of full plate for a creature four sizes smaller. In each case, enough hide is available to produce a small or large masterwork shield in addition to the armor, provided that the dragon is Large or larger.
This quote seems to imply that the shield created (and I think they mean "Light" or "Heavy" shields instead of "Small" or "Large") is the same size category as the armor created. So, I claim the Draconomicon has a typo saying that the shield created is the size of the dragon, and the SRD has a typo saying Small/Large when they mean Light/Heavy. Thoughts?
MidnightLightning
11-09-05, 08:39 AM Hmmm... I appear to be talking to myself here. Ah well. Does anyone at least know if there's already an established errata file for the Draconomicon?
digoraccoon
11-09-05, 09:15 AM There's no errata for the Draconomicon that I know of. However I looked at your second post about the shields and I would agree that they may have meant Light/Heavy shield instead of Small/Large since the size of the dragon determines the largest sized creature that can get armor off the dragon.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MidnightLightning 11-08-05, 04:37 PM	I'm getting a headache trying to figure out table 3-2 in the Draconomicon for this situation: I've got a Huge (Copper) dragon's hide. I'm wanting to make Medium and Small sized equipment from it. From the table, I could make one set of Large hide armor. From the descriptive text, this is equal to 2 sets of Medium hide armor. One of those two Mediums could instead be 2 Small hide armor. So, from the hide's main portion, I'm going to make 1 set of Medium hide armor, and 2 sets of Small hide armor. But now I'm having a headache: Because the table also says that for a hide that big, you can make a shield too. The text says that the shield is of equal size to the dragon. So I can make a Huge heavy shield, light shield, or buckler from that. But I don't want Huge, I want Medium or small. But the only descriptive text about scaling the shields states that two shields (exept towers) equal one hide armor of the same size of the shields. By inference then, since the ratio is 1:2 for going down a size in armor, I'll assume the amount of hide needed to make a shield (except tower) is the same as a suit of hide armor of one size smaller, or you could make 2 shields of one size smaller for every one shield of the current size. So, I could make 1 Huge Heavy Shield, or 2 Large Heavy Shields, or 4 Medium Heavy Shields. But from the text, two shields equal one hide armor of the same size, so I've arrived at the possiblity that the line for a Huge dragon hide could have "2 Large" (or "1 Huge") set of Hide armor, and a "No" in the Shield Category. Does that make sense? To me it makes more sense to say that the leftover hide for making the shield is enough to make a shield of one size smaller than the dragon (the size of a hide armor made from that dragon, not the size of that dragon). Since then the dragons with "Yes" in the Shield? column would have enough surface area to make the equivilent "1.5" suits of hide armor one size smaller than the dragon it came from. For those of you who actually have the book (I'm afraid of copyright issues if I reproduce it here), check my math to see if you agree that if you translate all the rules it lays out that you end up with sizes Large and larger hides have enough surface area to make 1.5 Hide armors of one size smaller than the Dragon.
MidnightLightning 11-08-05, 07:19 PM	I think I may have found my solution by taking a step back and looking at the SRD's comments on Dragonhide: Dragonhide Armorsmiths can work with the hides of dragons to produce armor or shields of masterwork quality. One dragon produces enough hide for a single suit of masterwork hide armor for a creature one size category smaller than the dragon. By selecting only choice scales and bits of hide, an armorsmith can produce one suit of masterwork banded mail for a creature two sizes smaller, one suit of masterwork half-plate for a creature three sizes smaller, or one masterwork breastplate or suit of full plate for a creature four sizes smaller. In each case, enough hide is available to produce a small or large masterwork shield in addition to the armor, provided that the dragon is Large or larger. This quote seems to imply that the shield created (and I think they mean "Light" or "Heavy" shields instead of "Small" or "Large") is the same size category as the armor created. So, I claim the Draconomicon has a typo saying that the shield created is the size of the dragon, and the SRD has a typo saying Small/Large when they mean Light/Heavy. Thoughts?
MidnightLightning 11-09-05, 08:39 AM	Hmmm... I appear to be talking to myself here. Ah well. Does anyone at least know if there's already an established errata file for the Draconomicon?
digoraccoon 11-09-05, 09:15 AM	There's no errata for the Draconomicon that I know of. However I looked at your second post about the shields and I would agree that they may have meant Light/Heavy shield instead of Small/Large since the size of the dragon determines the largest sized creature that can get armor off the dragon.