Bone Armor - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Kennethray Sep 28, 2014 14:28:11	I am making a Homebrewed world and the starting area for my PC's will be a place where Metal armor is scarce. Is there some where I can look or any set rules for Bone armor in place of metal? Thanks for any help. K-Ray
#2 Plaguescarred1 Sep 28, 2014 18:32:11	No rules for bone material yet. You could always work something out until such rules are released if any. Here's a quick draft; bone armor could offer less protection but weight less and not hinder movement. Bone Armor Exceptional material Armor made of bones are generally lighter and easier to carry their weight, at the expanse of being more fragile than metal and thus offer less protection. Property: Any breatplate, halfplate, splint, plate or shield made of bone weight half as much and Strenght adjustment. The AC adjustment of such armor worsen by 1. For exemple, a bone plate offer AC 17, weight 33 lb. and have no Streght adjustment while a bone shield weight 3 lb. and AC +1.
#3 Yunru Sep 28, 2014 15:19:55	Why change anything mechanically? Maybe certain bone is magically treated, or is just inately tougher than others, making it an equal to metal armor? My point is you could just refluff the armors from metal to bone.
#4 Direach Sep 28, 2014 15:24:59	Kenneth, I recommend doing some reading on historical armour making, especially about medieval Japan, as well as advancements made during the Bronze Age. Japan for example has always been notoriously metal-poor, and their feudal culture is a good example of how control of iron mines, iron ore, and iron/steel production can shape an entire civilization. Generally speaking, if you don't have workable metal, most weapons are going to be bludgeoning or piercing. It is not difficult to shape stone into piercing weapons, mainly spears and arrowheads. Clubs and stone-headed hammers are also possible. If anyone even wears armour, it will be designed to defeat spears and arrows, and deflect crushing blows. Armoured scutes from giant reptiles or armoured mammals might provide some good protection, but are hazardous to acquire and probably very heavy to wear. Weapons made of wood and stone are destructible, and need frequent replacement. Skilled stoneworkers and woodcarvers can help keep a group/tribe supplied with the components for weapons. Bone is a very poor material for armour. Living bone is extremely resilient; dead bone becomes brittle. In fact, it presents a hazard to the person wearing it: if you get hit with a stone hammer while wearing bone armour, even over a leather coat, you could end up having bone splinters driven into you! It does look quite intimidating, though, and could definitely be used to show off one's skill as a killer.
#5 MechaPilot Sep 28, 2014 15:26:19	If the scarcity is campaign-wide, I would just make the regular armors bone instead of metal. Then, the scarce metal armors could be represented by +X armors. If the scarcity is not campaign-wide, just tell them which armors are unavailible at the start of the game.
#6 Kennethray Sep 28, 2014 16:27:50	It is not going to be world wide shortage. Not sure how long it will last though due to the PC's choices. It will be a couple of months before this game starts, I am just now trying to figure everything out. Thanks to all the advice so far. Here is a link to it but it is motly empty at this point. https://dead-mans-wall.obsidianportal.com/ K-Ray
#7 Timborama Sep 29, 2014 6:57:51	If metal is scarce for armor, so are metal weapons. Thus, everything equals outs...Keep weapon damage the same, keep the ACs the same. Anything made of metal is just a refluffed magic item, perhaps. Genius!
#8 Kennethray Sep 29, 2014 7:51:32	Aye, it was going to be the same for weapons and pretty much anything that requires metal. In my had I pictured a bunch of people running around in bone armor with bone swords like all my guys in the game Towns! Though I was going to have it more of a lesser seen thing. Most people will have leather armor since that will be in abundance. Stone arrows and wooden/stone weapons. The armor for my people who want to pay as heavy armor wearing tanks of death were what I am trying to prepare for. They will have access to Metal armor and weapons at some point. I think I will keep the ACs and all the stats just have it start to break down from wear and tear and need to be replaced or repaired. I like some of the points Direach made. Thanks agian, still open to any suggestions. Couple of months before this is put into play. K-Ray

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Kennethray

Sep 28, 2014 14:28:11

I am making a Homebrewed world and the starting area for my PC's will be a place where Metal armor is scarce. Is there some where I can look or any set rules for Bone armor in place of metal? Thanks for any help.

K-Ray

Plaguescarred1

Sep 28, 2014 18:32:11

No rules for bone material yet.

You could always work something out until such rules are released if any. Here's a quick draft; bone armor could offer less protection but weight less and not hinder movement.

Bone Armor
Exceptional material

Armor made of bones are generally lighter and easier to carry their weight,

at the expanse of being more fragile than metal and thus offer less protection.

Property: Any breatplate, halfplate, splint, plate or shield made of bone weight

half as much and Strenght adjustment. The AC adjustment of such armor worsen

by 1. For exemple, a bone plate offer AC 17, weight 33 lb. and have no Streght

adjustment while a bone shield weight 3 lb. and AC +1.

Yunru

Sep 28, 2014 15:19:55

Why change anything mechanically? Maybe certain bone is magically treated, or is just inately tougher than others, making it an equal to metal armor?

My point is you could just refluff the armors from metal to bone.

Direach

Sep 28, 2014 15:24:59

Kenneth, I recommend doing some reading on historical armour making, especially about medieval Japan, as well as advancements made during the Bronze Age. Japan for example has always been notoriously metal-poor, and their feudal culture is a good example of how control of iron mines, iron ore, and iron/steel production can shape an entire civilization.

Generally speaking, if you don't have workable metal, most weapons are going to be bludgeoning or piercing. It is not difficult to shape stone into piercing weapons, mainly spears and arrowheads. Clubs and stone-headed hammers are also possible. If anyone even wears armour, it will be designed to defeat spears and arrows, and deflect crushing blows. Armoured scutes from giant reptiles or armoured mammals might provide some good protection, but are hazardous to acquire and probably very heavy to wear.

Weapons made of wood and stone are destructible, and need frequent replacement. Skilled stoneworkers and woodcarvers can help keep a group/tribe supplied with the components for weapons.

Bone is a very poor material for armour. Living bone is extremely resilient; dead bone becomes brittle. In fact, it presents a hazard to the person wearing it: if you get hit with a stone hammer while wearing bone armour, even over a leather coat, you could end up having bone splinters driven into you! It does look quite intimidating, though, and could definitely be used to show off one's skill as a killer.

MechaPilot

Sep 28, 2014 15:26:19

If the scarcity is campaign-wide, I would just make the regular armors bone instead of metal. Then, the scarce metal armors could be represented by +X armors.

If the scarcity is not campaign-wide, just tell them which armors are unavailible at the start of the game.

Kennethray

Sep 28, 2014 16:27:50

It is not going to be world wide shortage. Not sure how long it will last though due to the PC's choices. It will be a couple of months before this game starts, I am just now trying to figure everything out. Thanks to all the advice so far. Here is a link to it but it is motly empty at this point. https://dead-mans-wall.obsidianportal.com/

K-Ray

Timborama

Sep 29, 2014 6:57:51

If metal is scarce for armor, so are metal weapons. Thus, everything equals outs...Keep weapon damage the same, keep the ACs the same.

Anything made of metal is just a refluffed magic item, perhaps. Genius!

Kennethray

Sep 29, 2014 7:51:32

Aye, it was going to be the same for weapons and pretty much anything that requires metal. In my had I pictured a bunch of people running around in bone armor with bone swords like all my guys in the game Towns! Though I was going to have it more of a lesser seen thing. Most people will have leather armor since that will be in abundance. Stone arrows and wooden/stone weapons. The armor for my people who want to pay as heavy armor wearing tanks of death were what I am trying to prepare for. They will have access to Metal armor and weapons at some point. I think I will keep the ACs and all the stats just have it start to break down from wear and tear and need to be replaced or repaired.

I like some of the points Direach made.

Thanks agian, still open to any suggestions. Couple of months before this is put into play.

K-Ray