Hi there 
I was wondering how you describe combat vs full plate armor.
I know that d&d isnt all about the realism, but in real life a sword is basicly useless vs a full plate armor..
If one guy is weilding a sword and the other is in full plate armor and he hits for various amounts of damage how do you describe the strikes?
Here are some descriptions of hit point reduction in a plate wearing target as a result of a sword used in an attack:
- A last-moment avoidance that leaves the armored foe in a more vulnerable position
- A solid collision of blade on armor that doesn't cut, but the impact is still felt
- The momentum of a strike pushes the armored foe off balance
- A well-placed thrust that actually draws a bit of blood
- An impressive and mighty blow that actually crimps the armor plating, making it very uncomfortable to wear
- Exploiting the weakness created by various attacks up to this point to slide the blad fully between plates and into your foe
All of which use an interpretation of hit points that follows the suggested interpretation present in the rulebook (where a "hit" on an attack roll means hp are lost, not necessarily that weapon contacted with target's body - and each loss of hit points is nebelous in description without any certainty of actual weapon-in-the-flesh wounds of significant nature until the attack that reduces the target to zero hit points.
And last, but not least... swords are nowhere near "useless" against plate armor, just ask anybody that has ever put on full kit for a bit of SCA sparring (intentionally non-lethal combat) how sore and bruised they end up.
I'm with AaronOfBarbaria on this one. It makes the most sense and even explains why characters can get up the next morning without cuts and bruises (Under most circumstances). Basically, HP is the person's physical resilience against being battered to sleep. Sort of like Boxing. Only with metal armor and weapons, instead of people punching each other with gloved fists.
Makes sense
But furthermore i guess that a magical sword, will have better penetration power vs plate, if the group should get that far
I would say that it just has a greater impact against the armor (Dealing more damage) but doesn't actually penetrate the armor.
Historically, swords didnt have to be all that sharp. Espically on plate. IN plate, you where literally beating the guy to death. One of the best ways to kill some one in plate is to crash their helm in, cracking the skull.
Whoever had the best smiths has a 'tech' advantage...folded steel blade vs iron armor is bad news for the armor.
One interesting theory about Excalibur was that it could have been one of the first alloy weapons during the iron age. Which would make it work a lot like a 'magic' weapon compared to all the other weaponry of the time. Which could fuel a lot of rumors about wizardry. Sorry for the tangent.
But yeah in actual full plate, you are signifigantly less mobile than pretty much everyone, and your actual field of vision is horrendous in a plate helm.
Piercing weapons and bludgeoning weapons are more effective, but that is probably more complicated than they wanted to deal with. Damaging the armor itself makes the armor dangerous to the wearer. A dented helm can kill you outright, and a serrated inward tear in the metal could turn one of the metal plates into something akin to a can opener latched into your arm or leg.
A dented chestplate can make it impossible to breath.
I got a paladin in my game with plate armor. I use fluff descriptions like this to describe him being damaged. His armor isnt 'actually' being destroyed, in the same way i would describe a zombie getting its arm chopped off, but it still smacks you with the nub or whatever, until you actually kill it.
Part 1 of Princes the paladin decided to grapple the Flying sword and put it in a sheath....so it started doing blugeoning damage instead, whack!
The weak points of a full plate armor are the joints. Combat against a plated knights will trying to get a good stab at these weak points. The knight of course tries to prevent exposing these points.
I'd describe the first hits as things that hinder the knights ability to safeguard the joints. A hit on the helmet that turns the visor just enough to limit his vision, feints that force the knight to move a lot to tire him out, maybe cuase some bruising that will hinder him later.
At about 1/2 hp's it's time for some blood. A strike at the swordhand that just managed to penetrate the chainmail perhaps.
Deathblow will be the knight being unable to prevent this shoulderjoint being exposed as he raised his sword. The attacker can then drive his sword into the joint. Depending on the angle, the sword could go as deep as the throat or the lungs.
Plate Mail does not offer full protection. There are gaps (at the joints, and neck), and even areas that are completely exposed (the back of the legs). Sword fighters also used the pommel of their sword to bash an armored foe in the head, or they wielded their sword upside down as a club (No kidding). That is why the pommel of a European sword was often so heavy. You could really bash in a helmet with one of those things.
Imaculata wrote: