Gregor
Lord of Altera
Plate armour
I have made this thread before, but I am making it more sophisticated and detailed.
What Naelwyn said about plate armour made me write this piece on how it is to wear plate. And /if/ your character should wear plate.
Plate armor and its weight
Yes, i said plate armor is lighter than popular fiction portrays. Around 40 pounds, when properly distributed, its almost no weight at all. It does not restrict you even closely what you would believe.
Assuming you mean a full suit of armor, including chainmail, it would probably weigh around 60 LBS. Soldiers nowadays have equipment weighing more than that full armour!
The longest i have worn a full suit of armour is 6 hours with little to no breaks. Sure it restricts you in some ways, but if it fits well, this movement impairment is minimal. I could walk for hours, maybe even run a mile before I'd fall over.
However. You are still encased in a full suit of armour, and you ARE less mobile than people without it. Not that people can dance around you easily, but you are not able to easily chase down people.
Armour was designed however, to not be too tiring. It was very ergonomically designed. its weight much like how modern hiking packs have waist straps to transfer the weight to your hips rather than your shoulders. That is why chain mail can feel heavier due to all the weight just hanging from your shoulders than the plate itself.
Here you have a video displaying its mobility!
Plate armour and its drawbacks
But Gregor, plate armour completely OP?
Yes, in combat it is really, really useful as you can resist many things. From sword blows to crossbow bolts.
The better the visor protects your face, the more likely it is to obstruct your view, which can be very dangerous. Plate armor would make it easier for your opponent to entangle you, but you are still wearing a lot of armour, and you ARE less mobile, not so much that you get danced around, but you cant chase people down who are not wearing it.
And, if you are in combat for long, it is still hot in that thing, and you might even overheat!
Plate armour, and its costs.
Gregor, this is still completely OP even with these drawbacks!
Yes, people wore it because it worked very well!
However, it is kind of like a tank. It is really expensive, and average joe isnt wearing it.
You just can't march over to your local blacksmith and order a set of armor sadly.
Local blacksmiths could /not/ produce plate armour, nor mail or swords for that matter.
(Mail making required drawing wire, and swords require high-carbon steel and heat treatment!)
Plate armour is very sophisticated equipment that required several things:
Lots of armor in large pieces
-High quality steel
-Lots of skilled labour A full plate harness can require dozens, if not hundreds of man hours!
So, really expensive.
You can also not put it on take it off by yourself, it had many pieces, including hinges, folds, clamps, buckles, etc etc. It often took a long time to assemble.
I will write more about it later q.q
If i missed anything or want an explanation on a point, please tell me!
I have made this thread before, but I am making it more sophisticated and detailed.
What Naelwyn said about plate armour made me write this piece on how it is to wear plate. And /if/ your character should wear plate.
Plate armor and its weight
Yes, i said plate armor is lighter than popular fiction portrays. Around 40 pounds, when properly distributed, its almost no weight at all. It does not restrict you even closely what you would believe.
Assuming you mean a full suit of armor, including chainmail, it would probably weigh around 60 LBS. Soldiers nowadays have equipment weighing more than that full armour!
The longest i have worn a full suit of armour is 6 hours with little to no breaks. Sure it restricts you in some ways, but if it fits well, this movement impairment is minimal. I could walk for hours, maybe even run a mile before I'd fall over.
However. You are still encased in a full suit of armour, and you ARE less mobile than people without it. Not that people can dance around you easily, but you are not able to easily chase down people.
Armour was designed however, to not be too tiring. It was very ergonomically designed. its weight much like how modern hiking packs have waist straps to transfer the weight to your hips rather than your shoulders. That is why chain mail can feel heavier due to all the weight just hanging from your shoulders than the plate itself.
Here you have a video displaying its mobility!
Plate armour and its drawbacks
But Gregor, plate armour completely OP?
Yes, in combat it is really, really useful as you can resist many things. From sword blows to crossbow bolts.
The better the visor protects your face, the more likely it is to obstruct your view, which can be very dangerous. Plate armor would make it easier for your opponent to entangle you, but you are still wearing a lot of armour, and you ARE less mobile, not so much that you get danced around, but you cant chase people down who are not wearing it.
And, if you are in combat for long, it is still hot in that thing, and you might even overheat!
Plate armour, and its costs.
Gregor, this is still completely OP even with these drawbacks!
Yes, people wore it because it worked very well!
However, it is kind of like a tank. It is really expensive, and average joe isnt wearing it.
You just can't march over to your local blacksmith and order a set of armor sadly.
Local blacksmiths could /not/ produce plate armour, nor mail or swords for that matter.
(Mail making required drawing wire, and swords require high-carbon steel and heat treatment!)
Plate armour is very sophisticated equipment that required several things:
Lots of armor in large pieces
-High quality steel
-Lots of skilled labour A full plate harness can require dozens, if not hundreds of man hours!
So, really expensive.
You can also not put it on take it off by yourself, it had many pieces, including hinges, folds, clamps, buckles, etc etc. It often took a long time to assemble.
I will write more about it later q.q
If i missed anything or want an explanation on a point, please tell me!
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