Armor Improvements

[Kasso]

Would it be possible to buff the lesser used armor sets? (That serve no real purpose other then vendor trash at the moment given that the higher tier armors are simply superior in every given way.)

Light armors for example are all relatively useful given that they appeal to an array of characters depending on their skills/dex bonus.

Medium armor however, you use hide if you're a druid. Otherwise you use breastplate, period. Scale mail and chain mail are just plain and simply inferior.

Heavy armor; full plate. Banded Mail and Half plate may as well not exist for anything other then new characters who can't afford full plate yet. They may as well not exist in the loot system because even if you find a +4 version of either, it's not going to remain useful.

Other servers have made changes to these groups of armor, Half plate being changed to being 9 AC / 0 Dex, but weighing 100lbs. Banded Mail was simply tweaked to have 2 max dex instead of 1.

Chain mail was given 3 max Dex, to make it more an appeal of preference between it or a breastplate. I think Scale mail went up to 4 dex.

I really feel like this is a suggestion that implemented would benefit the entire community, so I hope it's considered.

[Taintedglory]

Ive always houseruled them to make sense with progression because of this too. AC is always at 9 max for each armor, in progression.

From lowest armor to max I do it like this, and for every point of Armor bonus, it gets a -1 to skill and 5% failure to spells

Now this removes some armors, from rotation, but overall makes most armors actually legit useful.

Its one of those houserules I feel like only makes sense. It covers everyones range of dex bonuses and keeps everyone an average AC, so You get an armor that fits your AC bonus and you feel rather happy about the decision. Some argue that this gives everyone equal AC, where as martial classes would suffer from, but for the most part people who play Dex builds also max their AC just as much as people who play Strength. Plus I'd personally love to wear banded mail with some benefit on my Half-Orc Anointed Knight.

1/8 // 5% // -1 Leather
2/7 // 10% // -2 Studded
3/6 // 15% // -3 Chain
4/5 //20% // -4 Hide
5/4 //25% // -5 Scale
6/3 // 30% //-6 Breastplate
7/2 // 35% // -7 Banded
8/1 // 40% // -8 Halfplate
9/0 // 45% // -9 Fullplate

[Atlas]

-

[Thorsson]

The table forgot Padded.

I'd lose Halfplate and make 9/0 Mountain Plate, wearable only by Dwarves.

[joleda]

Ive always houseruled them to make sense with progression because of this too. AC is always at 9 max for each armor, in progression.

From lowest armor to max I do it like this, and for every point of Armor bonus, it gets a -1 to skill and 5% failure to spells

Now this removes some armors, from rotation, but overall makes most armors actually legit useful.

Its one of those houserules I feel like only makes sense. It covers everyones range of dex bonuses and keeps everyone an average AC, so You get an armor that fits your AC bonus and you feel rather happy about the decision. Some argue that this gives everyone equal AC, where as martial classes would suffer from, but for the most part people who play Dex builds also max their AC just as much as people who play Strength. Plus I'd personally love to wear banded mail with some benefit on my Half-Orc Anointed Knight.

1/8 // 5% // -1 Leather
2/7 // 10% // -2 Studded
3/6 // 15% // -3 Chain
4/5 //20% // -4 Hide
5/4 //25% // -5 Scale
6/3 // 30% //-6 Breastplate
7/2 // 35% // -7 Banded
8/1 // 40% // -8 Halfplate
9/0 // 45% // -9 Fullplate

I like it! These ideas pop up every now and then, but always die off to be forgotten. Keep poking, maybe this one will penetrate.

Unless you have the Heavy Armor Optimization feats, or really low DEX, Mithril will still be BIS (best-in-slot).

[joleda]

...
1/8 // 5% // -1 Leather
2/7 // 10% // -2 Studded
3/6 // 15% // -3 Chain
4/5 //20% // -4 Hide
5/4 //25% // -5 Scale
6/3 // 30% //-6 Breastplate
7/2 // 35% // -7 Banded
8/1 // 40% // -8 Halfplate
9/0 // 45% // -9 Fullplate

If it were me, I would swap Chain with Hide and swap Breastplate with Banded. This would allow a logical (to me anyway) arrangement of 3 groups of 3.

Leathers
1/8 // 5% // -1 Leather
2/7 // 10% // -2 Studded
3/6 // 15% // -3 Hide

Light Metal
4/5 //20% // -4 Chain
5/4 //25% // -5 Scale
6/3 // 30% //-6 Banded

Heavy Metal
7/2 // 35% // -7 Breastplate
8/1 // 40% // -8 Halfplate
9/0 // 45% // -9 Fullplate

[mrm3ntalist]

I kind of like this idea. Now most armor types ( other than FP, Mith FP, Mith BP, Mith. Chain and robes ) are wasted. I think that is an idea that can be worked on

[Kasso]

I do like the direction this thread has taken!

A part of me expected it to get drowned out or disappear.

These are such great suggestions, I really hope the staff gets a good look at this!~

[Snarfy]

I also like this idea... (mostly because I would get +1 AC from my studded )

Leathers
1/8 // 5% // -1 Leather
2/7 // 10% // -2 Studded
3/6 // 15% // -3 Hide

Light Metal
4/5 //20% // -4 Chain
5/4 //25% // -5 Scale
6/3 // 30% //-6 Banded

Heavy Metal
7/2 // 35% // -7 Breastplate
8/1 // 40% // -8 Halfplate
9/0 // 45% // -9 Fullplate

Which 'Chain' is that? Must be chain shirt... what about chain mail?

[Thorsson]

Which 'Chain' is that? Must be chain shirt... what about chain mail?

Aye, there's the rub.

There are more sorts of Armor than are catered for in this philosophy, Snarfy.

[NeOmega]

I'd like to see it too. But I figured DnD rules are DnD rules.

[Snarfy]

There are more sorts of Armor than are catered for in this philosophy, Snarfy.

Hmm...

Light armors:
1/8 // 5% // -1 Leather
2/7 // 10% // -2 Studded
3/6 // 15% // -3 Hide
4/5 // 20% // -3 Chain Shirt

Medium armors:
5/3 // 25% // -4 Chain Mail
4/4 // 25% // -5 Scale
6/3 // 30% // -6 Banded

Heavy armors:
7/2 // 35% // -7 Breastplate
8/1 // 40% // -8 Halfplate
9/0 // 45% // -9 Fullplate

Something like that? Then of course you've got your mithral types. Either way, something like this would at least give players a reason to buy some of the 'never used' armor types, and it will give everyone more options for finding the right cosmetic look for their characters.

[joleda]

Which 'Chain' is that? Must be chain shirt... what about chain mail?

Aye, there's the rub.

There are more sorts of Armor than are catered for in this philosophy, Snarfy.

If there are N armor types, then the armor base plus the max dex bonus equal N. That way each armor type is just as valid as the any other. The idea isn't new, nor is it mine.

[Taintedglory]

Like I said in my original post, it does leave out some armors. However, Studded Leather armor really isnt a thing IRL, it was a confusion on the creators parts when they saw leather with rivets in it that bound it together. SO that can honestly go and just have the appearances merged with leather. Chainmail and CHainshirts are effectively the same thing aswell. Its more of how much chain you're wearing to be honest, But Chain is meant to be worn as a shirt overlaid ontop of padding, and you can wear it under most other armors like plate for added protection. So one of them could go easily. And to be perfectly honest Hide is just unrefined leather or unrefined padded armor. So... all I can see really is just merged armor sets appearances together and just making the armor bonuses actually worth getting.

[Duster47]

I always thought HP was unfairly gimped compared to FP. The 7-0 vs 8-1 just seemed completely arbitrary. Anyway, armor stats could be changed with a simple adjustment to our ArmorRuleStats.2DA file. Below is the NWN2 vanilla file.

I believe one BG change is Cloth weighs only 2-lb instead of 10-lb (100 on the weight column). I like the list Joleda shared. I am not sure we can change armor names without first confirming the name is not indirectly linked to the *mdb files called by the item templates.

IMHO, this is something worthwhile for QC to review design-side.