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Medieval Armour
This page is intended to give a basic comparison of ancient armours and their usefulness in a post z-day environment. I will start with a brief overview of the common types, and later move into application in a post z-day world. I will stick to European styles, I have less working knowledge of armours from other regions.
Fur - Used since the dawn of man, this armour is made from from animal pelts and may be finished into a true suit or just draped on like a cloak. It provides a modicum of protection against cuts, and blunt force trauma, but is not very effective against piercing attacks. One major benefit is it does provide warmth on cold climate.
Cloth or padded (also called: Gambeson)- Pretty obvious what this is made of, it can include just layers of clothing, or true quilted padding, almost all more sophisticated armours include a suit of padding underneath. Good against blunt force, mediocre against slashing, worthless against piercing attacks.
Leather - Made of supple leather, and hard plates of laminate rawhide and glue. This may be the best armour out there for the weight, it doesn't restrict movement much, is decent against piercing, excellent against slashing, and combined with a hearty layer of padding it isn't half bad against blunt force trauma also. One thing to remember is this not like a leather jacket, the pauldrons, greaves, gorget, and most likely bracers would be very hard rawhide, and not like fashion leather at all. This is the basis, or frame that several other types are based off of
Studded Leather - The only real change here is metal studs are added to improve the protection( hello Cptn. Obvious)
level against slashing attacks, the studs make little difference against blunt force, and none against piercing. Spikes can be used also to provide some protection against grappling.
Ring mail - Essentially leather armour with metal rings sewn on, can be just over vital areas or everything but the joints. Provides excellent slashing protection, piercing protection is a little better than leather, but still not great, blunt force protection is still dependent on the amount of padding underneath. Ring mail is a good mix of mobility, protection and weight.
Chain mail - Interlocking metal rings used to create a fabric of sorts. Used in shark suits and anti-cut gloves. If the individual links are simply butted together then it needs to be at least 14 gauge or it's just for show. If the rings are individually riveted or welded closed then they can be made of substantially lighter gauges (actual medieval chain mail was often 17-18 gauge). Top notch protection against slashing, little to no protection against blunt force, and piercing protection depends on the rings themselves. If they are riveted or welded on each ring the protection against stabs is pretty good, if not it's next to worthless. Weight starts to become a problem for the mail with butted links, but again, welded or riveted links make the finished mail much lighter by virtue of using a thinner wire. Most people could use chain with out conditioning, but only for short periods
Leaf(scale) mail - This is a little harder to explain, it is in the most basic explanation smallish metal (or ceramic in the case of the military's new Dragonscale) scales attached to a backing. The backing is usually leather, though chian mail is used on occasion. This armour provides excellent protection against all types of trauma, with the exception of upward piercing attacks( why Dragonscale has trouble against grenades and land mines). AKA: jack of plates, coat of plates. Metal version of this armour are fairly heavy, and may require help to don this type of armour.
Partial plate - Sheets of metal used to cover most of the chest (breastplate, or cuirass), arms (pauldrons, and gauntlets),and legs(greaves). Does not cover the entire body, merely vital areas, and areas that don't flex. Typically worn over chain mail and and padding. This armor provides much of protection against all type of damage. It is heavy, weighing in at around 50 lbs for a good set, they can weigh as much as 80lbs. depending on materials and thickness. Practice and conditioning can reduce some of the issues connected with the weight, as it's distributed over the body. Assistance is required to don and remove this armour and it takes a few minutes.
Full plate - This is the quintessential knight's armour, full plate covers pretty much the whole body. It is worn over an arming cap and jack(basically chainmail coif and shirt) and a Gambeson. It provides best possible protection against all types of damage. It weighs 60 - 80 lbs, and can take 30 minutes to put on with help, and is pretty much impossible to remove alone.
Don't forget that all armours have to be maintained, really as much as your weapons if you want to be able to trust it. Some will need little more than some linseed oil every now and then, some will require some metal working skills. Make sure to research any type of armour( modern or ancient ), important points to note; materials used and how to preserve/ prevent corrosion of said materials, methods used to make the armour so you can repair the normal wear and tear, and the tools needed to do said repairs.
MORE TO FOLLOW
Chain Mail section re-written with more information by: White76Knight
LIGHTWEIGHT ARMOURS:
Fur - Used since the dawn of man, this armour is made from from animal pelts and may be finished into a true suit or just draped on like a cloak. It provides a modicum of protection against cuts, and blunt force trauma, but is not very effective against piercing attacks. One major benefit is it does provide warmth on cold climate.
Cloth or padded (also called: Gambeson)- Pretty obvious what this is made of, it can include just layers of clothing, or true quilted padding, almost all more sophisticated armours include a suit of padding underneath. Good against blunt force, mediocre against slashing, worthless against piercing attacks.
Leather - Made of supple leather, and hard plates of laminate rawhide and glue. This may be the best armour out there for the weight, it doesn't restrict movement much, is decent against piercing, excellent against slashing, and combined with a hearty layer of padding it isn't half bad against blunt force trauma also. One thing to remember is this not like a leather jacket, the pauldrons, greaves, gorget, and most likely bracers would be very hard rawhide, and not like fashion leather at all. This is the basis, or frame that several other types are based off of
Studded Leather - The only real change here is metal studs are added to improve the protection( hello Cptn. Obvious)
level against slashing attacks, the studs make little difference against blunt force, and none against piercing. Spikes can be used also to provide some protection against grappling.
MEDIUM-WEIGHT ARMOURS:
Ring mail - Essentially leather armour with metal rings sewn on, can be just over vital areas or everything but the joints. Provides excellent slashing protection, piercing protection is a little better than leather, but still not great, blunt force protection is still dependent on the amount of padding underneath. Ring mail is a good mix of mobility, protection and weight.
Chain mail - Interlocking metal rings used to create a fabric of sorts. Used in shark suits and anti-cut gloves. If the individual links are simply butted together then it needs to be at least 14 gauge or it's just for show. If the rings are individually riveted or welded closed then they can be made of substantially lighter gauges (actual medieval chain mail was often 17-18 gauge). Top notch protection against slashing, little to no protection against blunt force, and piercing protection depends on the rings themselves. If they are riveted or welded on each ring the protection against stabs is pretty good, if not it's next to worthless. Weight starts to become a problem for the mail with butted links, but again, welded or riveted links make the finished mail much lighter by virtue of using a thinner wire. Most people could use chain with out conditioning, but only for short periods
Leaf(scale) mail - This is a little harder to explain, it is in the most basic explanation smallish metal (or ceramic in the case of the military's new Dragonscale) scales attached to a backing. The backing is usually leather, though chian mail is used on occasion. This armour provides excellent protection against all types of trauma, with the exception of upward piercing attacks( why Dragonscale has trouble against grenades and land mines). AKA: jack of plates, coat of plates. Metal version of this armour are fairly heavy, and may require help to don this type of armour.
HEAVY ARMOUR:
Banded plate - This armour consists metal plates sewn(or riveted) onto a leather backing, typically the plates are horizontally aligned for flexibility. May cover only vital areas(brigantine) or be a whole suit. Is typically paired with plate armour pauldrons (shoulders) and greaves (legs). This armor is an alright mix of protection and mobility, Though weight is such that conditioning is necessary to wear often or long term. Help must be acquired to don this type of armour. Partial plate - Sheets of metal used to cover most of the chest (breastplate, or cuirass), arms (pauldrons, and gauntlets),and legs(greaves). Does not cover the entire body, merely vital areas, and areas that don't flex. Typically worn over chain mail and and padding. This armor provides much of protection against all type of damage. It is heavy, weighing in at around 50 lbs for a good set, they can weigh as much as 80lbs. depending on materials and thickness. Practice and conditioning can reduce some of the issues connected with the weight, as it's distributed over the body. Assistance is required to don and remove this armour and it takes a few minutes.
Full plate - This is the quintessential knight's armour, full plate covers pretty much the whole body. It is worn over an arming cap and jack(basically chainmail coif and shirt) and a Gambeson. It provides best possible protection against all types of damage. It weighs 60 - 80 lbs, and can take 30 minutes to put on with help, and is pretty much impossible to remove alone.
Don't forget that all armours have to be maintained, really as much as your weapons if you want to be able to trust it. Some will need little more than some linseed oil every now and then, some will require some metal working skills. Make sure to research any type of armour( modern or ancient ), important points to note; materials used and how to preserve/ prevent corrosion of said materials, methods used to make the armour so you can repair the normal wear and tear, and the tools needed to do said repairs.
MORE TO FOLLOW
Chain Mail section re-written with more information by: White76Knight
DLOWTHEMAD |
Latest page update: made by DLOWTHEMAD
, Sep 20 2010, 12:16 PM EDT
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Edited by DLOWTHEMAD
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Keyword tags:
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| felmity786 | full plate (page: 1 2 3) | 41 | Aug 13 2011, 5:20 PM EDT by CallsignPyro | ||
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Thread started: Nov 15 2009, 6:10 PM EST
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full plate armor is best because it is the most durable. also helmets can protect you from bites.
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| White76Knight | Edit for this page | 0 | Aug 5 2010, 8:39 AM EDT by White76Knight | ||
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Thread started: Aug 5 2010, 8:39 AM EDT
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The section that I would like to edit is the one that currently reads:
Chain mail - Interlocking metal rings used to create a fabric of sorts. Used in shark suits and anti-cut gloves. Needs to be at least .14 gauge or it's just for show. Top notch protection against slashing, little to no protection against blunt force, and piercing protection depends on the rings themselves. If they are riveted on each ring the protection against stabs is pretty good, if not it's next to worthless. Weight starts to become a problem, most people could use chain with out conditioning, but only for short periods. I would like to edit it to this: Chain mail - Interlocking metal rings used to create a fabric of sorts. Used in shark suits and anti-cut gloves. If the individual links are simply butted together then it needs to be at least 14 gauge or it's just for show. If the rings are individually riveted or welded closed then they can be made of substantially lighter gauges (actual medieval chain mail was often 17-18 gauge). Top notch protection against slashing, little to no protection against blunt force, and piercing protection depends on the rings themselves. If they are riveted or welded on each ring the protection against stabs is pretty good, if not it's next to worthless. Weight starts to become a problem for the mail with butted links, but again, welded or riveted links make the finished mail much lighter by virtue of using a thinner wire. Most people could use chain with out conditioning, but only for short periods.
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