Armor Musings

It's been a while since I posted on this blog. In the interim, I've been posting game reports and lore on the Annals of Elzwhen.

I'm posting here because this topic is personal in nature and not directly related to the Chimera Legion campaign.

My Brigandine
The impetus for this post is this armor. It is a faux brigandine.

In reality, a brigandine is a leather or cloth shell with steel plates riveted to the inside. This armor, however, dispenses with the plates. Thus, it looks like brigandine but with a fraction of the weight.

This was my favorite body armor. I like it because

• It is thick enough to count as heavy armor in Way of the Sword (WotS)
• Yet, it is also flexible and easy to put on by myself.

I say "was" my favorite because I recently sold it. Despite being much lighter than a real brig, its weight has begun to be too much for me. Last time I wore it I became visibly fatigued. My wife insisted I retire it, and I concurred.

Replacements
I have some armor that could serve as adequate replacements for heavy armor.

Here is my plate cuirass.

It is made of polyurethane so it is much lighter than my brig (4 pounds vs. 7.5). Unfortunately, it has a couple of issues:

• The straps buckle on the side so are hard to put on by myself
• It is rigid so I cannot bend while wearing it

I fixed the first issue by rejigging the straps so I can buckle them in front. But the second is still a problem.

Another contender is this lamellar, made with plastic plates.

It is more flexible but it is heavier (6 pounds). I'm trying to reduce weight.

I also have a couple of gambesons (padded armor). Here's one of them.

They're light and flexible, but don't count as heavy armor. I want to maximize my armor points.

As you can see, I'm not completely satisfied with my current inventory.

What's Next?

I'm on the hunt for a replacement for my brig. I have a few contenders, but I will save them for another post. Stay tuned!