From: VALAMIR@aol.com
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 09:57:18 EDT
Subject: Re: [7th Sea RPG GM] Adding armor

In a message dated 8/26/99 10:08:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
jkiehl@netgate.net writes:

> There are three levels of non-dracheneisen armor - minor, standard
>  and major.  Minor is stuff like padded vests, leather jackets, or
>  perhaps even just good elbow-length gauntlets and/or tall boots (maybe
>  non-donovan light shields?). It is effective only against "normal"
>  weapons.  Standard is chain shirts, heavy/boiled leather and the
>  like (including large shields?), effective against normal and heavy
>  weapons.

Perhaps in the underdeveloped wilds of Ussura, but I don't there would be any 
chain mail or large shields left in most civilized areas of Theah.

>  Major is cuirass & helm, plate mail, and similar
>  heavy/more enclosing armors, effective against normal weapons,
>  heavy weapons, and missles (including musket fire?)

The cuirass and helm would still appear, though I believe it would be limited 
to heavy cavalry troops.  Plate mail and such out side of Eisen would almost 
certainly be non existant (The tremendous anachronism of Eisen armor can only 
be justified by the special qualities of the drach steel).  But if they did 
exist they would not be effective against musket fire, or long bow fire, and 
arguements could be made that they would be vulnerable to the main gauche as 
well.

 
>  "Effective" means that the hero can "parry" using the armor.  A
>  standard Active Defense parry, at the level provided by any
>  currently useable defense knack (perhaps adding Parry(armor type)
>  knacks for players to develop if they so choose?), which results
>  in (e.g.) "I take the rapier-thrust to my chest, twisting my
>  torso at just the right time to make his sword-tip skitter across
>  my leather vest".  Do it well enough, and you could get a drama
>  die out of it...

I really like that idea, perhaps more/heavier armor would grant more free 
raises to the armor parry, the down side would be encomberance, which could 
be reflected in adds to the action die rolls.  A character with enough armor 
to give him a +4 to his action dice rolls will find he's going last and 
losing alot of actions and will eventually decide that the protection of that 
much armor isn't worth it.

  
>  We'll keep it that simple to start, with common sense/GM fiat
>  handling things like what happens if you fall into water while
>  wearing a bunch o' iron.  Possible future enhancements include
>  advanced knacks/Schools/tricks that give (e.g.) free raises
>  when parrying this way, or reduce the interrupt action-die cost,
>  or "automatic" (no action required) armor-parries for true
>  masters of armored-fighting...

Armor knacks...interesting.  You know I was reading a book which quoted a 
French knights training manual from the high middle ages.  The manual 
required a knight be able to vault into the saddle, climb chimney style, and 
cross moats....in full plate.
--
Contents Copyright (C) 1997,98,99 by ALDERAC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, INC.