Armor Construction

The Monarch, Champion and Guildmaster of Reeves rate armor. Damage to armor only applies to the hit location that was struck, and armor only protects the area it physically covers. Damage that exceeds the armor value (i.e. Arrows, berserk barbarian weapons, great weapons, etc.) Wounds or kills the target. Armor that is mixed (multiple types of armor covering the same body area) will be averaged. Armor may not be stacked or layered to increase or add value unless explicitly stated in these rules. Armor worn under tabards or garb must be partially visible, and must be announced if asked. Armor should weigh close to actual historical standards to receive full value. Armor only protects the area it physically covers. Straps and other such material that hold your armor on do not count as part of the armor, for either coverage or averaging purposes, unless they are specifically built as such. Example: the leather strap across your back holding on your steel breastplate does not protect you from blows.

Standard criteria are 16-gauge steel for metals and 1/16 inch for leather. All armor must be safe, with no protruding edges that could injure someone. Armor values may never be greater than 6 points unless you are a 6th level warrior or certain monster classes. Armor is rated as the material that it most resembles, thus plastic and other non-metallic armors can never be disguised nor passed off as plate or chain mail.

Armor Descriptions:

Padded cloth: four layers of cloth sewn together.
Quilted cloth: two layers of cloth with padding in between sewn together.
Light leather: leather of at least 1/16" thickness.
Heavy leather: leather of at least 3/16" thickness.
Chain armors: must be at least 16-gauge, with an internal diameter of, at most, 3/8 of an inch. Regular chain armor consists of butted links.
Augmented chain: chain augmented in some fashion from the standard '4 in 1,' such as plates attached to each other by chain, or any of the Persian/Chinese weaves.
Riveted chain: chain in which all the links have been individually riveted together.
Lamellar: plates that have all been joined in an overlapping fashion by cord or chain link.
Brigandine: closely spaced or overlapping plates riveted between two layers of leather (full value) or cloth (-1 point).
Double mail: '8 in 2,' or a mail in which a standard pattern is woven with two rings replacing every single ring.
Plate Armor: solid metal armor with riveted metal articulations to increase mobility. Example: Lorica Segmentata.
No armor list can be completely exhaustive, and armors not mentioned should be ranked according to their composition (metallic vs. non-metallic) and their protective value relative to other armors in the table.

Armor Definitions

Plates are made of at least 16-gauge steel and must be attached to each other or a backing in such a way that all four edges or corners are held into continuous rigid contact with each other or the backing. Plates may alternately be made of 3/16" hardened leather and receive a -1 to the total armor value. Plates are not the same as Plate Armor.
Cuir bouilli is the process by which leather is hardened using wax or other treatments to produce significantly harder leather. Studs are composed of metal, and must be no more than 1.5 inches apart to receive the bonus. Studs may not be added to metal armor.
Rings are composed of metal (not to be confused with chain mail), and must be at least 1/8 inch thick, have an internal diameter of at least 1 inch and no greater than two inches, and be placed no further than 1.5 inches apart to receive the bonus. Rings may not be added to metal armor.
Scales are composed of metal (+2) or 3/16" hardened leather (+1), and must be overlapping. Scales may not be added to metal armor. Scales need only be attached to the armor along one edge.
Gambeson (sometimes referred to as an arming coat) resembles a quilted, close fitting tunic that minimally extends from the thighs of an individual to their elbows, excluding their head and neck. If worn under any type of chain mail, the wearer will receive a +1 bonus to the area that the chain mail covers. The gambeson may not be modified to increase this value. A gambeson must be the equivalent of at least quilted cloth with cotton batting padding in between the layers, and must cover the entire area of the hit location under the chain in order to grant a bonus.

Armor Modifiers:

Non-authentic materials refer to materials that were not in use to create armor at the time, such as plastic. For comparison of metals, 16-gauge steel is the standard weight and toughness, so lighter or softer metals, such as aluminum, will incur this penalty, while stainless steel will not. Subtractions for inauthentic material may never exceed -2, though completely inappropriate materials may receive no points (i.e. Aluminum foil, cardboard, etc).
Poor workmanship refers to an inexperienced or incomplete assembly by the creator - the use of non-period items such as hot glue, tape, or shoestrings to hold the armor together. Subtractions for poor workmanship may never exceed -4. Artificial appearance refers to the overall appeal of the armor and its ability to accurately resemble historical armors. Subtractions for appearance may never exceed -2.
Heavy gauge material is material that exceeds the 16 gauge standard for rings or plates.
Exceptional craftsmanship is reflected in the overall construction and function of the armor as compared to other armors of its type, and is awarded on a case-by-case basis. Bonuses for construction may never exceed +2.

Armor in action:
Example 1: A person with two points of torso armor that covers his chest and back is struck in the back with a regular sword: One point of armor is removed from the torso armor, leaving one point on the armor covering the chest and back (chest and back are included together under torso armor).
Example 2: A person with two points chest armor and no back armor is struck in the back with a sword: Person is dead.