Here are some optional rules for use with the wearing of armor in your campaign. You may wish to use some, all, or none of these; we'll try to discuss what effects each will have on your campaign.
A lot of the information we'll be discussing and elaborating upon is contained in the following charts.
| Armor Type |
AC | Dex Chks |
Wgt (lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banded mail | 4 | –2 | 35 |
| Brigandine | 6 | –2 | 35 |
| Bronze plate mail |
4 | –3 | 45 |
| Chain mail | 5 | –2 | 40 |
| Field plate | 2 | –3 | 60 |
| Full plate | 1 | –3 | 70 |
| Gladiator | |||
| Gallic | 7 | –1 | 15 |
| Samnite | 5 | –2 | 30 |
| Thracian | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Hide | 6 | –3 | 30 |
| Leather | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| Padded | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| Plate mail | 3 | –3 | 50 |
| Ring mail | 7 | –1 | 50 |
| Scale mail | 6 | –2 | 30 |
| Shield | |||
| Body | * | –3** | 15 |
| Buckler/ Kote |
* | –0** | 3 |
| Medium/ Scutum |
* | –2** | 10 |
| Small/ Parma |
* | –1** | 5 |
| Splint mail | 4 | –2 | 40 |
| Studded leather |
7 | –1 | 25 |
- * A shield makes the AC one better: Leather + shield is AC 7.
- ** This penalty is only counted for certain situations; see below.
The armor a character wears affects his AC, his Encumbrance (if that optional system is used), and also his ability to perform dexterous actions—in other words, heavier armor penalizes a character's Dexterity score for purposes of Dexterity ability checks and Dexterity-based nonweapon proficiencies.
A character's choice of head protection, on the other hand, affects his Encumbrance, his ability to spot things, and the ability of some weapons and attacks to affect him in combat, as we'll discuss further on.
| Helmet Type |
Vis. | Hrg. | Wgt. (lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cap | –0 | –1 | 2 |
| Coif | –0 | –1 | 2 |
| Close–Faced | –2 | –3 | 5 |
| Great helm | –3 | –4 | 10 |
| None | –0 | –0 | 0 |
| Open–Faced | –1 | –2 | 5 |
Effects On AC[]
The effects of armor on the characters' AC are already well-documented within the game.
In the campaign, the only feature of the armor/AC system that tends to cause trouble involves the shield. Remember that attacks to the character's rear are made at the character's AC without the shield (unless he's wearing it slung across his back, of course); this is something that is easy to forget. DMs, if they don't keep the information written on a helpful record sheet, should ask their players: "What's your AC from the rear?" when such incidents come up, not just "What's your AC?"
Effects On Speed[]
There's a misconception that armor, particularly plate-type armor, transforms graceful warriors into lumbering oafs who can be pushed down and sat upon with comparative ease.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Armor is designed to be as accommodating as possible to a fighter's movements, and so the AD&D® game doesn't assign an armored warrior any sort of initiative penalty for wearing armor.
Now, armor isn't made for some other types of movement (acrobatics, dancing, etc.) and so will constrict many other Dexterity-based abilities, as we'll discuss below. It is also heavy, which slows down an armored character's running speed, as is already documented in the game.
Effects On Dexterity Checks[]
Armor does interfere with a character's gracefulness in many situations. For this reason, we assign the character a penalty to Dexterity checks (and dexterity-based nonweapon proficiencies) when the character is in armor; those penalties are listed on the armor chart above.
These penalties are applied when the character is using all nonweapon proficiencies except Riding (Land-based or Airborne) or Charioteering, which are exempt from the penalty. (Why someone would be performing many of those skills in armor is a mystery... but it could happen.)
In addition, the penalty prescribed for the shields is applied when the character is using the nonweapon proficiencies Juggling, Tightrope Walking and Tumbling. (The DM may choose to disallow the shield penalty for certain examples of these skills' use. For example, a character who is juggling a one-handed technique won't be put off by having a shield on the other hand. But these exceptions will be rare.) In the Campaign...
These dexterity-roll penalties are provided only for those gamers to whom the matter means something. If you don't care about such things, don't use these rules: they'd merely be an annoyance and extra complication for you.
But if you prefer for a character to be a little less graceful when in full plate or hide than in soft leather or no armor at all, these rules are for your campaign.
Effects On Vision and Hearing[]
Helms and helmets restrict vision and hearing. They frame the face, obscure his vision, muffle his hearing, and generally give the character less ability to observe what's going on around him. (They also sometimes keep maces from caving in his skull, which is why fighters like helms and helmets.)
With these optional rules, we'll talk about different kinds of helms and helmets, how they're used, and what other effects they have in combat.
Other Helms and Helmets[]
The types of armor listed in the equipment section of the Player's Handbook, page 69, include only two types of helmet (great helm and basinet) and then don't really describe what the differences are between them... other than price and weight.
In The Complete Fighter's Handbook, we'll talk about six different types of head protection. Each one has different effects on the character's ability to see things and to protect himself from different types of damage.
What Head Protection Doesn't Do[]
The one thing your choice of head protection doesn't do is change your Armor Class. A warrior can have on full plate and a great helm, or full plate and no helmet at all, and he'll have the same AC. So when making your choice of head protection for your character, don't worry about the character's AC, for it won't be affected.
Vision and Hearing Checks[]
In a combat or any other loud situation (such as a raucous tavern, a charging mob, an earthquake, a hurricane, or a singing contest at a dwarven boiler-making plant), the DM may want his PCs to make Vision and Hearing Checks in order to see and hear certain things.
Certainly, when a fighter is pointed in a certain direction, there's nothing distracting him, and an ogre is lumbering at him from that direction, the fighter is going to see the ogre. No roll is necessary.
But when there's a chance that the character could fail to notice such a thing (as defined by the DM), the character gets to make a Vision Check or a Hearing Check (whichever the situation calls for).
A Vision or Hearing Check is a 1d20 roll against the character's Intelligence or Wisdom, whichever is higher. If the PC rolls his ability or less, he's successfully made his check and can see or hear whatever it is he's supposed to. If he fails, he doesn't.
Protective headgear, however, provides penalties to the character's Vision and Hearing Checks, as well as providing other benefits and hindrances.
No Head Protection[]
If a character chooses to wear no head protection at all, he suffers no Vision or Hearing check penalties.
However, the character has one hindrance, if you're using the optional hit location rules from the Combat Rules chapter.
If a character is wearing no head protection, an attacker can make a Called Shot against his head and thereby ignore the character's AC benefits from armor. (All bonuses from shields, high Dexterity scores, and magical items still count, however.) Since this is a very difficult shot (a total –8 to attack rolls, remember), this doesn't do the attacker much good, unless the victim is otherwise heavily armored.
Example: Halway the archer has two possible targets, Territor and Bosque, two brutal guards. Territor is wearing leather armor and no headgear; this puts him at AC 8, and with his Dexterity bonus he's AC 6. Bosque is wearing full plate +2, no headgear, and body shield; this puts him at AC –2.
Halway, after all modifiers for range, his Dexterity, and other factors, is THAC0 16. (He's a 6th-level warrior, with a Dexterity of 16, and is firing at Medium Range.)
If he shoots at Territor, AC 6, he needs only a (16–6) 10 or better to hit him. If he shoots at Territor's unprotected head, the shot becomes much harder; he's shooting at AC 8 (AC 10, –2 for Territor's Dexterity), and so would normlly need a (16–8) 8; but with the –8 to attack rolls for a head shot, he's back to a roll of 16 or better. It's easier for him to hit Territor with a normal, non-specific shot.
If he shoots at Bosque, AC –2, he needs to roll an (16–{–2}) 18 or better to hit him. If he shoots at Bosque's unprotected head, the shot becomes somewhat easier; he's shooting at AC 9 (AC 10, modified by Bosque's shield), and so would normally need a (16–9) 7; with the –8 to attack rolls for a head shot, he's up to a roll of 15 or better. This makes it slightly easier to hit Bosque, and may give him the special effects of the head location shot if he succeeds, so that's the shot he attempts. The lower (better) a target's AC is, the better an option it is to try a head shot, if his head is unprotected and the rest of his body is armored. Characters interested in this option should calculate the math of both shots and compare the results, if they know all the relative ACs and modifiers; if they don't, they should ask the DM, in general terms, if it's even worth their time to try such a shot.
The Cap[]
The Cap is a padded, leather or even steel skullcap which is about the size of and worn much like a close-fitting cap, beret or hat. It gives the wearer no penalty for Vision Checks, and a –1 penalty with Hearing Checks (as it partially covers the ears). It's often worn in conjunction with padded, leather, hide, studded leather, and other lightweight armors.
The Coif[]
The Coif is a padded chain mail hood; it fits fairly snugly around the neck and over all the head except the face from chin to forehead. Like the Cap, it gives the wearer no penalty for Vision Checks and only a –1 penalty with Hearing Checks. It's usually worn with chain mail.
Often, a heavily-armored knight will wear a chain mail coif and wear a Great Helm over it. The only benefit this confers is that such a knight can remove his Great Helm, the better to see and hear around him, and still have some head protection. As a disadvantage, it adds a little weight to the knight's equipment, but it does not decrease his Vision and Hearing checks any further than just wearing the Great Helm.
The Open-Face Helmet[]
The Open-Faced Helmet, made of reinforced leather, or of metal, covers the back, sides and top of the face, leaving most of the face open. It gives the wearer a –1 penalty with Vision Checks, and a –2 penalty with Hearing Checks (it completely covers the ears, usually with small holes or grating over the ears so that the wearer can hear at all).
Examples include the Corinthian helmets of ancient Greece. In a medieval campaign, open-faced helmets are often worn by military officers and soldiers who can afford the protection.
The Closed-Face Helmet[]
The Closed-Face Helmet is made of metal and is much like the Open-Faced Helmet ... except that there is armor plate, often in the form of a visor which may be opened, in front of the face. It gives the wearer a –2 penalty with Vision Checks, and a –3 penalty with Hearing Checks.
Examples include the basinet mentioned in the Player's Handbook, the galea and myrrmillo mentioned for the gladiators (above), and many other combat helmets. Many knights and other mounted warriors wear helmets of this type.
If the wearer of a Closed-Face Helmet is also wearing plate mail or field plate armor, he gets a +1 to saving throws vs. dragon breath, and to spells such as burning hands, pyrotechnics, fire ball, flaming sphere, wall of fire, delayed blast fireball, incendiary cloud, and meteor swarm, and other fire-based spells and magical effects (as determined by the DM).
If someone uses a Lasso, Chain, or Bolas in an effort to snare a rider's head, and that rider is wearing a Closed-Face Helmet, the victim gets to roll 1d6. On a 4–6, the attack is handled normally, but on a 1–3, the attack is treated just as a normal lasso or chain dismount; the attacker doesn't do the extra damage that the head-lasso attack normally allows.
The Great Helm[]
The Great Helm is a massive helm which covers the entire head, from the top of the head to the top of the shoulders, leaving slits open for the eyes and holes open for breathing; it has no removable visor. It gives the wearer a –3 penalty with Vision Checks, and a –4 penalty with Hearing Checks.
The Great Helm provides the following other benefits:
The wearer of a Great Helm gets a +2 saving throw vs. wizard spells such as hypnotism, light cast on his eyes, blindness, hypnotic pattern, suggestion, fire charm, rainbow pattern, and some other mind-controlling spells... but not charm person, charm monster, or domination.
If the wearer of a Great Helm is also wearing plate mail or field plate armor, he gets a +2 to saving throws vs. dragon breath, and to spells such as burning hands, pyrotechnics, fire ball, flaming sphere, wall of fire, delayed blast fireball, incendiary cloud, and meteor swarm, and other fire-based spells and magical effects (as determined by the DM). If, instead of plate mail or field plate, he is wearing full plate, the bonus is a +3 to saving throws.
If someone uses a Lasso, Chain, or Bolas in an effort to snare a rider's head, and that rider is wearing a Great Helm, the attack is automatically treated just as a normal attack. With lasso or chain, it's a normal lasso or chain dismount, and the attacker doesn't do the extra damage that the head-lasso attack normally allows. With Bolas, the attack does normal damage, but no strangulation damage.
In the Campaign...[]
If you use these rules in a campaign, you add some color and distinction between the types of armor that your PCs will be wearing. On the other hand, once again, it's an added level of complexity which the game doesn't have to have. Use these rules only if the added complexity doesn't bother you, and if the special functions of the different types of helmets appeal to you.