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harpy
2009-11-29, 10:30 AM
Are there any games that mechanically take into account the value of wearing a cloak?

As a kid I'd wander woods playing "D&D guys" with my friends. We'd have toy swords, bows made from branches, string and dowel rods, and cloaks. One of my friend's mom's was able to make cloaks for us, and so as 10 year olds we'd go play in woods, by a pond, or a gravel and sand depot and play out adventures in our heads as any kid does.

One of the things that made that time "magical" was this sense of adventure where all you needed was a good set of boots, a sword at your side, and a cloak and you'd be set to venture off into the wild. The cloak was the shield from the elements. It protected you from the cold, the rain and was also a blanket.

I'm sure it's the same feeling a kid in the previous generation felt about having a cowbow hat, a gun and a horse. That hat protected you from the heat, the rain and let you cover your face for some good sleep.

None of that was ever represented in D&D, or any other game I've come across, but is there anything out there that at a mechanical level makes you think, "good thing I have my cloak!"?

Now, someone might chime in, "why does there need to be some mechanical benefit? Why can't that just be a part of the story background." All I can say to that is that I'm old... I need me some simulation, or rather... I need some emulation. Distill out those elements that really capture the theme and give some mechanical relevance to them, and that mechanical turn can help fill in a bit of the magic that gets left behind in childhood.

Theodoric
2009-11-29, 10:46 AM
The 'neck' slot magic item in D&D4E is often a cloak.

sonofzeal
2009-11-29, 10:49 AM
Cloaks of Resistance are probably one of the top three most popular magic items. Does that help?

jmbrown
2009-11-29, 10:51 AM
Only game off the top of my head is GURPS 4E which treats cloaks as an improvised shield. You basically flail your cloak around throwing off enemy's attacks and deflecting blows.

The Dark Fiddler
2009-11-29, 10:51 AM
When I ran through Crystal Keep's Equipment .pdf a day or two ago, I remember seeing something like "dueling cloak" that was essentially padded armor in cloak form (assuming I remember the stats correctly). There might be more.

awa
2009-11-29, 01:25 PM
i think the dueling cloak works more like a shield

KaeltheAwesome
2009-11-29, 01:29 PM
As a DM, I think I would grant circumstance bonuses to prevent weather based problems if the heroes were wearing a cloak. They are useful!

Nero24200
2009-11-29, 01:39 PM
I kinda like that, outwith magical cloaks, there isn't any rules for using them. If having them granted bonuses X Y and Z, it would mean that, in not wearing a cloak, my character suffers, and I don't want something like that to happen to my character simple because I don't think a cloak suited their look.

nekomata2
2009-11-29, 01:44 PM
There is a feat in the PHB2, Combat Cloak Expert, that gives you a few mechanical benefits to using a cloak in combat.

erikun
2009-11-29, 02:01 PM
1.) Weather based conditions take into account how the character is clothed, and cloaks do factor into this. You character will resist cold when dresses warmly, and are more likely to resist heat when covered up. I'm not sure if Stormwrack forced rolls for the rain, but a cloak would certainly help with resisting penalities in rain.

2.) Magical cloaks do everything from granting bonuses to saving throws (one of the only items that does) to hide bonuses to extradimensional pockets.

3.) There are cloaks which (with a feat) can be used as a shield, or used to feint in combat. These may or may not have already been mentioned, as I don't recall exactly what they are...

4.) I kind of assumed that most adventures had a cloak, or something similar, as standard gear. I mean, even in mild climates, you want something to keep the sun and rain off your head.

Tyndmyr
2009-11-29, 02:07 PM
Seventh Sea takes cloaks into account, and IIRC, one fighting style in there was based around the use of a cloak for distraction, misdirection, and concealment. Sounds a bit like what you're looking for.

UglyPanda
2009-11-29, 02:14 PM
Cloaks aren't relevant for the same reasons that there's no relevance for high-heeled shoes or fingerless gloves.

It's overly detailed when magic items outclass them severely. And it results in players losing out on bonuses just because they have fashion sense.

Heliomance
2009-11-29, 02:20 PM
More importantly, a cloak has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a non-adventurer discovers that an adventurer has his cloak with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a bedroll, face flannel, soap, trail rations, waterskin, compass, map, ball of string, smokesticks, wet weather gear, boots of the winterland etc., etc. Furthermore, the non-adventurer will then happily lend the adventurer any of these or a dozen other items that the adventurer might accidentally have "lost". What the non-adventurer will think is that any man who can travel the length and breadth of the wilderness, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his cloak is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

Mike_G
2009-11-29, 02:25 PM
More importantly, a cloak has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a non-adventurer discovers that an adventurer has his cloak with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a bedroll, face flannel, soap, trail rations, waterskin, compass, map, ball of string, smokesticks, wet weather gear, boots of the winterland etc., etc. Furthermore, the non-adventurer will then happily lend the adventurer any of these or a dozen other items that the adventurer might accidentally have "lost". What the non-adventurer will think is that any man who can travel the length and breadth of the wilderness, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his cloak is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

That Elan is one hoopy frood who knows where his cloak is.

waterpenguin43
2009-11-29, 02:28 PM
I believe cloaks take part on a level of protection from cold in Frostburn. They help protect you from cold.

Samb
2009-11-29, 02:30 PM
Cloak dance (XPH) and elusive target (CW) both give concealment as part of your movement, you might be able to make a hide check in plain sight since it never specificly stated you can't use that concealment to hide (unlike the ToB stance cloak of shadows). Elusive target is tougher to qualify for but do so much more since it is a tactcal feat.

PS both require you to have a cloak on.

Sliver
2009-11-29, 02:36 PM
Batman uses his cloak. Just saying..

Yakk
2009-11-29, 02:59 PM
I could imagine a 'logistics' abstract system in which gear like a cloak was somewhat important.

Zain
2009-11-29, 03:15 PM
IN races of Stone, there is a "Gnome battle cloak" or something, is a shield, who's AC bouns works on touch attacks

Katana_Geldar
2009-11-29, 03:56 PM
Cloaks can help you look dark and mysterious too.

horseboy
2009-11-29, 05:24 PM
It also has the same function as the giant golden "!" in wow.
"Hey, look! It's a dark stranger in a hooded cloak in the corner, he must be a quest giver!"

kjones
2009-11-29, 05:30 PM
I don't know if this is a rules thing or not, but I've had proper clothes (cloaks included) give a bonus to the Fort saves against environmental conditions.

Other than that... I wouldn't make it a mechanical benefit, simply because D&D isn't fine-grained enough to represent that sort of thing. Make sure you note that when it starts raining, the people wearing cloaks are much happier than the ones with out, and leave it at that. If you give them a penalty or something for not wearing one, that seems too harsh.

arguskos
2009-11-29, 05:30 PM
It also has the same function as the giant golden "!" in wow.
"Hey, look! It's a dark stranger in a hooded cloak in the corner, he must be a quest giver!"
"Or he's Cloak, from Cloak and Dagger! Stay back! He might eat us all!" /nerdyjoke

ghashxx
2009-11-30, 12:08 PM
Cloaks are like a man's best friend. They're a blanket, pillow, poncho, can be used to help hide yourself, make an emergency stretcher, a coat, wind jacket, and hat against the sun. For all of these things you can figure out some kind of bonus. Like if it's raining then you don't suffer any negatives on spot checks since the rain is being kept out of your eyes.

Also they're definitely great in combat with the aforementioned feats, though there's all kinds of homebrew feats you could make for disarming, tripping, feinting, distracting, and temporarily blinding an enemy. I've seen the feinting and distracting in actual fencing, though the others aren't allowed for safety concerns. But before the new rules people would throw the cloaks to the side and stab the distracted guy, or wrench a blade out of someones hand / get it out of the way long enough to strike a nasty blow. Incredibly effective.

Dixieboy
2009-11-30, 12:19 PM
More importantly, a cloak has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a non-adventurer discovers that an adventurer has his cloak with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a bedroll, face flannel, soap, trail rations, waterskin, compass, map, ball of string, smokesticks, wet weather gear, boots of the winterland etc., etc. Furthermore, the non-adventurer will then happily lend the adventurer any of these or a dozen other items that the adventurer might accidentally have "lost". What the non-adventurer will think is that any man who can travel the length and breadth of the wilderness, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his cloak is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

I knew that joke was gonna come up, not this well written though,
Kudos.

Reinboom
2009-11-30, 12:28 PM
Cloaks were significant during the renaissance, for a wonderful description of the use of such:
diGrasse's True Art of Defense - Cloak chapter (http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/di_grasseCloak.htm) rewritten into modern English.

Though for this level, as well as the simple elements protection, systems tend to only treat it as a "oh weird, some people actually care about this stuff" thing and throw it in awkwardly and completely in adjunct.

Heliomance
2009-11-30, 12:42 PM
I knew that joke was gonna come up, not this well written though,
Kudos.

Eh, I just found the quote and replaced the sci-fi terms with D&D appropriate ones. Send most of the kudos where it's due, the late, great Douglas Adams.

Fhaolan
2009-11-30, 01:30 PM
I love me some cloak.

To be serious, my wife and I actually wear cloaks in RL on many occasions. We've got a pair of nice 30oz heavy wool cloaks made by a friend who sells them on the RenFaire market. Unlike a lot of the ones you see that are barely costume-grade at best, these things are utterly functional. And at a fall show, when it's raining half the day every day (Pacific Northwest), they are a lifesaver.

Then again, I also have my grandfather's old bridge coat (a long peacoat) and several other heavy old-fashioned bits of clothing that I find more comfortable and functional than any of the modern stuff.

Thorcrest
2009-11-30, 01:41 PM
Cloaks are just cool!

But in serious game terms, Using simply the DM guide and PHB (3.5), cloaks can be used to help against whether effects, as well as Hide(? going off of memory) and, if your like me you use cloaks to conceal weapons everywhere (increases check by +2) then sneak into no weapons allowed functions and arm the party! Then you can adventure in "inadvisable" locations!

Jayabalard
2009-11-30, 01:53 PM
Only game off the top of my head is GURPS 4E which treats cloaks as an improvised shield. You basically flail your cloak around throwing off enemy's attacks and deflecting blows.3e (and I'm pretty sure 2e) GURPS treated it that way as well; the usage of light and heavy cloaks was generally covered any time you looked at something that addressed swashbuckling

they could be used as kind of an improvised shield, or used for an entangling attack, or used as a makeshift net.

Ormagoden
2009-11-30, 02:24 PM
Throwing your cloak over the head of a big bad monster at a LARP, while illegal, can really get you out of a bad situation.

TricksyAndFalse
2009-11-30, 02:27 PM
Only game off the top of my head is GURPS 4E which treats cloaks as an improvised shield. You basically flail your cloak around throwing off enemy's attacks and deflecting blows.

I believe Iron Claw (http://www.sanguine.com/our-products/ironclaw/) also has rules for cloaks-in-combat. No rules for cloaks as protection-from-the-elements, though.

arguskos
2009-11-30, 03:42 PM
I love me some cloak.

To be serious, my wife and I actually wear cloaks in RL on many occasions. We've got a pair of nice 30oz heavy wool cloaks made by a friend who sells them on the RenFaire market. Unlike a lot of the ones you see that are barely costume-grade at best, these things are utterly functional. And at a fall show, when it's raining half the day every day (Pacific Northwest), they are a lifesaver.

Then again, I also have my grandfather's old bridge coat (a long peacoat) and several other heavy old-fashioned bits of clothing that I find more comfortable and functional than any of the modern stuff.
Out of curiosity, can these be purchased online? If not, what RenFaire does your friend sell them at and under what name? Cloaks are pretty much my favorite piece of clothing, and I've been looking for one for sometime.

Fhaolan
2009-11-30, 04:39 PM
Out of curiosity, can these be purchased online? If not, what RenFaire does your friend sell them at and under what name? Cloaks are pretty much my favorite piece of clothing, and I've been looking for one for sometime.

... Excellent questions... I never asked him, because he always seems to set up a temporary sort-of-booth stuck in the corner somewhere to minimize his booth fees as much as possible. His name's Joe Hill, and he sometimes uses the name 'Skedros', but I don't think that's the name his business is under. He usually has a booth/table at most of the Seattle-area cons, but in the artist's alley/crafter's corner areas instead of the main dealer's den, and he normally only brings one or two cloaks as most of his business has shifted to metalwork art objects now. Give me a sec.

Okay, I couldn't find a website for him, so I pinged him via email because it will likely be a month or more before I run into him again physically. When I get a reply, I'll ping you.

Katana_Geldar
2009-11-30, 05:03 PM
The cloak is one of thereasons I go dressed as a Jedi to SW midnight shows, given it's always freezing when they are on.

One night we were waiting outside all night at CIII to see George and it started to snow...

Another thing, what sort of action would be removing one's cloak if it was on fire? You could dispose of a few wizards that way.

Fhaolan
2009-11-30, 05:54 PM
Another thing, what sort of action would be removing one's cloak if it was on fire? You could dispose of a few wizards that way.

Given how quickly I managed to get out of dressing gown once when it was on fire after a pancake exploded... Yes, this was in RL, why?

ghashxx
2009-11-30, 06:15 PM
Getting out of a cloak is wicked easy and so long as they're done right then they won't fall off either.

herrhauptmann
2009-12-01, 12:28 AM
Given how quickly I managed to get out of dressing gown once when it was on fire after a pancake exploded... Yes, this was in RL, why?

How did you cause a pancake to explode? And how did the pancake set your dressing gown on fire?

Fhaolan
2009-12-01, 02:47 AM
How did you cause a pancake to explode? And how did the pancake set your dressing gown on fire?

*sigh* Okay, it was *many* years ago (I think I was like... 11 or so), and I followed the instructions in the recipe from one of my mum's cookbooks. I just... misinterpreted them fairly badly as the book was an old English one and we were in Canada. Different temperature scales (the book was in F, the stove was in C), and some ingredients had different names... Critical fail on the cooking check, as it were.

So I ended up with a grease fire, and I threw the pan into the sink to isolate it... which I didn't realize still had water in it. Fireball (which, by the way, sounds different when you're inside of one than it does from the outside.) A fraction of a moment later, I realized the dressing gown was still on fire afterwards.

No damage to anything except for the dressing gown... and my hair. Oh, and one dead pan and a bit of greasy soot here and there. I honestly would have expected more damage, but it appears that they only thing volatile enough to light... was the clothing I was wearing. *shrug*