How would you price individual armor segments?

[Coidzor]

Say, great helms or (pairs of) gauntlets.

Or have any materials been put out that give a price, like organized play loot or the like?

[Aett_Thorn]

I think that you could get a decent idea of how to do this from looking at the difference in cost between a Breastplate, Half Plate, and Full Plate.

Breastplate = chest protection, but no leg protection, no arm protection, no hand protection, no helmet = 400 gp

Half plate = chest and arm protection, basic greaves, but no head or head protection = 750 gp

Full Plate = full body coverage, including gauntlets and visored helmet (great helm) = 1,500 gp


Based on that, I'd say that we have a breakdown as follows:

Breastplate = 400 gp
Arm plates = 200 gp
Basic greaves = 150 gp
Full greaves = 300 gp
Thick/Armored boots = 150 gp
Gauntlets = 150 gp
Great Helm = 300 gp

[JackPhoenix]

D&D doesn't use partial armor. I don't remember seeing non-magic helmet in any of 3 editions I've played. Gauntlets were 2gp apiece, and they were weapons, not armor, in 3e. I'd say that metal helmet would be 5gp+, depending on style. Not that it give any useful benefit beyond roleplaying, as D&D doesn't use called shots. And of course, PCs are heroes, and helmets are hardly heroic (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic) anyway

[Knaight]

I think that you could get a decent idea of how to do this from looking at the difference in cost between a Breastplate, Half Plate, and Full Plate.

Breastplate = chest protection, but no leg protection, no arm protection, no hand protection, no helmet = 400 gp

Half plate = chest and arm protection, basic greaves, but no head or head protection = 750 gp

Full Plate = full body coverage, including gauntlets and visored helmet (great helm) = 1,500 gp

Where exactly is this coverage information coming from - the total lack of head protection below full plate seems iffy.

[JackPhoenix]

Where exactly is this coverage information coming from - the total lack of head protection below full plate seems iffy.

5e PHB. Plate armor is the only one that explicitly includes helmet... which doesn't mean that the other armors don't include it, just that it isn't specifically mentioned in the text. By the same logic, everyone walks around barefooted, because plate armor description is the only one mentioning boots.

[Hrugner]

I'd compare fullplate and halfplate. Halfplate is essentially fullplate without the legs, and without articulated joints, so use this for your treatment of limb coverage halving or doubling as appropriate for articulation. Breastplate apparently doesn't include gauntlets or a helmet for some reason, so we can assume that breastplates are interchangeable with the breastplate portion of the halfplate. This gives us 350 for gauntlets, arm coverings, and greaves. Since the gauntlets are articulated we'll give them a 2, the greaves, arm covering and helmet get a 1 in our ratio. 2:1:1:1

breastplate 400
articulated gauntlets 140
arm coverings 70
helmet 70
greaves 70

For the heavy covering on the full plate we also have
articulated pants 140
articulated boots 140
articulated breastplate 800
visored helmet 100 (your great helm)

That should be close enough. I'd increase the price for each by 20% if purchasing a single piece since that would be an unusual order. There may be reason to move some of the pants cost onto the helmet though, since we have a long breastplate and shorter pants.

[JackPhoenix]

I'd compare fullplate and halfplate. Halfplate is essentially fullplate without the legs, and without articulated joints, so use this for your treatment of limb coverage halving or doubling as appropriate for articulation. Breastplate apparently doesn't include gauntlets or a helmet for some reason, so we can assume that breastplates are interchangeable with the breastplate portion of the halfplate. This gives us 350 for gauntlets, arm coverings, and greaves. Since the gauntlets are articulated we'll give them a 2, the greaves, arm covering and helmet get a 1 in our ratio. 2:1:1:1

breastplate 400
articulated gauntlets 140
arm coverings 70
helmet 70
greaves 70

For the heavy covering on the full plate we also have
articulated pants 140
articulated boots 140
articulated breastplate 800
visored helmet 100 (your great helm)

That should be close enough. I'd increase the price for each by 20% if purchasing a single piece since that would be an unusual order. There may be reason to move some of the pants cost onto the helmet though, since we have a long breastplate and shorter pants.

I can't see this working. D&D armor prices are messed up already, but a helmet...or greaves... or gauntlets... costing more than a full mail hauberk? Which already explicitly includes gauntlets, and not explicitly possibly helmet? Scale armor is a third of your gauntlet price, INCLUDING the gauntlets.

I wouldn't compare anything, because the prices of armor are based on how big bonus are you getting from it, not how hard or time-consuming it is to make, or how many parts it consists of. If you're really set, you can take some inspiration from http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/other-rules/piecemeal-armor or something similar, though this one is IMO also horrible (plate pants being 5 times as expensive as a whole breastplate?)

[Hrugner]

My mistake, I mixed up great helm and close helm. A great helm would be half the cost at 50gp.

I'm assuming gauntlets for a fullplate suit are different from those you'd get for a scale hauberk(I'd use chain, but can't seem to find any chain armor sets with gauntlets as museum pieces). Skimming through museum articles, the gauntlets that go with a scale suit look like leather gloves with steel backings on them. The helmet would similarly be different, full plate's close helm would be much pricier than a great helm for half plate or a barbut on scale armor(though no helm is mentioned as part of scale armor if I recall).

but yeah, I'm mostly trying to rough out the costs, I realize that the game economy makes no sense, so I'm working within that to produce something reasonable.

[djreynolds]

My mistake, I mixed up great helm and close helm. A great helm would be half the cost at 50gp.

I'm assuming gauntlets for a fullplate suit are different from those you'd get for a scale hauberk(I'd use chain, but can't seem to find any chain armor sets with gauntlets as museum pieces). Skimming through museum articles, the gauntlets that go with a scale suit look like leather gloves with steel backings on them. The helmet would similarly be different, full plate's close helm would be much pricier than a great helm for half plate or a barbut on scale armor(though no helm is mentioned as part of scale armor if I recall).

but yeah, I'm mostly trying to rough out the costs, I realize that the game economy makes no sense, so I'm working within that to produce something reasonable.

Are these pieces going to increase AC?

Say a guy with half-plate or breast plate gets a helmet, does there AC go up +1.

If a guy in chainmail loses a helmet, does his stealth improve at the cost of AC?

Now if a player buys plate armor, and the gets a helm of brilliance and then wants to sell the helmet that came with his plate armor... 50gp for used, or 100gp since it was bought brand new.

[Coidzor]

I know there's not much to do with money in the system, but it strikes me as pretty obscene to charge hundreds of gold pieces for a gauntlet.

[Nerdynick]

Depends on how realistic you want to be. If you want balance based on pricing, look at the above posts, but if you're looking for realistic pricing, that will be based on resources and time spent on each piece.

Chain mail is probably the most labor intensive and the heaviest component with the most steel. It will be your most expensive piece. Helmets are expensive because they're thicker metal that needs to be shaped from a single piece (which is a long process because of the height of our heads). Anything with articulation will also be expensive (gauntlets primarily). Articulation in faulds, tassetts, and spaulders is usually less intricate and cheaper. Additionally, greaves (which are shin and calf armor) are expensive because they have to be custom fitted so they support their own weight on your legs.

[großelfimpört]

Are you doing piece-mail parts with specific advantages/disadvantages or + to AC? If so, maybe look for the general breakdown of cost versus how much AC for each armor piece. I'll take a look at it when I'm home and see if I can math out a better answer...

[Hrugner]

Are these pieces going to increase AC?

Say a guy with half-plate or breast plate gets a helmet, does there AC go up +1.

If a guy in chainmail loses a helmet, does his stealth improve at the cost of AC?

Now if a player buys plate armor, and the gets a helm of brilliance and then wants to sell the helmet that came with his plate armor... 50gp for used, or 100gp since it was bought brand new.

I would prefer to avoid doing a piece by piece AC increase. However, I'd probably bump their AC up a point or two if someone increased the coverage their armor gives them by adding a helmet, gauntlets, leg coverings and so on to pieces that normally wouldn't have those. I'd also bump the armor up an armor category though since it would be harder to wear than the base version. I wouldn't let someone do this within the heavy armor category though, since those are already full coverage suits.

Halfplate already includes a helmet(most of the wearers body?). If he added armored pants then he'd be wearing armor about as effective as a full suit of chainmail, more expensive and heavier. The guy wearing chainmail who loses his helmet isn't going to be any quieter, chain isn't listed as including a helmet so it may just be relying on an integrated coif. Selling the partial armor piece from the full plate would probably get you 50%-75% the cost back. It's not too useful on its own and may need to be resized or shaped to integrate with a new suit.

Any magic armor piece I'd treat as working with the armor seamlessly, so replacing full plate gauntlets with magical leather gauntlets wouldn't change anything but only because of magic.

[MeeposFire]

Reminds me of 2e where they did have an optional pieces of armor chart. It was interesting and fun to mix and match.

[Hrugner]

Depends on how realistic you want to be. If you want balance based on pricing, look at the above posts, but if you're looking for realistic pricing, that will be based on resources and time spent on each piece.

Chain mail is probably the most labor intensive and the heaviest component with the most steel. It will be your most expensive piece. Helmets are expensive because they're thicker metal that needs to be shaped from a single piece (which is a long process because of the height of our heads). Anything with articulation will also be expensive (gauntlets primarily). Articulation in faulds, tassetts, and spaulders is usually less intricate and cheaper. Additionally, greaves (which are shin and calf armor) are expensive because they have to be custom fitted so they support their own weight on your legs.

This is the way I'd prefer to do it, but it doesn't fit the fast and loose 5e style very well.

[djreynolds]

This is the way I'd prefer to do it, but it doesn't fit the fast and loose 5e style very well.

I don't mind your idea, I actually like it, its an aspect of 5E that doesn't work, in some situations is very blah.

I don't want to go on a tear, but the weapons and armor aspect could use some tweaking.

Especially weapons and armor. I would like a little more detail in it.

Perhaps a guy in full plate who takes his helmet of just to see and listen... his AC goes down a point. Someone in leather armor puts on a helmet, +1 AC but a negative towards perception.

Perhaps some in full plate or heavy armor, should be at a negative for perception, especially for passive perception. If you cannot stealth because your armor is so noisy and cumbersome... could you really passively pay attention.

Some feats and styles make for cookie cutter creations, I personally would like to see more than just a proficiency to wear armor or strength.

The fact that you can just grab a level of another class so easily, tends to be silly.

How does one use a halberd with GWM and yet still be able to get a butt stroke in, but a guy with great axe cannot... cause I'm assuming delivering a strike like that, looks pretty similar with either of these two types of heavy, slashing weapons.

I want weapons split up into more than just martial and simple.

I find the fact it takes an action to don or doff a shield annoying.

I think a ranger or fighter would receive more training to make it a reaction for them if they had so many levels in that class to throw a shield up.

Why does a barbarian receive medium armor proficiency? I would think they should choose... you get medium armor or unarmored defense, which I assume the latter took a whole childhood of living with other barbarians beating the crap out you made you tough... not just a level or D&D montage.