How would you describe a character in heavy armor taking damage?

[newbie]

In order to properly describe combat Id like a clearer understanding of what it look like when a player in plate armor takes damage.

PHB 5e. Plate consists of shaped, interlocking metal plates to cover the entire body. A suit of plate includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and thick layers of padding underneath the armor. Buckles and straps distribute the weight over the body.
That seems very durable. Does an enemy mace dent the armor and hit the person within? Can a sword pierce the plate?

How do you see your DM describing a character in full plate taking a damaging hit?

[McNinja]

In order to properly describe combat Id like a clearer understanding of what it look like when a player in plate armor takes damage.

PHB 5e. Plate consists of shaped, interlocking metal plates to cover the entire body. A suit of plate includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and thick layers of padding underneath the armor. Buckles and straps distribute the weight over the body.
That seems very durable. Does an enemy mace dent the armor and hit the person within? Can a sword pierce the plate?

How do you see your DM describing a character in full plate taking a damaging hit?A weapon such as a mace or the blunt end of an axe might dent the armor, causing trauma on the other side. A sword is unlikely to piece plate armor, and because of that most swordsmen are trained to go for the areas only covered by cloth - armpits, back of the knees, etc.

If you want the player to bleed, have them be stabbed/sliced in the armpit/leg. Otherwise, have their armor be dented and they feel the bludgeoning force through the armor.

[Ninja_Prawn]

If you want the player to bleed...

...ask if they're wearing a helmet (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic). :smalltongue:

Alternatively, you could remember that HP damage is not necessarily representing physical injuries. It can also represent fatigue or loss of morale (that's why Inspiring Leader gives you temporary HP).

[Steampunkette]

I agree with the above posters, mostly.

Even with all the armor in the world, getting hit with a mace can leave some -serious- bruises. Especially since it depends on the armor.

Ringmail Armor: Thin blades can slip between the rings, as can arrows. A mace strike is somewhat blunted by spreading the force across the thick leather backing, but you're still looking at bruised or broken ribs. Swords are likely to leave long, narrow, bruises but probably won't get through the rings. Of course, any attack could -break- rings and slip through to do more serious damage (Crits for example)

Chainmail Armor: Thin blades and arrows aren't going to get through this kind of armor, but it's less protective when it comes to bludgeoning damage, so those maces and hammers are a significant threat. Swords, like with ringmail, are going to leave long and narrow bruises, but not cut flesh.

Breastplate: A breastplate is a few major plates at the forearms, shoulders, chest, and shins along with metal plated gloves and boots with chainmail and hardened leather plates protecting the intervening areas, usually including a skirt of chain with hardened leather over or under it. Arrows are more likely to pierce this armor. Sword strikes should be aimed at joints or sections where leather is guarding the body. Maces and hammers can still do significant damage to the body with strikes to weaker areas or golf-swings into the breastplate, forcing the whole thing up against the straps under the arms. And, of course, crits can bend the breastplate in to crush and bind in terrible ways. Arrows, though, aren't going to get through unless they hit the joints or gaps, as they're liable to glance off the leather or get stopped by the chain.

Plate Armor: Aim for the gaps, or if the person is moving quickly or pressed against an object (Like a tree or wall) focus on bending and crushing the plates to crush the person under them.

[Haldir]

A solid hit with a mace will kill even the most heavily armored opponent with ease.

Armor was designed to aid in dodging and deflecting force, not in straight up absorbing it. Most of the "hits" my characters take are described as deflected shots that really drained the recieving character, where 'hitpoints' are a mechanic that represents a mix of physical wholeness and stamina.

[newbie]

thanks guys, what do you think about claws and talons against full plate armor? still looking for armpits and knees if looking to draw blood?

[DivisibleByZero]

I always describe damage the same way, no matter what armor is being worn or not worn. I use somehting akin to the Vitality Points / Wound Points from Star Wars d20 (and 3.5 UA).
"Damage" ins't you being hit with a sword. It's the amount of energy required to turn that hit into a glancing blow or a miss.
So "you take 7 points of slashing damage" is really "you bring your blade to bear at the last moment, parrying what would have been a lethal blow - take 7pts of slashing."
When you reach half HP, you are Bloodied, and one attack actually did hit you, drawing blood.
When you reach 0hp, that one is the one that hit home. You just took a sword to the gut.

[Contrast]

The question isn't how to explain damage dealt to someone wearing heavy armour. The question is how you describe someone wearing no armour being able to take several blows from a great sword while taking no evasive action and still being AOK :smalltongue: Hell, a high level champion could let someone stab them with a sword for hours to no effect.

As per above responses, remember that the decription is there to facilitate the rules sounding more exciting. Don't get too caught up in the specifics as long as it demonstrates who currently has the upper hand.

Blow slams into you with enough force to wind you, take damage.
Blow knocks you to the ground and you barely manage to stand up again to face the next attack, take damage.
Blow finds a weak point in your armour, take damage.
Etc.

[Unoriginal]

OP; remember that, while plate armor could not be cut through in real life, we're talking about a fantasy game where most Fighters will be as strong as gorillas even at low level and where many wonderous things happen.



A solid hit with a mace will kill even the most heavily armored opponent with ease.

Err, no. Even ignoring how a solid hit with a mace isn't even always lethal against naked people who are laying on the ground, depending on some factors, armor has padding and a structure made to diminish that kind of blow.

[Steampunkette]

I'm with Unoriginal on that one.

Though a well placed mace-strike CAN kill a fully armored foe, so long as you rock the head far enough and hard enough to shatter vertebra.

[Ruslan]

A weapon such as a mace or the blunt end of an axe might dent the armor, causing trauma on the other side. A sword is unlikely to piece plate armor, and because of that most swordsmen are trained to go for the areas only covered by cloth - armpits, back of the knees, etc.
In Game of Thrones, the duel between Bron and Ser Vadys is a perfect example of this.

[N810]

Even Full plate armor has it's weaknesses,
Usually at the joints, backs of knees, under arms,
backs of elbows, eye slots, groin. also bludgeoning
attacks can still be effective.

[coredump]

A solid hit with a mace will kill even the most heavily armored opponent with ease.

Armor was designed to aid in dodging and deflecting force, not in straight up absorbing it. Most of the "hits" my characters take are described as deflected shots that really drained the recieving character, where 'hitpoints' are a mechanic that represents a mix of physical wholeness and stamina.

Um...no it won't. And armor was very much used to absorb blows, particularly plate armor. A solid mace shot to the head may daze you, but it unlikely to kill you, and definitely not 'with ease'.


thanks guys, what do you think about claws and talons against full plate armor? still looking for armpits and knees if looking to draw blood?

Don't overthink it. Plate armor is *really* protective, at least against many attacks. But we need to play a game for fun, so we need to abstract a lot of things.

[Willie the Duck]

A weapon such as a mace or the blunt end of an axe might dent the armor, causing trauma on the other side.


Even with all the armor in the world, getting hit with a mace can leave some -serious- bruises. Especially since it depends on the armor.

One thing to note is that anything from a mace to a staff can absolutely ring you like a bell, regardless of what the armor looks like afterwards.

[Temperjoke]

Impact injuries hurt a lot, and bones can be broken from it, even if the armor isn't actually penetrated. As for an unarmored person, I usually imagine that when the hit misses, the person dodged the attack; when they're hit, it was in a non-lethal spot, depending on the type of damage (for example, the slash didn't disembowel them, it just left a future cool scar, or the piercing damage was in the shoulder, or arm), which adds up to blood loss and injury, but didn't kill them on that hit.

[Kirkdent]

"The orc's club slams your shield with surprising force, knocking your arm aside and straining your bicep. Take 5 points of damage."

"The blow to your head rings in your ears, causing you to stagger momentarily as you regain your bearings. He hit you for 12 points of damage."

"While the goblin's arrow bounces harmlessly off your breastplate, the shock of nearly taking it in the eye throws off your mojo. You're down 2 hit points."

"The evil wizard's acid orb slatters against the wall behind you, having just barely missed your head. The smell and sizzle of your burning hair has you slightly rattled. Take 1 hit point of damage from that close call."


Not every blow that technically "hits" needs to draw blood or break bones. Remember that hit points are an abstraction for not just physical conditioning and endurance, but also luck, inspiration, and just plain combat savvy. Low hit points can reflect exhaustion without including actual injury, because it's primarily a reflection of your ability to keep fighting. If it only represented actual physical damage, you should suffer ability penalties for having your arm half chopped-off, or your femur crushed by a mace strike. This especially works well when you take little damage, like my third example above. You could even describe a "hit" that causes minor damage as a miss that just knocks down your morale a little, like my fourth example.

Save the blood and broken bones for crits and high damage rolls. That will make it more rare that enemies are getting that sword into the plate armor gaps, and make combat seem more realistic than them getting through the cracks every time just for minor damage.

[Unoriginal]

Should be noted that a lot of the armors transform a cutting blow into a blunt one, but the impact is still delivered. That's one of the reasons why gambesons and other paddings were used so much.

Now, maces, hammers, even axes (even the cutting part) had the advantage they could bend the armor inward and essentially crush you with your own armor. But it wasn't guaranteed either.

[Vogonjeltz]

In order to properly describe combat Id like a clearer understanding of what it look like when a player in plate armor takes damage.

PHB 5e. Plate consists of shaped, interlocking metal plates to cover the entire body. A suit of plate includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and thick layers of padding underneath the armor. Buckles and straps distribute the weight over the body.
That seems very durable. Does an enemy mace dent the armor and hit the person within? Can a sword pierce the plate?

How do you see your DM describing a character in full plate taking a damaging hit?

Something to keep in mind here is that losing hit points does NOT actually mean a direct hit has occurred.

Hit points encompasses much much more than specific physical damage to a character, it also includes loss of vigor, luck, willpower, and a variety of other intangibles.

So, depending on how it comes across, I'd say maybe they get the wind knocked out of them, or they really have to lunge to avoid being decapitated by that axe, etcetera.

Only when they are at half HP or lower are signs of harm visible, such as cuts or bruises, an attack that reduces you to 0 hit points strikes you directly, leaving a bleeding injury or other trauma, or it simply knocks you unconscious. (PHB 197, sidebar on Describing the Effects of Damage).

[Beelzebubba]

Yeah, I think of it this way - you can walk all day, jog for hours, or lift your max weight a few times before you're really winded. Effort has an exponential curve to the amount you can exert at once compared to how winded/tired/worn you are afterwards.

If you have to scramble like mad and heave your entire body in an awkward direction to avoid being killed, then that taxes you. Makes you *this* much closer to being too slow to avoid that sword going in to the armpit of the armor.

[Kurt Kurageous]

The OP is asking a question that has plagued players and DMs since the beginning. What is a "hit" and how to describe it?

From AD&D PHB:
"Each character has a varying number of hit points,' just as monsters do. These hit points represent how much damage (actual and potential) the character can withstand before being killed. A certain amount of these hit
points represent the actual physical punishment which can be sustained. The remainder, a significant portion of hit points at higher levels, stands for skill, luck, and/or magical factors. A typical man-at-arms can take about 5 hit points of damage before being Killed. Let us suppose that a 10th level fighter has 55 hit points, plus a bonus of 30 hit points for his constitution, for a total of 85 hit points. This is the equivalent of about 18 hit dice for creatures, about what it would take to kill four huge warhorses. It is ridiculous to assume that even a fantastic flghter can take that much punishment. The some holds true to a lesser extent for clerics, thieves, and the other classes. Thus, the majority of hit paints are symbolic of combat skill, luck (bestowed by supernatural powers), and magical forces."

From AD&D DMG:
"It is quite unreasonable to assume that as a character gains levels of ability in his or her class that a corresponding gain in actual ability to sustain physical damage takes place. It is preposterous to state such an
assumption, for if we are to assume that a man is killed by a sword thrust which does 4 hit points of damage, we must similarly assume that a hero could, on the average, withstand five such thrusts before being slain! Why
then the increase in hit points? Because these reflect both the actual physical ability of the character to withstand damage - as indicated by constitution bonuses- and a commensurate increase in such areas as skill in combat and similar life-or-death situations, the "sixth sense" which warns the individual of some otherwise unforeseen events, sheer luck, and the fantastic provisions of magical protections and/or divine protection. Therefore, constitution affects both actual ability to withstand physical punishment hit points (physique) and the immeasurable areas
which involve the sixth sense and luck (fitness)."

Describe it? Well, the (foe) lands a significant, telling blow that reminds (the armored target) that this is a fight for survival and (the target) may just be losing. Where it hit, how much it hurts, is there blood? Unless the players want to slow combat down even more, I skip it. I want my combats violent, scary, and resolving a dramatic question.

Look, any analog of HP as physical damage doesn't work because loss of HP doesn't affect the capabilities of the one who loses the HP until it does.

Describe it any way you want, but D&D's simulation of AC and HP has a long and well-documented history. It's not the best simulation of fantasy, but it's the rules. And it's a fantasy game. Imagine and describe your own wound porn, I'm sure it will be good enough.

[Strill]

HP is not meat. It's luck, endurance, and focus. When you take damage, you're not taking a sword to the guts. You're taking minor cuts and bruises that wear you out until an opponent finally lands a clean hit that does take you out by reducing you to 0 HP.

Just describe the damage as the enemy forcing you back suddenly and you spraining your ankle, or a mace leaving a dent in your helmet that bruises you, or an opponent almost getting their sword into the gaps in your armor.

[Slipperychicken]

OP; remember that, while plate armor could not be cut through in real life, we're talking about a fantasy game where most Fighters will be as strong as gorillas even at low level and where many wonderous things happen.

More like a fantasy game that does a very poor job at representing armor.

[pwykersotz]

I agree that HP damage is best described as turning a blow into a near miss, through dodging, deflection, or absorption. The meat is the death saving throws in how I run it. I stole FATE's injury track to replace death saves. It works very well.

But anyway, that's why sword, talon, dart all do damage. Any attack that hits was aimed well enough to force you to defend or get seriously injured.

[Dr.Samurai]

How do you see your DM describing a character in full plate taking a damaging hit?
Like this: *ting* *ting* *ting*

[Laurefindel]

I'm with DividableByZero on hit points and damage: hit point =/= health and damage =/= injuries. Your health is in jeopardy only when you hit 0hp, otherwise taking damage only brings you one step (or several steps!) closer to that fatal blow. There may or may not be a connecting hit on a "hit" and if there is, it's one that doesn't impact the character's ability to function or damage its equipment in significant ways.

But for the sake of description, I often tend to described heavy armored characters being saved by their armor (rather than their ability to dodge the blow in extremis) when taking damage.

[edit] that's my view on hp, not the one and true way to play of course.