Re: (TFT) Minimum ST for armor?

["Charles Gadda" <cgadda@earthlink.net>]

> > I dont know if a DX penalty for armor is realistic.  I understand
> > that a person wearing properly fitted plate can do acrobatics!
>
> This claim was in GURPS, I believe, but I have never seen any supporting
> evidence. Any SCA-ers out there who can help us out? I do know that in my
> younger days, I found torso pads and headgear to be rather uncomfortable
to
> use in Tae Kwon Do sparring. In fact, the headgear was probably the worse
> because it restricted your peripheral vision. Shin guards and gloves
caused
> no problem, though feet guards were a bit clumsy. This was high density
foam
> construction and rather light, I'd imagine, compared with medieval armor.
> The torso armor was bamboo in cloth and was both hot and constricting. You
> felt like you were fighting in a turtle shell.

Actually, page 34 of Embleton and Howe's "The Medieval Soldier" (a wonderful
book showing reenactors in full gear - all colour photos) shows a man in
reconstructed full plate doing a headstand. That said, DX penalties are
still applicable, just not to the degree that TFT does it. In fairness,
though, I think it was sort of an abstraction to simulate (loosely) the
penalties that Ty is describing, along with heat, etc.

> Also, the DX adjustment is critical to stave off the "everybody hits all
the
> time" problem (if only for a short while). A DX of 12 is a 75% chance of
> success. So you'd have to go to some kind of parrying system like GURPS
> (ick) or have some other defensive adjustment.

I would suggest just having a defensive adjustment, at least for shields.
Having shields absorb damage is a little odd - they are intended to deflect
the blow altogether. An adjustment like -3 to DX to hit someone using a
large shield would not be out of line. Combine with Defensive Quickness for
more experienced fighters and it should get interesting.
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