A is for Armor

Armor everyone's gotta have it. Without armor you might as well just jump in the fire and make sure your well done for the next beastie that comes around. Mages have magic armor, clerics and warriors have plate armor even thieves wear leather armor. But how realistic is it to go tromping around all day in full plate armor? You see it all the time in fantasy games. The heroic knight that wears his armor into battle then heads home still in the armor. Or a knight that is ambushed while wearing his armor.

Full plate was developed late in the medieval period. A full set of armor could weight upwards of 60 pounds and most of the pieces required several assistants to lock into place with bolts buckles and clasps. The knight retained the services of a squire to preform this duty. Imagine carrying an extra 60 pounds of armor around for 5 to 6 hours of heated physical exertion during a battle in addition you would have the added weight of a 5 to 10 pound sword, mace or lance. After the development of the flintlock pistol the armor of warriors gradually starts to shed heavy pieces of metal in favor of lighter more maneuverable combatants. 


Earlier metal coverings did exist prior to the full plate era, The earliest known metal armor dates back to circa 1400BC in Greece with the Mycenaean culture. 

Other notable plate armors included the roman breastplate of the centurion and field plate or reduced plate which is basically full plate without the legs and shortened arm coverings sometimes with or without a helmet. 

This article is part of an ongoing series The Alphabet of D&D click here to see the rest