Armor Wear & Repair
(Added 2-20-99)
Armor protects a delver from some of the impact of many blows, often saving his life . . . but while doing this it takes quite a beating. Armor doesn't last forever. It eventually will become battered and worn as more and more damage penetrates it.
To reflect this, I use the following rules:
Each time a delver is struck and Hits get through his armor, it means his armor has been breached and possibly damaged. He must make a L1 SR on the rating of his combined armor. If this is failed, a suit, shield or piece of his choice is diminished by 1 for the Hits that it can absorb.
No Experience Points are gained for Armor SRs.
Example:
Vanger the Ranger is fighting Saki the Gnome Gninja. The gninja's katana strikes Vanger's scale and target shield (12 Hits), but only does 10 Hits . . . which the armor bounces. Neither the ranger or his armor is damaged and no SR is required.
The next round, the gninja beats him by 15. His armor takes 12, but 3 get through. He takes 3 CN damage and makes a L1 Armor SR (20-12=8). He rolls a 9 and his armor withstands the impact.
Later in the battle, Vanger strikes the gninja with his sword . . . doing 6 over Saki's lamellar armor. The gnome takes 6 CN and makes a L1 Armor SR (20-10=10). He rolls a 9 and his armor suffers a -1 rating.
Magick Armor Repairs (from Ken St. Andre)
This damage can be mended by the following two spells:
Level 3
All Leathered-Up. Range: Personal. Cost: 4 POW per each point of damage being repaired. Spell value: 1500 G.P.
Level 7
Forge-ery. Range: Personal. Cost: 10 POW per each point of damage being repaired. Spell value: 3500 G.P.
[ On a personal note, I would place the same restrictions on magical armor repair that I place on other types of repair: it cannot be mended to higher than one less than its original Hit rating and armor damaged to 50% or below cannot be repaired -- DM ]
Armor Patching "In The Field"
Alternatively, someone with applicable skills (armorer, leathercraft, etc.) can patch armor that has not been damaged too much (50% or more of its original Hits) with a skill SR and an Armor Care Package (available from General Suppliers, good for 5 points of repairs, costs 100 GPs, weighes 50). This kit consists of a small hammer (to pound out the dents), spare wire, pliers and a small shaft for making replacement chainmail links, leather patches, lacings, spare straps & buckles, etc.
The level of the SR depends on the punishment the armor has taken:
Each attempt, succeed or fail, will expend one use of the repair kit. A successful SR will mend 1 Hit to a piece of armor, but it can not be repaired to more than one less than its original Hit value.
Professional Armor Repair (special thanks to Joel Yonder)
If in town, the damaged armor can be taken to an armorer (or tanner, etc.) and they can repair it for a cost of (original cost/original Hits) per point to be repaired. Armor damaged 50% or more of its original value is beyond repair. Repairs cannot mend armor to higher then one less than its original Hit rating. Each point will take about one half-hour to fix
Higher Impact Damage (optional elaboration)
The Hits taken are reflected in the SR needed to see if the armor is damaged. Increase the SR level required by one for every 5 points (or fraction of 5) that get past the armor . . . starting at L0.
This reflects that a troll smashing at you with his boulder-like fists may be more likely to damage to your armor than a hobb with a sharp stick.