Comments on: Howling Tower: Lucern Hammer Beats Banded Mail

By: Mandramas

Mandramas — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:32:53 +0000

I used a damage reduction based armor, and every armor have one physical damage type lower that the rest. Also, I use feats that grant some advantages to some weapons based on their damage type: Cutting weapons are the best in price-quality, but penetrating weapons have some armor piercing feats, and bludgeoning have charge based feats. So, choosing the right weapon is a factor in my game.

By: Charles Carrier

Charles Carrier — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:28:19 +0000

I did use the table back in the late 70′s, and I liked it. Don’t remember ever officially abandoning it but I know I wasn’t using by the early 90′s, even though I was still using 1E rules.

I think I’d like to see a version of it come back into the rules.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:25:14 +0000

Most fantasy games have a setting that’s non-specifically medieval, as if the middle ages weren’t 1000 years long and spread across a continent. Some players want to play armored knights in the pre-Agincourt style, some players want to play longbowmen of the post-Agincourt years, and some want to play Conan-style barbarians from circa 600 AD. We’ve adapted by balancing the game so that a lightly armored barbarian is a match for an armored knight. That doesn’t make sense, but we roll with it.

By: Steve Winter

Steve Winter — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:52:42 +0000

A reader directed me to this detailed examination of AD&D’s Weapon vs. Armor table as it evolved through Chainmail, Swords & Spells, and D&D before reaching the PHB. It’s very thorough and fascinating.

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34417

By: LS

LS — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:30:01 +0000

I only started gaming in the last decade, so I had not heard about this table.

I’ll be interested to explore it when I get my hands on the 1st edition AD&D reprints Wizards is putting out in July.

By: Mike Franke

Mike Franke — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:21:02 +0000

Back in the day my friends and I loved that table. I remember pouring over weapon descriptions and matching with the illustrations to see in my head if things really made sense. It gave a reason to use that short sword or rapier or holy water sprinkler rather than the standard longsword. However, sometimes stuff is giveth and sometimes taketh … now with the dex armor interaction rules armor use is a lot more realistic in most games I play in than the days when every single fighter had full plate on all of the time.

By: Josh Graboff

Josh Graboff — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:58:47 +0000

I still use the AD&D 2e weapon type vs. armor tables. There’s not a lot of plate armor in my games due to technology level, so most people know to switch to bludgeoning weapons when confronted with chain.

I do think that something has been lost, and I lament its loss! It’s an important element of verisimilitude that’s been sacrificed for speed, ease of play, and game balance. That altar has claimed many burnt offerings in the name of advancement.

By: Will Mistretta

Will Mistretta — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:52:43 +0000

The main problem with the AD&D WvA table is that it was redundant. It exaggerated what was already there to absurd levels.

To wit: Most of the time (not all, but most), it just made things worse for poorly-armored characters and better for well-armored ones.

Well: Duh! Plate mail’s AC is already great. What else do you really need?

Only if all armor was considered mathematically equal by default would rules that this really be needful, in my opinion.