Rating Armor (V7)

Armor in Amtgard is rated on a number of different factors including materials, worksmanship, and type. Either the Monarch, the Champion, or the Guildmaster of Reeves may rate armour. This page summarises the various rules for rating armour in both Version 7.7 of the rules and Version 8 of the rules.

Version 7.7

There are several things to keep in mind when rating armour in Version 7.7:

• Armour that is of multiple types and would have multiple ratings has those rating averaged together.
• Armour can not be stacked on top of armour in order to increase its rating.
• Armour loses points if it does not weigh approximately what historical armour of that type should have weighed.
• Armour may never be rated more than 6 points.
• The base material used for comparison is steel.
• Armours not covered by this table should be rated using the best judgement of the person rating the armour, taking into account their relative protective value compared to items on this list

Base Armours

Armour Type	Base Thickness	Points
Padded cloth	4 layers	1
Quilted cloth	2 layers + padding	1
Light leather	1/16 inch	1
Heavy leather	3/16 inch	2
European '4 in 1' chain mail	1.58mm (16-gauge)	3
Augmented chain, riveted chain	1.58mm (16-gauge)	4
Double mail	1.58mm (16-gauge)	5
Brigandine or lamellar	1.22mm (18-gauge)	5
Plate	1.22 (18-gauge)	6

(Table from Amtgard Rulebook Page 12)

Bonus Materials

Materials from this table can be added to any non-metalic armour to increase its rating.

Material	Base Thickness	Points
Cuir bouilli	N/A	+1
Rings	1/8 inch	+1
Studs	1.22mm (18-gauge)	+1
Scales, Hardened Leather	3/16 inch	+1
Scales, Metal	1.22mm (18-gauge)	+2

(Table from Amtgard Rulebook Page 12)

Materials from this table can be added to any form of chain mail to increase its rating.

Material	Base Thickness	Points
Full padded gambeson	See Glossary	+1

(Table from Amtgard Rulebook Page 12)

Misc Bonuses and Penalties

See the glossary for precise definitions of these items.

Item	Bonus/Penalty
Non-authentic materials	-1 to -2
Poor workmanship	-1 to -4
Shoddy and/or artificial appearance	-1 to -2
Heavy gauge materials	+1
Superior construction	+1 to +2

(Table from Amtgard Rulebook Page 12)

Glossary

Armor Descriptions

Name	Definition
Padded cloth	Four layers of cloth sewn together
Quilted cloth	Two layers of cloth with padding in between sew together
Light leather	Leather of at least 1/16" thickness
Heavy leather	Leather of at least 3/16" thickness
Chain armours	Must have an internal diameter of, at most, 3/8". Baseline chain armour consists of butted links
Augmented chain	Chain augmented in some fashion from the standard '4 in 1', such as plates attached to each other by chain, or any of the Persian or Chinese weaves
Riveted Chain	Chain in which all the links have been individually riveted together
Lamellar	Plates that have all been joined in an overlapping fashion by cord or chain link
Brigandine	Closely spaced or overlapping plates riveted between two layers of leather. Heavy cloth such as canvas or denum may be used instead of leather, but incurs a -1 penalty for sub-standard materials
Double mail	'8 in 2' or mail in which a standard pattern is woven with two rings replacing every single ring
Plate	Solid metal armour with riveted metal articulations to increase mobility

(Table from Amtgard Rulebook Page 12-13)

Armour Definitions

Name	Definition
Plates	Plates must be attached to each other or a backing in such a way that all four edges or corners are held into continuous rigid contact with each other or the backing. Plates may be made of 3/16" hardened leather (instead of steel) and receive a - 1 to the total armor value. Plates as defined here are those that are used in Scales, Brigandine, or other such armors and should not be confused with 'Plate Armor.'
Cuir bouilli	Cuir bouilli is the process by which leather is hardened using wax or other treatmen ts to produce significantly harder leather. Studs are composed of metal, and must be no more than 1.5 inches apart to receive the bonus. Studs may not be added to metal armor.
Rings	Rings are composed of metal (not to be confused with chain mail), and must be at least 1/8 inch thick, have an internal diameter of at least 1 inch and no greater than two inches, and be placed no further than 1.5 inches apart to receive the bonus. Rings may not be added to metal armor.
Scales	Scales are composed of metal (+2) or 3/16” hardened leather (+1), and must be overlapping. Scales may not be added to metal armor . Scales need only be attached to the armor along one edge.
Gambeson	Gambeson (sometimes referred to as an arming coat) resembles a quilted, close fitting tunic that minimally extends from the thighs of an individual to their elbows, excluding their head and neck. If worn under any ty pe of chain mail, the wearer will receive a +1 bonus to the area that the chain mail covers. The gambeson may not be modified to increase this value. A gambeson must be the equivalent of at least quilted cloth with cotton batting padding in between the layers, and must cover the entire area of the hit location under the chain in order to grant a bonus.

(Table from Amtgard Rulebook Page 13)

Armour Modifiers

Name	Definition
Non-authentic materials	Non-authentic materials refer to materials that were not in use to create armor at the time, such as plastic. For comparison of metals, steel is the standard weight and toughness, so lighter or softer metals, such as aluminum, will incur this penalty, while stainless steel will not. Subtractions for inauthentic material may never exceed -2, though completely inappropriate materials may receive no points (i.e. aluminum foil, cardboard, etc).
Poor workmanship	Poor workmanship refers to an inexperienced or incomplete assembly by the creator such as the use of non-period items such as hot glue, tape, or shoestrings to hold the armor together.
Artificial appearance	Artificial appearance refers to the overall appeal of the armor and its ability to accurately resemble historical armors.
Heavy gauge material	Heavy gauge material is metal that is at least 15-gauge (1.71mm plates or 1.83mm wire) thick or leather that is at least 1/4 inch thick.
Superior construction	Superior construction is reflected in the overall construction and function of the armor as compared to other armors of its type, and is awarded on a case-by-case basis.

(Table from Amtgard Rulebook Page 13)

Version 8

Section coming soon, see talk page for details.