V9: Rating Armor

This page is part of the Official Amtgard V9 Alpha-Playtest Rulebook.

• The Amtwiki is the official home and primary source for Amtgard V9 Rules as of February 25, 2023.
• These rules are currently in Open Alpha Playtest. See the Playtest Disclaimer for more details.
• To learn more about Amtgard V9 Development, please visit Amtgard.com.
• To view the current Amtgard V8 ruleset, please see the Amtgard V8 Rulebook.

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Rating Worn Armor

Each piece of Worn Armor must be inspected and assigned an Armor Rating in order to be used for Amtgard combat.

1. Worn Armor pieces must be examined and rated by an Equipment Inspector.
   
   
2. Each piece of worn armor will be assigned to an Armor Tier that will outline its Base Armor Rating and Maximum Armor Rating. Armor that cannot be assigned to a tier does not count as armor and cannot be used as such.
   
   
3. Pieces are then granted bonuses or penalties based on the quality of construction or appearance (see below).
   • The final combination bonuses cannot exceed the Maximum Armor Rating listed for its tier.
   • Armor with a final rating of zero (0) does not count as Armor and cannot be used as such.
     
     
4. Armor Pieces must be rated individually but will be averaged together when worn to produce a final Armor Point Total for each Hit Location.
   
   
5. Easily damaged materials (such as paper, cardboard, foam, and tinfoil) and obviously modern materials (such as shin pads and chest pads) may never be considered armor on their own. Such materials and items may be used as components for armor but the final product must go beyond these core materials to create a noteworthy piece that is not at odds with the more typical examples presented in this document and seen on the battlefield.
   
   

PRO TIP: EQUIPMENT REFERENCE SHEETS
Armor rating can be subjective at times. To help mitigate this, it is recommended that players keep a reference sheet with a list of details for their Worn Armor pieces including descriptions, construction details, and previously assigned ratings to help Inspectors make quick and confident assessments. Keeping signatures and inspection dates from other Inspectors will add further credibility to your notes.

Reference Sheets are not necessary but they will greatly improve your odds of getting consistent armor ratings at every event you attend.

Armor Tiers

Each tier includes a list of common armor styles that fall under that tier. For unlisted or ambiguous pieces, compare it to the examples under each tier and assign it based on which tier it most closely resembles in terms of style, materials, and appearance.

ARMOR TIERS
TIER	BASE RATING	MAX RATING	INCLUDES
T1	1	2	Catch-All (Non-Metal) Cloth/Padded
T2	2	3	Light Leather & Synthetic Variants Ringmesh, Sharkmail, and similar.
T3	3	4	Strong Leather & Synthetic Variants Rigid, Non-Metal Armor Chainmail
T4	4	5	Catch-All (Metal)
T5	5	6	Scale Butted Plate (Splint, Kikko, etc.)
T6	6	7	Lamellar, Laminar Brigandine Plate

Armor Rating Modifiers

Each piece of Worn Armor can be granted additional bonuses or penalties.

1. Multiple points can be awarded and penalized simultaneously as long as they each correspond to each unique feature or collection of features that would still warrant the bonus or penalty if viewed on its own.
   
   
2. The sum total of all modifiers cannot increase a piece's armor rating beyond the maxiumum allowable for its tier (see above). Surplus bonuses confer no additional benefit.
   
   
3. Armor with a final rating of zero or less (due to penalties) does not count as Armor and cannot be used as such.
   
   
4. Regardless of modifiers, armor pieces must still meet certain minimum specifications (see chart below) as well as fully adhere to the Universal Equipment Requirements in order to be used as armor.

Superior Appearance
Bonus points may be awarded to armor that displays an exceptional appearance above and beyond the typical appearance of similar pieces in its style. This includes but is not limited to: tooling, etching, gilding, and fluting, as well as notable use of colors, shapes, weaves, etc. These examples do not represent an exhaustive list and consideration should be given to any piece that obviously goes above and beyond the base construction requires to create an aesthetically pleasing piece.

Inferior Appearance
Points may be deducted from armor that displays an appearance well below the typical standard expected for similar pieces in that style. Examples include tarnished/poorly-maintained armor as well as visibly inauthentic or degrading materials. This penalty does not apply when the piece is worn as a part of a complete outfit that is intentionally designed to look shoddy or battle-worn.

Superior Construction
Bonus points may be awarded to armor constructed with exceptional techniques that provide a meaningful increase in durability over the standard requirements. This includes but is not limited to: increased material thickness, solid/riveted rings, hardened material, affixing to a rigid backing, tighter spacing than required, greater overlap than required, etc. These examples do not represent an exhaustive list and consideration should be given to any piece that obviously goes above and beyond the base requirements to create a more durable piece.

Inferior Construction
Points may be deducted from armor for inferior construction or a meaningful reduction in expected durability when compared to the standard requirements. Examples include but are not limited to: obviously unfinished armor, thinner material, brittle/cracked material, and loose connection points, as well as weak joints, rivets, and any other poor execution of construction techniques.

CONSTRUCTION MODIFIER REFERENCE CHART
Material	Inferior (Minimum)		Standard		Superior		Notes
Catch-All	Cannot be less than standard		1/16"		1/8"
Cloth
Light Leather	1/16" / 4oz		3/32" / 6oz		1/8" / 8oz
Strong Leather	5/32" / 10oz		3/16" / 11oz		1/4" / 12oz
Rigid, Non-Metal	1/8"		3/16"		1/4"		Material Density at least 0.9g/cm3 (equivalent to HDPE)
	Aluminum	Steel	Aluminum	Steel	Aluminum	Steel
Round Rings	16swg	18swg	14swg	16swg	12swg	14swg
Flat Rings	18ga	20ga	16ga	18ga	14ga	16ga	Measure along thinnest axis
Sheet Metal
Other Construction	Inferior (Minimum)		Standard		Superior		Notes
Scale/Plate Overlap	5%		10		25%		At least 75% of Overlap
Butted Plate Proximity	3/4"		1/2"		1/4"

Layering

If multiple pieces of Worn Armor are layered on top of each other, whether permanent or temporary, the rating of the layered area is the rating of the highest-tier piece plus 1, up to that tier’s max.

Each piece should be able to act as armor on its own if they were not layered. Any part of layered armor that extends beyond the layering is averaged at its normal rating. There is no additional bonus for layering more than two pieces.

All Layered Armor pieces must be at least partially visible in a way that does not misrepresent the wearer’s potential armor point value and/or coverage when observed by another player, especially in the cases where a lower rated armor is on top of a higher-rated piece. (see HSR #2)

Layering

Supplemental Armor Bonus: Head, Hands, & Feet

A player may receive +1 to the Worn Armor Point value of their torso, arms, or legs location if they also armor their head, hands, or feet respectively. This bonus ignores tier maximums. Armored hands and feet contribute to armor averaging as normal, in addition to this bonus.

1. If hand or foot armor is the only piece worn on that location, it should be compared to the normal armor tiers and assigned a value as best as possible.

Supplemental armor pieces must cover at least 50% of the area of the head, hand, or foot, and meet all the requirements for Worn Armor, as well as the construction standards for at least a Tier 3 piece of armor (See Armor Construction Standards).

• Special: Hand Armor Materials

Amtgard combat can often result in hands accidentally contacting other players or their equipment. To ensure safety in these cases, hand armor cannot include rigid, abrasive, or metal materials on the back of the hand beyond the knuckles. To offset this limitation, Hand Armor can also use Light Leather as a valid material so long as the final piece still looks like armor.

Armor Modifiers

Armor pieces can be granted bonuses or penalties to their Armor Rating based on the quality of construction or appearance. Multiple points can be awarded and penalized simultaneously as long as they each correspond to each unique feature or collection of features that would warrant the bonus or penalty if viewed on its own.

Superior Appearance
Bonus points may be awarded to armor that displays an exceptional appearance above and beyond the typical appearance of similar pieces in its style. This includes but is not limited to: tooling, etching, gilding, and fluting, as well as notable use of colors, shapes, weaves, etc. These examples do not represent an exhaustive list and consideration should be given to any piece that obviously goes above and beyond the base construction requirements to create an aesthetically pleasing piece.

Inferior Appearance
Points may be deducted from armor that displays an appearance well below the typical standard expected for similar pieces in that style. Examples include tarnished/poorly-maintained armor as well as visibly inauthentic or degraded materials. This penalty does not apply when the piece is worn as a part of a complete outfit that is intentionally designed to look shoddy or battle-worn.

Superior Construction
Bonus points may be awarded to armor constructed with exceptional techniques that provide a meaningful increase in durability over the standard for the material being used. This includes but is not limited to: solid/riveted rings, hardened material, noticeably tighter spacing than required, etc. These examples do not represent an exhaustive list and consideration should be given to any piece that obviously goes above and beyond the base requirements to create a more durable piece. This bonus may also be granted to pieces that are at least 75% constructed from metal materials that are significantly more dense and/or durable than aluminum.

Inferior Construction
Points may be deducted from armor for inferior construction techniques or a meaningful reduction in expected durability when compared to the standard for the material being used. Examples include but are not limited to: obviously unfinished armor, brittle/cracked material, loose connection points, and shoddy workmanship.

Layered Armor Bonus
If multiple unique pieces of Physical Armor are layered on top of each other as part of a complete outfit, the rating of any overlapping area will be rating of the highest-tier armor piece plus 1, up to that armor’s maximum.

1. A piece of armor already at max rating will not receive any additional value from layering.
2. Each layered piece should be able to act as armor on its own if it were not layered. The layers may be affixed while being worn, such as metal armor attached to an arming doublet.
3. Any part of layered armor that extends beyond the layering is calculated at its normal rating.
4. All layered armor pieces must be at least partially visible in a way that does not misrepresent the wearer’s armor point total or armor coverage when observed by another player from 20ft away. This especially true in the cases where a lower-tier armor is layered on top of a higher-tier piece.
5. There is no additional bonus for layering more than two pieces.

Material Thickness

Certain armor styles may require materials that meet a specific thickness. Multiple layers of material may permanently affixed to each other to increase thickness however extra thickness caused by adhesives or empty space should not be factored into the new measurements.

• One bonus point may be awarded or deducted for Superior or Inferior thickness according to the chart below.
• Armor pieces that do not meet these minimum requirements may be judged as Ambiguous Armor as long as they still meet the universal equipment requirements.

MATERIAL THICKNESS REFERENCE CHART
	Inferior (Minimum)		Standard		Superior		Notes
Cloth	Cannot be less than standard		1/16" 1.60mm		1/8" 3.18mm
Light Leather	4oz 1/16" 1.60mm		6oz 3/32" 2.39mm		8oz 1/8" 3.18mm
Heavy Leather	Cannot be less than standard		10oz 5/32" 3.96mm		12oz 3/16" 4.78mm		Less than standard is Light Leather
Rigid, Non-Metal	1/8" 3.18mm		3/16" 4.78mm		1/4" 6.36mm		Material Density at least 0.9g/cm3 (equivalent to HDPE)
	Aluminum	Steel	Aluminum	Steel	Aluminum	Steel
Round Rings	18ga swg 16ga awg 0.048" 1.219mm	20ga swg 18ga awg 0.036" 0.914mm	16ga swg 14ga awg 0.064" 1.626mm	18ga swg 16ga awg 0.048" 1.219mm	14ga swg 12ga awg 0.080" 2.032mm	16ga swg 14ga awg 0.064" 1.626mm
Flat Rings	20ga swg 18ga awg 0.036" 0.914mm	22ga swg 20ga awg 0.028" 0.711mm	18ga swg 16ga awg 0.048" 1.219mm	20ga swg 18ga awg 0.036" 0.914mm	16ga swg 14ga awg 0.064" 1.626mm	18ga swg 16ga awg 0.048" 1.219mm	Measure along thinnest axis. Punched rings should be comparable thickness.
Sheet Metal	18ga 0.040" 1.024mm	20ga 0.036" 0.911mm	16ga 0.051" 1.291mm	18ga 0.048" 1.214mm	14ga 0.064" 1.628mm	16ga 0.060 1.518mm
Scales	20ga 0.032" 0.812mm	22ga 0.030" 0.759mm	18ga 0.040" 1.024mm	20ga 0.036" 0.911mm	16ga 0.051" 1.291mm	18ga 0.048" 1.214mm

Averaging Armor Points For Hit Locations

When it’s time to actually wear the armor pieces together, each Hit Location will be assigned its Armor Point value based on the armor rating and approximate coverage of all the pieces it is benefiting from.

To calculate this value, average the ratings of all Worn Armor pieces in the Hit Location across the areas that are covered by armor, rounding the result to the nearest whole number. Areas not covered by any armor whatsoever, such as gaps or garb, are not factored into this averaging.

Developer Note: You do not need to be precise when determining the coverage. "Eyeballing" it is perfectly fine and even encouraged. (See HSR#4)

Padded Bracer and a Chainmail Sleeve

Jen is wearing a padded bracer (rated 2pts) on her right forearm and has a chainmail tunic (rated 4pts) with sleeves covering some of her arms. The two pieces together cover about 70% of her arms, leaving a gap at the elbows.

The Armor Rating Officer only cares about the area covered by armor. Looking at her arm, the Officer determines that the bracer takes up about 40% of the armored area and the chainmail sleeve takes up about 60% of the armored area.

[Bracer] 2pts x 40% = 2 x 0.40 = 0.8 [Sleeve] 4pts x 60% = 4 x 0.60 = 2.4 0.8 + 2.4 = 3.2 rounds down to 3.

Therefore, Jen’s right arm has an Armor Value of 3pts in the areas covered by armor (the bracer and the sleeve) and an exposed gap between them.