Okay, so all those DEX penalties for plate armor? Seems they were overblown.
On the other hand, the Stealth penalties may have been understated.
This is a cool video where they have some actual plate armor recreations, show how people can move in them, and then go through some combat techniques actually described in training guides of the time.
(via http://sploid.gizmodo.com/this-is-how-medieval-knights-fought-with-their-heavy-an-1640223813)
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Armour is exhausting to wear, even just a mail shirt.
Re the stealth. I used to be a Anglo-saxon re-enactor. One couple had access to the ruins of a Norman castle on a private site (it was just the flint built gatehouse, plus a few earth ramparts), and they used to run various LARPs – fantasy and SF.
One weekend I was NPCing. My mate (also my Thegn in the 10th century!) was one of the PC’s. Its late at night for the final scenes, we are sitting in the fire pit area – a depression about 30 feet across, and 10 feet deep. The NPCs are sat around with the captive “oblivious” of the PCs creeping up on them. Some fine role playing, as we could all hear Pete’s leather jerkin creaking as he crawled up. It seemed to go for ever- I couldn’t wait to get attacked by surprise just so I could stop not hearing the creak-creak-creak as he crawled up to the rim. He said later it would have been quieter if he’d worn his mail – because he was crawling it would not have jingled- even walking would have been quiet (think like carrying a bag of coins – if you walk they don’t bounce up and down, so don’t clink)
@LH – I suspect military gear today is just as exhausting, given some of the weight ratings I’ve seen. On the positive side, modern soldiers are also probably much better nourished.
But, yes, not even leather is “silent,” at least not hard leather pieces that rub against each other. Chain’s a different matter. But I can’t imagine crawing (or walking) silently in plate, without some serious Silence or Unnoticeability spells about you.
Chain? What is this ‘Chain’ of which you speak?
Pete’s jerkin wasn’t D&D hard leather- it was historical, so resistant up to a degree, but still flexible. Imagine the noise a leather chair makes when everybody thinks you’ve farted. No imagine that every time you move a limb and pull yourself along the ground! It was comical.
Mail isn’t as noisy as you think – yes you can jingle, but careful movement can over come that