Palladium Fantasy 1e SDC Armor changes

 

I am always looking for ways to change things up in the game, making it easier for book keeping, making combat a bit easier on myself and the players. I seem to always forget to bother with SDC, and will often just say, "that's a miss". Well there is a system in place and a GM has a lot to worry about, not only for the NPC, but the PCs as well. 

How can I make this easier?

Well, I've come up with a system, that I am going to test out. If this system works, it should alleviate a lot of book keeping for everyone.

How does it work?

The attacker has to meet or exceed the Armor Rating (AR), should he do this, damage is rolled. The Defender will then take the damage directly to his health, but first minus the Damage Resistance (DR) number listed on the table below.

That's it. Simple, easy and to the point.

Now you've noticed that I included shields on this list with some actual purpose, other then just some damage. I know folks have complained shields are kind of worthless in 1e and a bit in 2e.

Well I've included Shields, and they do make a difference now adding to your AR but it has some minor stipulations with them (see below).

Prices shown in gold are subjective to the campaign being run. What's listed here is what I use in my campaign world.

 

Light Armor		Armor Rating	Damage Resistance	Price in Gold
Cloth (full)		5	2	20
Padding/Quilt (full)		8	3	50
Soft Leather (full)		9	5	75
Hard Leather (full)		10	5	150
Studded Leather (full)		12	5	200
Heavy Armor (Half)		Armor Rating	Damage Resistance	Price in Gold
Chain Mail (Half)		9	8	170
Double Mail (half)		10	8	340
Scale Mail (half)		11	8	300
Splint Armor (half)		12	8	400
Plate (half)		13	8	600
Heavy Armor (full)		Armor Rating	Damage Resistance	Price in Gold
Chain Mail (full)		13	10	360
Double Mail (full)		14	10	400
Scale Mail (full)		15	10	700
Splint Armor (full)		16	10	900
Plate & Chain (full)		15	10	1000
Plate (full)		16	12	5000
Shields (Small)		Armor Rating*	Damage**	Price in Gold
Small Wooden		+1	D4	35
Small Leather		+1	D4	40
Sm ½ Leather ½ Wooden		+2	D4	50
Small Iron		+2	D4	60
Shields (Large)		Armor Rating*	Damage**	Price in Gold
Large Wooden		+2	D4	70
Large Leather		+2	D4	80
Lr ½ Leather ½ Wooden		+2	D6	100
Large Iron		+2	D6	120

 * This number adds to the Armor Rating of the wearer, but only applies to line of sight only, and shields take up a hand slot, so it may not be used if the wielder decides to use a two handed type weapon, such as a sling or bow.

** Damage is when thrown or using to bash. In the case of bashing it would be DMG + any P.S. bonuses only.