Our Fighter got an Armor upgrade! This is Splint armor, but I deviated from how it is usually depicted. For some historical armor infodumping readmore ->
Noting upfront, DND is Fantasy, it does not need to be historically accurate. I just like being nerdy about this stuff.
So the 2014 DND 5e description of splint is
"This armor is made of narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a backing of leather that is worn over cloth padding. Flexible chain mail protects the joints." (There is no description in the 2024 rules.)
Thus this armor is typically depicted something like this:
Artist on tumblr linked in the image!
Now this art looks awesome! But armor like this has no real historical analogue. There is really no reason you would separate out the metal plates and not layer them unless you were REALLY strapped for metal. The fact that this armor is meant to be MORE expensive and protective than chainmail doesn't align with this.
The logic of this description is actually kind of backwards. Splint armor actually refers to more flexible leather joint pieces having metal splints added to make them more deflective.
You have the thin stripes so that it can go around a curved piece. A breast plate is not so curved that you have this issue, so again it does not make sense to have this be the case for the whole armor. But I did include it in the shins!
Now, taking Splint Armor to be a step above Chainmail and a step below Plate Armor, there are a lot of options to look at! In general for this campaign I've designed outfits mixing Celtic and Japanese historical styles, so I did the same here for the most part! Here are the ones I drew inspiration from for Ullr's armor depicted above.
First the skirt is meant to reflect a Kusazuri (草摺) for thigh protection. The small lamellar plates are less protective than thicker larger articulations of plate, but still very strong.
The Cuirass/Chest Protection is based on Roman Lorica segmentata. Kinda Splint like, just turned 90 degrees and layered lol.
And then on the arms, I saw a lovely post on tumblr, linked here, about jack chains as a method of protecting the arms with less armor and more mobility! Given Ullr already had a Mail shirt for armor, this made sense as an upgrade to his arms ability to deflect blows.
As the picture shows, typically they would be attached to padded armor, but I thought they would be a nice touch here also and still follow the principles of armor.
Okay that's all! Hope this was interesting!
📣 Check out this incredible set of late Medieval splint/brigandine arm armor! 🛡️
Crafted with 16-gauge steel poleyns, this armor provides excellent protection for the arms. The upper and lower leg armor is made from thick and tough quality leather, riveted with strips of steel. 💪
This combination of materials makes it difficult for any opponent to cut through the leg armor. The thick leather is a formidable barrier, offering significant resistance to piercing and puncturing. 🚫⚔️
Not only does this armor provide outstanding protection, but it also reduces the amount of steel required, resulting in a lighter overall weight. Perfect for the Medieval warrior who values practicality and effectiveness.
My lil dwarf lady got herself some splint! We found an abandoned forge while traveling and we stopped to craft. Shortly after we got chased by the drow for 2 hours :/
We still dont have proper weapons ( i could have crafted them but i was in NEED of armor.). So Maiden is stuck with a harpoon she found.
Here’s Mira Ward, human fighter with her glowing sword, and rather shiny boots! I don’t see people drawing a lot of splint armour even though it’s cool and historically accurate, so far as I can tell, so I decided to go for some of that! Anyone else using it?
Saw a chance to redesign a personal character I did almost exactly a year ago. Same city guard captain, just wanted better design. Hopefully an improvement is apparent!
There’s actually slightly more to this small project, hope I can get it done within the week.
