Studded armour

STUDDED LEATHER ARMOR

Studded leather armor has little in common with normal leather armor. While 
leather armor is a hardened shell, studded leather armor is soft and supple 
with hundreds of metal rivets affixed.  The rivets are  so  close  together
that they form a  flexible coating of  hard metal that turns aside slashing
and cutting attacks.  The soft leather backing is little more than a  means 
of securing the rivets in place.

Studded leather armor is known as "poor man's mail" because of its metallic 
components and low price.  It is  more common among the general  population 
than most people would first believe because,  unlike  other types of  mail 
armor, studded leather is relatively easy to make.

While a soft leather backing is the most durable and comfortable, any stout 
cloth can be used as  a backing for the rivets.  The rivets themselves  are 
also  easy  to  acquire,  as everything from  nails to  pebbles  have  been 
substituted at  one time or  another in  times of desperation.  In general, 
as  long  as the  backing  is  secure and  the rivets  are  hard  enough to
withstand  a  glancing blow,  the armor so comprised  should be  considered 
studded leather for purposes of weight and protection.

Studded leather,  like brigandine (described later), is  commonly  worn  by
pirates and other seafarers. The protection afforded is better than  normal 
leather armor, which is an important point during sea combat when  a shield 
may not be practical  (a shield is  useless when climbing or  fighting in a 
ship's rigging).

With regard to  swimming,  the weight of  studded leather is  significantly
less than metal armor,  and the flexibility of the soft leather backing  is
better for such demanding activity.  Indeed, for short times in the  water, 
it is as easy to maneuver in studded leather  as it is to  move in a normal 
leather  breastplate.  Therefore,  most sea-going  mercenaries and  pirates
prefer to wear studded leather as their all-purpose armor.  Trained  marine 
contingents, however, whose main function is boarding,  usually wear normal
leather and carry a shield.

Miserly merchants,  who shave pieces of gold more than they like to  admit, 
will often buy studded leather to outfit their hired guards. However, these 
gold-pinchers  pay  for the  protection  one  way  or  another,  as studded
leather tends to  wear out rather  quickly.  Not only does the soft backing 
wear out as quickly as thick clothing,  but the metal studs can be  affixed 
only  by  driving  them  through  the  leather,  considerably weakening the 
overall strength of the  backing.  Eventually,  the holes open  up and  the
rivets drop out.  Studded  leather is also prone to the  same  problems  of 
sweat, grime, and insects as padded armor (q.v.).

Slot(s):                                head, neck, torso, legs, feet, 
                                        arms, hands
Size:                                   large

Protection against:
 cut                                    very good
 stab                                   very good
 bash                                   superb
 other                                  excellent