Armor Results

Yesterday was Balfar's Challenge, and also the first field battle test for my modified armor suit. Here are the results:

Head 8/10: Padding was fantastic, not even a smashing blow from a man who I'm pretty sure wanted the marshals to carry my limp body off the field could even stun me.  Strategic padding kept me from a weakspot, and the sound dampening kept ringing down and still let me hear orders.  Only draw back was on the chinstrap, though comfortable, a good solid blow that shook the helm sideways could slide it up infront of my face.  Not a massive issue, considering that if such a thing happens, I likely will have the time to adjust myself while I'm dead.  Should be able to fix that easily.

New Fix: a small bit of soft cloth attached to the forehead pad; hood rubs raw, and the padding leaves a red mark.

Neck N/A: Did not take a hit to the neck, but it was comfortable, non-imparing, and the only issue I found was that I would have prefered a bit more snug feel.  Might cover it in soft cloth.

Body Mid 9/10: The main part of the armor held up like a dream, the modified segmentation allowed me a great range of movement without sacrificing good solid protection all the way around.  It was comfortable, allowed fantastic flexibility, and saved my squishy bits like nothing else.  Only drawback was the adhesive I used for the fur didn't exactly hold up on my left side with my shield arm constantly rubbing against it.  Might have been more of a "why is my shield as heavy as a pony" issue, but it's an easy fix.

New Fix: Might sew some of the sheepskin onto it, and use a stronger adhesive.

Hanging Side plate on the right kept getting caught in my leggings, really annoying, but not so much a hinderance.  Might have a good fix for it in the near future, we'll see.

Pauldrons N/A:  While they were light, and very stylish, my shoulders didn't take a single hit, so my special padding and under coat were not truly tested unfortunately.  Might have been that the addition of the ragged black fur, as well as being sexy, made it hard to know where my shoulder was, resulting in numerous "near hits" as blades fell aside.  Didn't think about that, now I'm going to see if I can keep that working for me.

Legs: 10/10: Legs performed like a dream.  Light, fantastically padded protection, not a single leg injury in combat.  The only injury came from a test hit where Kevin slammed me harder than anyone could feasibly pull off (I literally held my leg up and out for him to use as an anvil).  The custom knee joints left my knees fully protected from the front and sides, while being small and allowing me to run with such ease I had little problem dancing around groups of fighters.  I took a pole arm to the side of the knee, and barely felt it, and the fit was beautiful.  Little tweaking at home, and now they're just comfier than before.  I hardly notice them at all.

New Fix: changed the belt to be a bit more secure, and the ties to be permanent, now I'll only have to put it on and never worry if my tie is coming lose.

Arms: Elbows 8/10: Modified elbows fit snugly, and I had no issue with sliding as the gauntlets kept them tightly in place.  Hits on them were held off by form and padding, and the only thing I'd do different is a bit of sewing to make sure the straps don't weaken, and a bit of hiding on the standout white.  Not an issue at all with movement, I hardly noticed them after a minute or three.

New Fix: Might disguise them as cloth tied around the elbow.

Arms: Vambraces: 8/10 for Right, 3/10 for Left.  Right arm felt fin, and had no issues at all with it, just a bit of comfort nuances that can be fixed with a bit of padding here and there, but nothing that was really an issue.  Left arm had serious issues as that my shield pushed my vambrace into the bones of my wrist whenever my shield was not raised in combat.  My arm went numb by the end of the day, and ached terribly.  A better shield would have helped, but I might need to keep an eye on this in the future, as it could be an injury waiting to happen.

Gauntlets: I only used my left, under the shield, and it felt fine.  I'm certain that the right would have been fine as well (the ones I borrowed were uncomfortable and made my hand slow), and I think with a bit of tweaking I could have a set that no one could contest.


Overall Rating 9/10: I took no injuries, and it felt great on me.  Three things stood out;

Maneuverability: I was fast, and felt no hindurance while fighting.
Weight: My armor felt like it was not there for most of the battles, I could have worn it for days.
Heat: Unlike many of the other fighters near me, I was completely cool for the bulk of the fighting.  With my armor being designed to protect key places and sync together, it left a lot of little places for air to get inside and keep me cool and flowing.  There was no issue with the fur, as it was not on my body but held away, and the open face of the guard allowed easy breathing and ventilation the whole time.

I could see, breath, and move, like I was just out for a stroll.  Next on my list for building: Minor Shin Guards, disguised as boot toppers (just incase), coverings for my hanging side plates that hide and keep them from catching on things (thinking of making one look like a fur hanging, and the other like a pouch to keep auth cards and rule books in there), cool designs on the helm (because.. you know, coolness).

New Project: Weapons.