High-Quality Racial Armor

Armor found as treasure has a chance to be high-quality armor. Ordinary armor has a 10% chance on percentile dice; magical armor has a 25% chance.

Each race adds something different to its armor if it is high-quality.

Dwarves: High-Quality dwarvish armor is very, very resistant to damage. Whenever High-Quality dwarvish armor must make a saving throw (see the Dungeon Master Guide, page 39.), it gets a +6 to save in addition to any bonuses it receives if it is magical. Additionally, if you use the "Damage to Armor" rules described later in this chapter, all High-Quality dwarvish armor has twice the number of damage points of ordinary armor.

Elves: High-Quality elvish armor is one- half the weight of ordinary armor; it constitutes "elven steel" (see the chart on page 38 of the Dungeon Master Guide).

Gnomes: Gnomes make very quiet studded and padded leather armors; these are the only High-Quality armors they make. High-Quality gnome armor does not take any penalties on the "Thieving Skill Armor Adjustment" table (Player's Handbook, page 39, last column); thus, a gnome thief or dual-class thief does not suffer a –30% when picking pockets, or a –20% when moving silently, etc.

Half-Elves: Half-Elf armorers do not make any High-Quality leather armor, padded armor, studded leather, hide armor, or bronze plate mail. All their other armors can be made as High-Quality armor. High-Quality half-elf armor is made from fine steel; it is –10% the weight of ordinary armor of the same kind, fine steel, for normal thickness, –10% weight, and gets a +2 to saving throws (on the "Metal" column on page 39 of the Dungeon Master Guide).

Halflings: Halflings only make leather armor as High-Quality armor. Their High-Quality leather armor counts as "No Armor" on the Thieving Skill Armor Adjustment table (Player's Handbook, page 39).

Humans: Humans make all types of armor as High-Quality armor. This is especially tough armor; whatever it is made of, it is +2 to saving throws on the appropriate line of the "Item Saving Throws" chart on page 39 of the Dungeon Master Guide. Also, plate mail (not including bronze plate), field plate, and full plate made to High-Quality specifications is made of fine steel, but instead of being lighter than usual, it is built thicker in order to make it more resistant to damage. It is +4 to saving throws on that "Item Saving Throws" chart, and is normal weight. Also, it gives the wearer a +2 to saving throws vs. Rod, Staff, or Wand and Breath Weapon attacks. In addition, if you are using the "Damage to Armor" rules found later in this chapter, it has one and a half times the normal damage points for the type of armor it is.

Other Notes on High-Quality Racial Armor

All the above descriptions were for worn armor, not shields. High-Quality shields do not impart any special bonus unless you're using the "Damage to Armor" rules, in which case they have twice as many damage points as the normal sort of shield.

How much does it cost to buy a set of High-Quality racial armor? First, the DM has to decide whether there is any available to sell. Usually, the answer will be no; there is only a 1% chance that a normal village armorer's will have made any piece of high-quality armor to sell, and that will be racial armor of the armorer's race. The chance goes up to 5% in a big city, or 25% if you're looking for racial armor of the race that is most common in the city. Thus, to find high-quality dwarvish armor, go to a big dwarf community . . . and there your chances are still low.

But if you find what you're looking for, or are able to hire an armorer to build you a set, it costs ten times the normal cost of the armor. High-quality dwarf plate mail, then, would cost 6,000 gp. Often, it's not worth the price to the adventurer.

In no case will an elvish craftsman custom-make a set of High-Quality elvish armor for someone. Such armor is only made for the elvish royalty, and their kings sometimes bestow a piece on a non-elf hero . . . but only for deeds of exceptional valor which have helped the elves.

Another question adventurers are sure to ask: Can an armorer of one race build his own type of High-Quality armor for another race? For example, can a master gnome armorer build High-Quality gnome armor for a human?

The answer is yes. Instead of costing ten times the normal cost of the armor, the price is 15 times the normal cost. But it can be done. Again, though, an elf armorer will never make High-Quality armorer for anyone but his rulers.

Custom-built High-Quality armor takes four times as long to make as normal, average armor.

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