Armorsmith Archive

(This post is edited from time to time and I will highlight the changes in color. I will change the color back to grey as new items are added)

Okay guys. This is the first draft of what we hope will be a community effort that will result in a massive Armorsmith overhaul. It is a continuation of the "A Composite World," post and any ideas that are not my own come from other posters there. I HIGHLY encourage you to read that post first as many of the debates you see below are already being debated there! This is not a debate post, it is an idea post. This installmentstarts off withwhat we think the Special Protections for all of the current Armorsmith craftable armors should be to keep things fair and balanced as well as promote the lesser used armor types.

I'll start the ball rolling with what I think of the top three. Unfortunatly, I am not too familiar with the lesser armors since I, like many others, did not bother making a second suit of them when I realized how underpowered they were (after making them with the best possible resources I could find). It's clear to me that we stand a better chance of actually seeing some change if we do most of the groundwork ourselves. If it works, it'll all be worth it. So, chip in your two cents, please.

I'll keep this top post updated with the general opinion of those who get involved.

Composite Armor

Special Protections: Energy and Blast

Basic Protections: Kinetic, Heat, Cold, Restraint and Acid

Vulnerabilities: Stun and Electricity

(I obviously know nothing about the wonder substance called composite.. as detailed below)

Padded Armor

Special Protections: Kinetic and Cold

Basic Protections: Energy, Blast, Restraint, Stun and Electricity

Vulnerabilities: Stun, Acid and Heat

First of all, I would think Kinetic protection for Padded armor just makes sense. If you're sparing or playing sports you don't put on leather, you protect yourself with pads. Being the second highest armor in the Armorsmith tree, I can see Padded being afforded 2 Special Protections as well.. especially since the second one is not all that common, but also makes sense - Cold. I can also see how Padded armor could protect against Stun, but I believe Stun should be the holy grail of protections and should be saved for the Special armor types. Heat and Acid should be given Vulnerabilities of a mostly cloth armor.

As a side note about Padded: We DO need a cooler and more productive looking helm. I don't find myself worrying too much about anvils dropping from the sky. My thoughts happen to be more like a Padded "Ninja" or assassin style helm. That would definatly be asthetically pleasing, add a unique (and desirable) look to Padded armor and most of all - it would make sense.

Those should be the two best armor types ANY Armorsmith with the given skills should be able to craft. That is why they both have 2 Special Protections and cover the most Basic Protections of all armor types. The remaining armor types should still have their own Special Protection, however the Basic Protections should drop and the Vulnerabilites should rise as we climb down the ladder.

Ubese Armor

Special Protections: Kinetic

Basic Protections: Energy, Blast, Restraint, Electricity and Acid

Vulnerabilities: Stun, Heat and Cold

So this is an inherent problem with how I view Padded and Ubese. I understand Ubese protecting against Kinetic due to bladed weapons, but again it only makes sense that Padded does as well. I also have a hard time deciding what Ubese should not protect against without adding the entire gambit. Personally, I've always been happy with Ubese and I don't really see any reason to change it. Another good thing about leaving Ubese alone is that it would put it on par with Padded, but still not quite as good with one less Special Protection.

*Edit* And if you are wondering about why the top two armors would have 2 Special Resists while we are wanting to lessen the overall effectiveness of Composite, the reason is simple. We were also discussing a set limit on the Base resists. So, while in this example Composite would have 2 Special Resists, the Base resists would be limited to 40%, perhaps. That is just a "fill in the blank" number.. so please feel free to discuss that as well. Admittidly, I am not a mathematician so I did not personally want to touch the possibility of Composite being a Medium armor. In concept it makes sense, but I think that should be saved for Factional armor and/or Special armor types (RIS, Manadalorian, etc..) So, if you understand the intricate and not so obvious workings of how the Armor Levels work, feel free to share your thoughts.

Okay.. so now that we are back on topic for this post (scroll past the first few responses heh).. StarchMonkey brought up a few good points that we should also be discussing. This is not an all consuming list of topics, but they are a great starting point:

Sorry folks, I do not think 'nerfing' any type of armor would be a good idea. The destabilising effect would be felt in the game for months / years as the old stuff commanded high prices forcing any new smiths to be completely unable to sell anything. Possibly make composite a little harder to make (named woolly anyone) this would make Composite the elite armor it should be.

I do agree that we could improve other armor types, this would give some more choice to pick the armor type best for the task, this would have much less on the economy as a whole as no pre-nerf market would exist.

Possibly give all armor types the ability to use at least one/two layers, this would give variation to what people go for and end the comp. only mentality that exists ATM.

J