Chain armour

Chain armour male – female

Chain armour, also known as "chainmail" or simply "mail" (known as "bronze armour" in the Nintendo-port of Ultima III) is armour which has been crafted out of a series of interlinked metal rings, which are usually riveted shut on high quality pieces. It is available in Ultima I, Ultima II, Ultima III, Ultima IV, Ultima V, Ultima VI, Ultima VII, Ultima VII Part Two, Ultima VIII, and Ultima IX, as well as in Ultima Underworld and Ultima Underworld II.

Description

A full set of standard Britannian mail generally consists of a coif, a mail shirt (termed a haubereon in comparable Terran ages) and mail leggings (chausses). At times, mail gauntlets (mitons), mail boots and mail arm extensions for the haubereon would also figure into the ensemble.

Throughout the Age of Darkness and into the early Age of Enlightenment, chainmail armour was presumably always sold as a set. As time progressed (and as the Ultima game engine grew more complex and better able to support differing armour slots), mail became a commodity sold by the piece, and it could take some shopping around on the part of an enterprising adventurer to assemble a full outfit. In terms of blanket protection, the woven mesh of good mail is almost always preferable to boiled leather or padded canvas in terms of keeping its bearer from bodily harm, although there is an understandable trade-off with regards to expense and weight. While not as sure a defense as full plate, the comparative lightness and flexibility of mail often makes it the wiser choice in situations where encumbrance is of issue.

Protective Value

In Ultima I, leather armor has a protective rating of 16 (blocking 6% of attacks)

In Ultima II, chain armour has a protective rating of 69% and requires a minimum strength of 19.

In Ultima III chain armour has a protective rating of 58% and can only be worn by fighters, rangers, paladins and clerics.

In Ultima IV chain armour has a defensive value of 160, an evade rate of 63% and can only be worn by fighters, paladins and tinkers.

In Ultima V chain armour has a defensive rating of "5" and the chain coif a rating of "2".

Ultima VI

In Ultima VI, the components and defensive values of chain armour were as follows:

Icon	Piece	Defense
	Coif	2
	Chest	5

Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two

In Ultima VII: The Black Gate (BG) and Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle (SI), a complete set of chainmail armour contains the following pieces. The numbers listed after indicate the relative effectiveness of the armour in both games and the warmth rating:

Icon	Piece	Defense (BG)	Defense (SI)	Warmth (SI)
	Coif	2	2	-5
	Chest	2	3	-5
	Gauntlets	2	2	-5
	Leggings	2	2	-5

Ultima VIII

In Ultima VIII, the components and defensive values of chain armour were as follows:

Icon	Piece	Defense
	Chest	3
	Coif	2
	Armguards	2

Ultima IX

In Ultima IX, the components and defensive values of chainmail were as follows:

Icon	Piece	Defense
	Coif	3
	Chest	8
	Arms	4
	Gauntlets	3
	Leggings	4
	Boots	3

Lore

“	Used by those who can handle the weight of chain mail while fighting, this armour offers excellent protection. Only the finest steel is used, with double-thickness on the shoulders. All links are individually riveted for strength. A favorite among Fighters and Tinkers. – from The History of Britannia (Ultima IV)

“	Chain mail is fashioned from small loops of metal wire linked in a manner to make something resembling metal cloth. The best chain mail has each link actually riveted shut. Chain mail provides very good protection, but is quite expensive. – from Book of Lore (Ultima V)

“

Foolish is the adventurer who embarks on a quest without the best armour he can afford. Several different types of armour are available — everything from inexpensive and relatively ineffective cloth to costly but highly protective plate. The armourers of Britannia will gladly allow you to examine their wares. Take advantage of this and acquire the armour best suited to your abilities and fighting style. – from Compendium (Ultima VI)

“

There are six parts of the body that one does seek to protect: the head, the torso, the legs, the hands, the feet and the neck. All pieces of armour are specifically designed for the protection of one of these places. There are basically four types of armour: leather, scale, chainmail and plate. Leather provides the least protection, but it is exceedingly light and is relatively inexpensive. While scale and chainmail provide roughly the same level of protection, scale is the heavier and the less expensive of the two. The heaviest type of armour is plate; since it provides great protection it is also the most expensive. – from The Book of Fellowship (Ultima VII)

“

Armour is crafted from four types of material: leather, metal scales, chain mail (or chain links) and metal plates. For the most part, the thicker the material, the higher the level of protection. In addition, the thicker the material, the heavier and more expensive it is. Leather, being light and inexpensive, is useful for those less likely to face powerful foes. But were one to enter a war-torn battlefield without metal armour of some sort, I would assume the warrior poor, weak, or fatally foolish! – from Beyond the Serpent Pillars (Ultima VII Part Two)

“	Chain mail affords greater protection with limited restrictions. Loops of woven wire are bound together to form a sheet of protection across the chest with extra protection at the shoulders and ribs. For rigorous adventurers, a warrior should accept no armor weaker than chain mail. – from Journal (Ultima IX)

Trivia

• The term "chainmail" is actually a neologism – at least as far as Earth is concerned. In the real world history of the armour it was only called by this name in eras later than the 1700s.
• Chain boots were planned for Ultima VII Part Two, but got dropped from the game. Their paperdoll graphics can be found in the code.

See Also

• Armour values

References

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Armour

Basic Armour	Cloth armour ☥ Leather armour ☥ Ring mail ☥ Scale armour ☥ Chain armour ☥ Bone armor ☥ Plate armour ☥ Blackrock armor
Enhanced Armour	Magic armour ☥ Anachronistic armour ☥ Exotic Armour ☥ Mystic Armour ☥ Leather Vest of Flameproof ☥ Artifact armor
Other Armour	Armour in Martian Dreams ☥ Primitive armour ☥ Antique armour ☥ Armour of Beauty ☥ Winter gear ☥ Wyrmguard armor ☥ Pirate outfit ☥ Avatar armor
Head Protection	Helmets ☥ Viking helm ☥ Spiked helm ☥ Helm of Courage ☥ Caddellite helm ☥ Cap of Missile Protection ☥ Cowl of Valor ☥ Helm of Light ☥ Living toupee
Shields	Shields ☥ Shield of Monitor ☥ Shield of Valor ☥ Magic shield ☥ Jeweled shield ☥ Dupre's shield ☥ Mage shield ☥ Kiran shield ☥ Serpent Isle shields
Legs and Arms Protection	Swamp boots ☥ Boots of Bouncing ☥ Dragonskin boots ☥ Leather Leggings of Stealth ☥ Greaves ☥ Stocking ☥ Gauntlets of Missile Protection ☥ Gauntlets of Quickness
Other Items	Kidney belt ☥ Loriel's Gift ☥ Spiked collar ☥ Serpent artifacts ☥ Ring of Protection