Scale armour

Scale armour Male - Female

Scale armour is a armour which is made by interlinking a series of small metal scales together in an overlapping fashion over a leather gamebson, such as that they resemble the scales of a reptile. Such armour appears in Ultima V, Ultima VI, Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two.

Description

Scale armour was never amongst the most popular forms of equipment in Britannia, and generally only scale haubereons were available, commercially with additional bodily protection having to be afforded by other types of raiment. On average, scale armour protected the body about as effectively as chain, despite being somewhat heavier.

Protective Value

In Ultima V scale armour has a defensive rating of 4.

In Ultima VI scale armour has a defensive rating of 4.

Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two

In Ultima VII (BG) and Serpent Isle (SI), a complete set of scale 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)
	Helm	3	2	5
	Chest	2	2	-8
	Legs	2

Lore

“	Fashioned from four to six inch square overlapping plates attached to cloth or leather gambeson, scale armour looks like its name-sake; fish scales. Although scale is often somewhat noisy, it offers good protection. – 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)

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