Scale armour

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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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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:[1]

Icon Piece Defense (BG) Defense (SI) Warmth (SI)
CrestedHelmU7.png
Helm 3 2 5
ScaleArmourU7.jpg
Chest 2 2 -8
GreavesU7.png
Legs 2

Lore[edit]

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.
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.
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.
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!


See Also[edit]

References[edit]


Armour
Basic Armour Cloth armourLeather armourRing mailScale armourChain armour
Bone armorPlate armourBlackrock armor
Enhanced Armour Magic armourAnachronistic armourExotic ArmourMystic Armour
Leather Vest of FlameproofArtifact armor
Other Armour Armour in Martian DreamsPrimitive armourAntique armourArmour of Beauty
Winter gearWyrmguard armorPirate outfitAvatar armor
Head Protection HelmetsViking helmSpiked helmHelm of CourageCaddellite helm
Cap of Missile ProtectionCowl of ValorHelm of LightLiving toupee
Shields ShieldsShield of MonitorShield of ValorMagic shieldJeweled shield
Dupre's shieldMage shieldKiran shieldSerpent Isle shields
Legs and Arms Protection Swamp bootsBoots of BouncingDragonskin bootsLeather Leggings of Stealth
GreavesStockingGauntlets of Missile ProtectionGauntlets of Quickness
Other Items Kidney beltLoriel's GiftSpiked collarSerpent artifactsRing of Protection