Donning and Removing Armors
Home-brew Rule
There are times when it is important to know how quickly a character can get into or out of his armor. Accidents and unforeseen events happen all the time. The party is attacked at night. Those sleeping around the campfire may want to don their armor before rushing into battle. A character slips and falls into the river where his heavy armor pulls him down like a stone. He greatly desires to get it off before he drowns. Just how long does it take him?
Normal Donning
The time required to don armor depends on its make. Single-piece armors; leather tunics, robes, chainmail takes one minute (two for metal types) to don with slight assistance. Without aid, the time is doubled.
Armor that is made of separate pieces; Plate, Splint, Scale, requires ld6+4 minutes, again with assistance. Without help, the time required is tripled. In all cases, the times given assume that the proper undergarments and padding are also worn.
Hasty Donning
Sometimes characters need to get into armor in a hurry and thus they dress hastily. This assumes that some buckles aren't fastened, seats adjusted, etc. Single suits can be hastily donned in one minute at the cost of 1 worse AC (though never worse than 8). Thus, a fighter could hastily pull on his brigandine jack (AC 6) and charge into a fray with an AC of 7.
Hastily donning piece armor (plate mail for example) improves the character's AC by 1 (from a base of 10) for every minute spent dressing. A fighter could choose to spend three minutes fitting on parts of his plate mail, giving him an AC of 7, before going into battle.
Removing Armor
Removing armor is a much quicker matter. Most can be shed in a single minute.
Piece armor requires ld4+1 minutes. However, if the character is willing to cut straps and bend pins, such armors can be removed in half the time (roll ld4+1, divide by 2, then round fractions up).
NOTE: 1 minute is 10 rounds
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