Medieval weapon and armor comparison

For this article on comparing medieval weapons and armor for a new RPG combat system I ran some tests on the new combat mechanics and here are the results.  The table below shows each weapon going up against a type of armor.  The each armor has a value below and a value to the right.  For example padding or quilt has its name followed by (1d4*1+0) that is its defense roll.  Next to it is the value 15.  Which are the armors hit points so to speak.  When they reach cero the armor is rendered useless.  The values when battle axe and padding meet are -14 and 3.  Those values represent the amount of rounds needed to reduce the armor to nothing ( on the hp column : 3) and the damage inflicted to the character in the process ( on the armor's column : -14 ).  These values represent the average combat rounds and damage delivered to the character by averaging 10000 (ten thousand) encounters.  Hidden from view is also the armor's rating.  A value that has to be overcome by the die rolls to damage the character.  This info was omitted from the table for clarity.

The purpose of this table is to compare "tech levels" for weapons and armor.  Obviously flint weapons should be effective against padding or soft leather (think mesoamerican cultures).  So primitive stone weapons should become less effective to harder iron age armors.

Note: there is a limit to the rounds that are run.  The value is 100.  Meaning an armor that has 100 under it's hp value was not worn out during the tests.

Now lets study the table better and see if it makes sense.  The idea being that we slowly balance the weapons out to make sense under the premise that mankind invents a weapon from a bone (Space Odyssey theme playing in background) and then mankind invents something to counter it.  Then stone weapons then leather armor, then bronce weapons, then bronce armor, etc.

For example a flint dagger has (-10, 7).  It took the weapon 7 rounds to wear the armor out and in doing so it delivered 10 hp of damage, 1.4 per round on the average.  Given that the flint dagger does 1d6 and would on the average do 3.5 hp per hit the armor does provide a good protection to the character.  Soft leather is quite an improvement over padding.  For example the same dagger takes 22 rounds to wear the armor out and allows only 16 hit points.  That's .72 hp per round.  Since there is no damage less than cero we interpret this as the leather's armor better stopping power.  The padding has an AR (armor rating) of 2 and the leather of 3.  Any damage above 2 penetrates the armor and is delivered to the character (prior subtraction of the AR to the damage, 4 points against padding become 2 to the character or 1 if he or she is using leather).  This slightly better AR and the significantly better die roll 1d6 for leather vs 1d4 for padding give the character this added protection.

How much better?  Well look at it this way.  The dagger does 3.5 hp on the average.  In 22 rounds that comes out to 77 hp of average damage generated.  Now the armor took 40 (that's its hp capacity before being worn out) and let through 16.  That's a total of 56 hp.  The 21 point difference between the 77 generated and the 56 absorbed is the armors effectiveness.  Those 21 hp were "dissipated" by the armor with no damage to the armor or the character.  Studded leather being harder still, takes even more damage to defeat.  It took 49 rounds to wear out its 60 hp and let through only 26 to the character.  That's 172 hp that were developed by the weapon, but only 86 caused damage ( 60 to the armor and 26 to the character ).  That's quite an improvement.  Leather had a 27% efficiency ( 21 / 77 ) vs studded leather's 50% ( 86 / 172 ).  PS, I'm making a mental note to do a table with all these values for the next post.

Well that's enough chit chat for now.  I leave you with the table.

		Padding or quilt(1d4*1+0)	15	Soft leather(1d6*1+0)	40	Studded leather(2d6*1+0)	60	Chain mail(2d8*1+0)	120	Scale mail(4d6*1+0)	120	Plate mail(3d8*1+0)	120	Plate(3d8*1+1)	150
Battle Axe	2d6*1+0	-14	3	-23	8	-35	18	-45	53	-50	68	-41	91	-14	100
Throwing Axe (flint)	1d4*1+1	-9	7	-12	26	-20	69	-6	100	-5	100	-3	100	0	100
Throwing Axe (iron)	1d6*1+1	-11	5	-19	14	-31	26	-39	86	-46	66	-31	99	-10	100
Short Spear	1d6*1+1	-11	5	-19	14	-31	26	-39	86	-46	66	-31	99	-10	100
Long Spear	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-50	68	-53	52	-50	88	-23	100
Short Sword	1d6*1+1	-11	5	-19	14	-31	26	-39	86	-46	66	-31	99	-10	100
Dagger (flint)	1d6*1+0	-10	7	-16	22	-26	49	-17	100	-19	100	-10	100	-2	100
Dagger (iron small)	2d4*1+0	-10	5	-13	14	-18	51	-12	100	-3	100	-3	100	-1	100
Dagger (steel)	2d4*1+1	-13	3	-20	9	-29	21	-33	60	-30	97	-23	99	-5	100
Dagger (hunting)	1d6*1+1	-11	5	-19	14	-31	26	-39	86	-46	66	-31	99	-10	100
Sword	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-49	69	-53	52	-50	88	-23	100
Arrow (flint)	1d6*1+0	-10	7	-16	22	-26	49	-17	100	-19	100	-10	100	-2	100
Arrow (iron)	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-50	69	-53	52	-50	88	-23	100
Arrow (iron) + composite bow	1d8*1+1	-13	4	-24	10	-37	16	-57	42	-58	35	-61	51	-53	92
Bastard Sword	2d8*1+0	-16	2	-30	6	-44	10	-67	26	-70	23	-67	36	-64	71
Long Sword	1d8*2+1	-17	2	-34	5	-49	7	-85	14	-84	14	-86	15	-96	20
Ball and Chain	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-49	69	-53	52	-50	88	-23	100
Mace and Chai	2d6*1+0	-14	3	-23	8	-35	18	-45	53	-50	68	-41	91	-14	100
Nunchaku	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-50	69	-53	52	-50	88	-23	100
Mace	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-49	69	-53	52	-50	88	-24	100
Morning Star	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-49	69	-53	52	-50	88	-23	100
War Hammer	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-50	68	-53	52	-50	88	-24	100
Short Staff	1d6*1+0	-10	7	-16	22	-26	49	-17	100	-19	100	-10	100	-2	100
Long Staff	1d8*1+0	-12	5	-22	13	-34	22	-50	69	-53	52	-50	88	-23	100
Iron Staff	1d8*2+1	-18	2	-34	5	-49	7	-85	15	-84	14	-86	15	-96	20
.22 pistol	2d4*1+0	-10	5	-13	14	-18	51	-11	100	-3	100	-3	100	0	100
Revolver .38	2d6*1+0	-14	3	-23	8	-35	18	-45	53	-50	68	-41	91	-14	100
Revolver .38 Super	2d6*1+1	-16	2	-29	6	-42	10	-59	30	-65	28	-59	47	-47	92
Revolver .357	2d6*2+1	-20	1	-40	3	-56	5	-96	9	-96	9	-96	10	-108	13
Pistol 7.65 mm	2d6*1+0	-14	3	-24	8	-35	18	-45	53	-50	68	-41	90	-14	100
Pistol 9 mm	2d6*1+0	-14	3	-24	8	-35	18	-45	53	-50	68	-41	91	-14	100
Pistol .45	2d6*2+1	-20	1	-40	3	-56	5	-96	9	-96	9	-96	10	-108	13
SubMG – 7.65	2d6*1+0	-14	3	-24	8	-35	18	-45	53	-50	68	-41	90	-14	100
SubMG – .45	2d6*1+1	-16	2	-29	6	-42	10	-59	30	-65	28	-59	47	-46	92
SubMG – 9 mm	2d6*1+0	-14	3	-24	8	-35	18	-45	53	-50	68	-41	91	-14	100
Rifle 30-06	2d8*2+1	-22	1	-44	3	-61	4	-105	7	-105	7	-105	7	-121	9
.223 M16 round	2d8*2+1	-22	1	-44	3	-61	4	-105	7	-105	7	-105	7	-121	9
AK-47 7.62 mm	2d8*2+1	-22	1	-44	3	-61	4	-105	7	-105	7	-105	7	-121	9
sniper round	2d10*1+0	-18	2	-34	4	-49	7	-81	16	-81	15	-81	18	-87	30
50 cal	2d12*1+0	-19	2	-37	4	-53	6	-89	12	-89	12	-90	13	-99	19
Shotgun	3d8*1+0	-20	2	-37	4	-52	6	-81	13	-85	14	-80	19	-79	35