Scale mail: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 04:14, 9 March 2026

Version 0.34: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

Name	Scale Mail
Size to wear	Small, Medium
Armour Class	6
Encumbrance rating	10
Maximum Enchantment	+6
Grants	nothing
Time to Wear	5

A leather suit covered with metal plates attached to each other in overlapping rows to provide full protection, but at the cost of reduced freedom of movement.

Scale mail is a medium body armour, providing moderate physical defense coupled with a significant encumbrance rating. Fighters start with this armour, assuming their species can wear it.

Desirability

Scale mail is a medium-weight armour, offering moderate defense, but at a significant cost to evasion and spellcasting success. Early on, high-strength characters will prefer this over any lighter armour. Otherwise, its stats are not impressive: high strength melee characters will prefer heavier, while Dodging and casting characters typically prefer lighter.

Scale mail is unique as it is the lightest armour that can receive the archery, command, death, and resonance egos. Therefore, users of Ranged Weapons, Summonings, Necromancy, and Forgecraft, may prefer this armour if the appropriate ego is found. Other characters can benefit from a particularly well-enchanted set or a randart scale mail, too.

A plain +0 scale mail is completely outclassed by acid dragon scales and swamp dragon scales.

	Image
Mundane
Magical
Artefact
	Unrandart scale mail
Justicar's regalia
Kryia's mail coat

History

Prior to 0.16, scale mail had an encumbrance rating of 11.

Armour
Body Armour	Leather armour • Ring mail • Scale mail • Chain mail • Plate armour • Crystal plate armour Robe • Animal skin • Troll leather armour • Steam dragon scales • Acid dragon scales • Swamp dragon scales • Quicksilver dragon scales • Fire dragon scales • Ice dragon scales Pearl dragon scales • Shadow dragon scales • Storm dragon scales • Golden dragon scales
Miscellaneous	Hat • Helmet • Cloak • Scarf • Gloves • Boots • Barding
Shields	Buckler • Kite shield • Tower shield • Orb

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{version034}}
 {{armour
   |name = Scale Mail
@@ Line 5: / Line 6: @@
   |AC = 6
   |SV = n/a
-  |EV = -3
+  |EV = 10
   |maxenc = +6
   |skill = Armour
   |size = Small, Medium
- |acquirement = ?
- |weartime = 7
   |GDR = 28%
 }}
+{{flavour|A leather suit covered with metal plates attached to each other in overlapping rows to provide full protection, but at the cost of reduced freedom of movement.}}
-{{flavour|A leather suit covered in little metal plates.}}
+'''Scale mail''' is a medium [[body armour]], providing moderate physical defense coupled with a significant [[encumbrance rating]]. [[Fighter]]s start with this armour, assuming their species can wear it.
-'''Scale mail''' is a mediocre form of body [[armour]], providing so-so physical defense coupled with a significant [[EV]] penalty. Most physical fighters will prefer armour with better [[GDR]] or less [[Dodging]] penalty, while casters usually can't afford the spellcasting penalty. Unless you find a very nice [[randart]] scale mail, you can probably do better.
+==Desirability==
+Scale mail is a medium-weight armour, offering moderate defense, but at a significant cost to evasion and spellcasting success. Early on, high-[[strength]] characters will prefer this over any lighter armour. Otherwise, its stats are not impressive: high strength melee characters will prefer heavier, while [[Dodging]] and casting characters typically prefer lighter.
+Scale mail is unique as it is the lightest armour that can receive the [[archery]], [[command]], [[death (ego)|death]], and [[resonance]] [[ego]]s. Therefore, users of [[Ranged Weapons]], [[Summonings]], [[Necromancy]], and [[Forgecraft]], may prefer this armour if the appropriate ego is found. Other characters can benefit from a particularly well-enchanted set or a [[randart]] scale mail, too.
+A plain +0 scale mail is completely outclassed by [[acid dragon scales]] and [[swamp dragon scales]].
 {| class="prettytable" style="border:none; margin:auto; padding:0; text-align: center"
-! || Common || Elven
+! || Image
+|-
+| '''Mundane''' || [[File:Scale mail1.png]]
 |-
-| '''Mundane''' || [[File:Scale mail 1.png]] || [[File:Elven scale mail 1.png]]
+| '''Magical''' || [[File:Scale mail2.png]]
 |-
-| '''Magical/Artifact''' || [[File:Scale mail 2.png]] || [[File:Elven scale mail 2.png]]
+| '''Artefact''' || [[File:Scale mail3.png]]
+|-
+! || [[Unrandart]] scale mail
+|-
+| '''[[Justicar's regalia]]''' || [[File:Urand_justicars_regalia.png]]
+|-
+| '''[[Kryia's mail coat]]''' || [[File:Kryia's mail coat.png]]
 |}
-<!--- This is here to keep the category line from running into the sidebar. -->
+==History==
-<br><br><br><br><br><br>
+*Prior to [[0.16]], scale mail had an encumbrance rating of 11.
+{{armours}}
 [[Category:Body armour]]