Elven Chain

[Marriat the Ranger]

It's always been difficult to quantify or understand how common or uncommon this armor should be among NPC elves ... such as a war band of high elves traveling through the forest? On one hand you could say all wear normal chain, but only the highest ranking leader has elfin chain .... I never found that a comfortable thing to reason out.

[Marriat the Ranger]

I think elfin mail is a combination of Tolkien and a post-hoc explanation for why elves in the MM are listed with AC5 and a 12" move (for which, incidentally, I prefer (and use in my OD&D games) the alternate explanation that elves have a base unencumbered move of 15").

Isn't this sort of chain very expensive/next to impossible to buy? If all the elves you run into from the MM are in elfin chain I'd form hunting expeditions to bag elves for that alone. I mean, given the rarity of this armor I'd have to assume its just an assumed lower AC do to a tendency to have a naturally higher dex, plus secret elf knowledge. Perhaps some of the Gygax modules with elf random encounters might mention if they are wearing elf chain or not.

This has always been my dilemma too! As per my previous post.

IMO reality would say many of those elves, in time of war, would don their elfin chain coats ... but on the practical side you don't want your PCs out trying to hunt elves or ironically teaming up with a couple elves to attack a Giant or something (".. oh hey gee this 1HD elf is dead, ummm I'm going to loot his armor after all he doesn't need it anymore")

[darnizhaan]

"It's always been difficult to quantify or understand how common or uncommon this armor should be among NPC elves ... such as a war band of high elves traveling through the forest? On one hand you could say all wear normal chain, but only the highest ranking leader has elfin chain .... I never found that a comfortable thing to reason out."

MM p 39 "They are usually in scale, ring, or chain mail, and most carry shields"

If you don't like mixing elfin and normal chain, just give them scale and ring mail and reserve the elfin chain for hero types. Alternately, reserve it for gray elves.

[achijusan]

or.. assuming that the elves have had thousands of years to make thousands of sets of elven chain.... you could have all elves that are higher than 1st level wear it.

Not necessarily personally owned; perhaps issued by the state (or king, queeen, what have you).

It isnt really all that great anyway. (only AC 5 after all)