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The suggestion I'm making is for a single line option to add race descriptor into the item description upon creation, with the note that UMD is not an acceptable means for wearing the armor. No new templates for each race, nothing any different in any regard save for the line detailing race in the description and explanation that wearing it by separate races is a violation. It would take mostly an honor system by the players, but if that's what's desired, I think the descriptor is the easiest, least cumbersome or time consuming way to do it.
Personally, I always customize the template myself for any armor ordered, to replicate the sizing. Then seek out smiths willing to accommodate such an order.
Do you guys really think that the turnover on steel armor is high enough to need this? It seems to me like low level characters save forever to get their steel plate, and then they sit on it forever (sometimes real life years) before they get high enough level to find better stuff. Is there really that much passing around? Are there smiths out there that stockpile steel plate and hand it out to whoever they run into?
Any time that I've seen a character get steel gear, it has been rp'ed out as a custom order, and it has taken some serious time in game. In fact when my friend who played Gigmos ordered his steel gear, it took him over a real life week to receive it. (maybe that's an outlier though?) I have never seen anyone give a hand-me down steel anything in game, much less something like a human handing over their old steel armor to a halfling. If it's purely on the other end of the coin, where you don't want merchants "stockpiling" armor, then don't sell it to them? It's your choice if you want to do that. Better yet, instead of being oocly upset about it, explain to them -ICly- why you can't/won't do that. Am I just blind, or is this a non-issue?
I feel like there is a real undercurrent here of, "You're role playing wrong if you don't want to focus on the minutiae of armor rp."
Edit:
A smith or merchant shouldn't be ask. Are you carrying plate?
Why not? Just because I take the heavy armor feat on one of my characters doesn't instantly confer any ooc knowledge about the processes involved in the creation or maintenance of heavy armor. If it did, then that feat would give me a bonus to smithing/crafting. That's as if you expect that anyone who goes to buy a TV suddenly becomes an expert on them. That's not true even in the age we live in, where you could type in a few things and be instantly directed to a page detailing all the specifics of TV's.
The -only- thing the heavy armor feat means is that I understand how to fight while wearing it. This is even more true if you jump back into a medieval-ish setting where you get guilds and talented craftsmen becomes secretive about their processes.