Noise rating for armor

[LadyWYT]

As the title implies, I think it could be interesting to add some sort of noise rating to the various armor types, in order to add a bit more nuance to combat and what gear one might choose for certain tasks. Going unarmored would hold no penalty, of course, unless one is wearing something particularly noisy like a jingly belt or blingy headscarf, and allow the player to sneak around with ease. Wearing light armors like leather or gambeson would provide some protection, at the cost of sacrificing a bit of stealthiness. Lamellar and brigandine would be the middle ground between light and heavy armors. Plate would be the armor with the highest penalty to stealth, making one easily noticed by enemies and thus a bigger target, in return for much more protection.

As for what it adds to combat--it allows players to specialize a bit more in multiplayer scenarios, as well as have some better options to potentially avoid combat in singleplayer. Going unarmored might be risky, but it could help you avoid dangerous wildlife when out hunting or exploring(especially in the early game!), as well as let you sneak past/hide from monsters. In a multiplayer setting, you could simply have the warriors don the heaviest armor so they're not only well-protected, but the most attractive target for the enemies to attack. That leaves the squishier players better opportunities to focus on dealing damage, solving puzzles, or looting things.

I would also note that having a noise rating for armor helps further discourage players from constantly wearing it. While it's a good idea to wear something very protective when going exploring, you might want to opt for something lighter instead(or go unarmored) if you wish to do any kind of hunting or otherwise attract less unwanted attention.

[Nagahiro]

sneak mechanics would be interesting. I'd imagine bells are blind, and making any sounds or vibrations would trigger their alarm. I'm not sure about drifters tho, but maybe they're partially blind, like, either low light vision or tunnel vision, possibly.

[LadyWYT]

1 hour ago, Nagahiro said:

I'd imagine bells are blind

So one would think, but according to the wiki they're apparently attracted to bright light. Now I don't think they can "see" like more normal creatures can, but they probably do have some sort of sensory equipment given that one of their original functions was to help rescue trapped workers.

[Nagahiro]

because they're bells, I imagine sound would resonate through their hollow body which allows them to sort of "echolocate". maybe they do have vision, but something similar to primitive organisms, such that they can "sense light", they can distinguish between brightness and darkness. good to know tho, I haven't actually read much of the lore in-game

Edited March 9, 2025 by Nagahiro
typo