LBP or Full Leather?

[audioserf]

I need to make a decision on armor. I'm level 43 with 6 ranks of armor use and climbing, with the plan being 27 ranks by my late 60's to wear LBP.

The question: is LBP worth the points and the spell failure? I've had no problems yet in plain 4x fulls, and I love never failing a spell. The more I think about it, by the time I'm trained for LBP, getting hit = dead/stunned in fulls OR LBP. If that's true, then it wouldn't make sense to pay all of these TPs and eat spell hinderance just for an improved damage factor that probably won't save my ass in the first place.

Thoughts? Because I could do a lot with those TPs. Namely, get my ass some Survival/FA and start doing skin/forage bounties. I'm leaning strongly toward staying in fulls, and it'll take some doing to convince me otherwise, at this point.

[AnticorRifling]

I used LBP and swore by it. You'd be surprised how often being hit != stunned/dead with padding and just a bit more mitigation. But it's your character there's no wrong way to do it you can get to 100 in robes if you wanted.

[audioserf]

The tough part is finding padded LBP. Even if I had the money for it I don't think I've ever seen any for sale. Shit I've never seen plain 4x for sale. The good thing about modern GS is that I can try it out and if I don't like the protection, Fixskills ahoy...

[AnticorRifling]

You probably won't see them just up for sale since the market isn't huge for LBP. But I'm guessing if you ask around you'll find sets that aren't being used. Hell you could start now and enchant up a set so when you're ready to wear it you've got it to try.

[audioserf]

Yeah once I learn 925 I'll get on that. 919 is next level... w00t.

[Celephais]

Anticor is talking from the perspective of a war wizard... which you didn't mention being, so I'm going to assume you're not.

I'm going to vote the other way, until you actually do find some nice padded LBPs, it's not worth it. You should be able to keep your defenses at a point where you're not being hit, and your only fear is a maneuver. With zero hindrance you can rely on your spells, and I anecdotally think that as a 'pure' casting wizard I survived more because of no failures than LBP would have saved me.

[Syberus]

I'm speaking from the stance of a Sorcerer so it's a little different because we have better hindrance rates on LBP, but I'm very much in favor of it as well. I do however have a padded set, and will agree that you don't see them too often. I hunt with a Sorcerer that wears 4x fulls and they're very squishy to me.

[AnticorRifling]

Anticor is talking from the perspective of a war wizard... which you didn't mention being, so I'm going to assume you're not.

I'm going to vote the other way, until you actually do find some nice padded LBPs, it's not worth it. You should be able to keep your defenses at a point where you're not being hit, and your only fear is a maneuver. With zero hindrance you can rely on your spells, and I anecdotally think that as a 'pure' casting wizard I survived more because of no failures than LBP would have saved me.

Audio is a war mage.

[Daragon]

Well, coming from a 'pure' mage perspective I would say Full Leathers. The hindrance isn't worth it to me. On top of that it is easier to find full leathers of higher enchants and padding. But ultimately it is up to you. I never had a problem with wearing Full leathers. And hell technically you could hunt naked and still make it up to 100. Used to not be that way in GS3 but GS4 makes it possible.

[Celephais]

Audio is a war mage.

Well... that was stupid of him not to say so. As a war mage I agree that you should be wearing as heavy of armor as you can manage. A pure can't afford the hindrance nearly as much.

[audioserf]

Yeah I forgot to say I was a warmage, my bad. I thought the people who would respond to this would know that from my other thread. :)

Thanks for the input everyone.

[phantasm]

In my experience LBP is best for both variety of wizards.

The hindrance difference from double to lbp is not even noticeable.

For a warmage LBP is obviously the answer.

For a puremage its not as obvious. There are actually some pure wizards running around in robes, making great copy-pastes of them getting crit killed.

[Daragon]

In my experience LBP is best for both variety of wizards.

The hindrance difference from double to lbp is not even noticeable.

For a warmage LBP is obviously the answer.

For a puremage its not as obvious. There are actually some pure wizards running around in robes, making great copy-pastes of them getting crit killed.

Robes, IMO sucks, I still prefer Full leather as it is better protection then robes, and does not have the hindrance that higher levels of armor have. Plus I do not have to waste more much needed TP's on Armor use that you need to train in those higher level armors. But again I am coming from a pure perspective.

[Fallen]

LBP is the way to go for wizards who don't want to be the equivalent of walking wet paper bags. If you mean to hunt in an area where you will have a greater than 1% chance of being hit, such as OTF, you will need it. The added CvA will be useful against warding spiritual based spells, as wizards can still be creamed by like level casters. You will also get the scale crit divisor, which is significant.

As for what particular armor to look for, I would suggest a set of the Kiramon shell LBP that went out at EG a few years ago. It can have multiple damage resistances, and no weaknesses if you find a set that was worked on, and can still be enchanted. You can then add damage padding from the adventurer's guild, which will stack with damage resistance from 520. Top it off with ranger resistance, and eventually have it HCP'd with PP's and you're good to go.