Paper armor question

[RavenStarver]

Dumb question.
In the Diabolist class it talks about the futility of making indestructible paper armor. But someone brought up an idea, I'm thinking no but was wondering if this has come up among other people's groups.
Could you make paper mache, and then put the silver runes on it making it invincible?

[The Dark Elf]

I would rule no.

Im all for thinking outside the box, but I also think that some things are obvious what the intentions of the writer where (unlike that sentences grammar)...

[Library Ogre]

I would rule no, as well, though I think there are a number of ways that parchment armor could be made useful... it would make a good anti-arrow vest, for example.

[RavenStarver]

Ooooo! What if you made Asian paper walls?

[drewkitty ~..~]

I think this subject of making "silver rune'd Parchment Armor" comes up here in the boards every year. And the work arounds are all shot down each time.

1st thing Parchment is not paper. If you don't believe me google it.
Even so we know what you meant.

@Mark: my thought about something to block arrows ....that was not 'armor' was to make a shield out of the stuff.
------
Outside of armor I could see an enterprising rune mage turned artisan making laminated bows out of the parchment, or covering staves with the stuff to keep them safe from normal wear and tare. And maybe in the soles of footgear as puncture protection.

[RavenStarver]

Alright, some ideas coming in.
Mark I like the idea of a "arrow-proof vest". I can totally see some nobles having their doublets lined with strips of this paper to get that "1/2 damage" against pointy things.
Drew, I do know the difference between paper and parchment, I however find that kind of silly that the book gets THAT specific about what it can be used on.
Lining shoes with this is a clever idea

[Zer0 Kay]

Silk is better protection against arrows than paper. Lighter and less susceptible to the elements. As far as parchment, seeing as how it is stretched and brushed animal skin, it'd provide less armor than a cured leather shield. I guess making it indestructible with a rune would make it just as indestructible as a leather rune shield but far lighter.

What are the arguments against paper armor that are alluded to but never stated here? At no point does it say the silver runes must be applied with molten silver. And IIRC there are times made indestructible by said method molten silver would destroy parchment just as easily as paper.

[kiralon]

why would you bother when you can get an Iron hide ring of AR: 16

[Library Ogre]

Silk is better protection against arrows than paper. Lighter and less susceptible to the elements. As far as parchment, seeing as how it is stretched and brushed animal skin, it'd provide less armor than a cured leather shield. I guess making it indestructible with a rune would make it just as indestructible as a leather rune shield but far lighter.

What are the arguments against paper armor that are alluded to but never stated here? At no point does it say the silver runes must be applied with molten silver. And IIRC there are times made indestructible by said method molten silver would destroy parchment just as easily as paper.

I believe he was referring to indestructible parchment armor.

[RavenStarver]

Silk is better protection against arrows than paper. Lighter and less susceptible to the elements. As far as parchment, seeing as how it is stretched and brushed animal skin, it'd provide less armor than a cured leather shield. I guess making it indestructible with a rune would make it just as indestructible as a leather rune shield but far lighter.

What are the arguments against paper armor that are alluded to but never stated here? At no point does it say the silver runes must be applied with molten silver. And IIRC there are times made indestructible by said method molten silver would destroy parchment just as easily as paper.

I believe he was referring to indestructible parchment armor.

Yes, as described on pages 118-119 of my book, under the Diabolist class

[Riftmaker]

Dumb question.
In the Diabolist class it talks about the futility of making indestructible paper armor. But someone brought up an idea, I'm thinking no but was wondering if this has come up among other people's groups.
Could you make paper mache, and then put the silver runes on it making it invincible?

Yes its come up and I say NO every time. No invulnerable armor.

[Library Ogre]

It all comes down to how you want the armor to work. Armor does two principal things... it interposes bulk between the weapon and the flesh, and it speads out any impact over a bigger area.

Now, the parchment won't interpose bulk... it's essentially paper. However, it will spread the impact of certain weapons over a greater area... namely, it will protect you from arrows, a bit. Like getting shot with a gun while wearing kevlar, it will still hurt like a *****, but it will be better than bleeding.

[glitterboy2098]

Ooooo! What if you made Asian paper walls?

actually, while Shoji panels might actually make a good use of Invulnerable Parchment, currently there is minimal asian cultural elements in the PFRPG setting so the big hurdle there would probably having someone come up with the idea of a wood frame to which parchment is glued, for use as a structural or decorative feature.

sadly there is not much of a european or near eastern culture equivalent.

[Library Ogre]

I'd say that, in terms of climate, you might find such ideas in the Land of the South Winds. But it runs into the problem of, while the parchment is invulnerable, what it's attached to is not, and how it's attached to it is not.

[RavenStarver]

I'd say that, in terms of climate, you might find such ideas in the Land of the South Winds. But it runs into the problem of, while the parchment is invulnerable, what it's attached to is not, and how it's attached to it is not.

Certainly, but it would stop someone from shooting arrows through your house or leaping through. Seems like something some nobles may use for design, like, Western Empire noble summer homes.

[Zer0 Kay]

It all comes down to how you want the armor to work. Armor does two principal things... it interposes bulk between the weapon and the flesh, and it speads out any impact over a bigger area.

Now, the parchment won't interpose bulk... it's essentially paper. However, it will spread the impact of certain weapons over a greater area... namely, it will protect you from arrows, a bit. Like getting shot with a gun while wearing kevlar, it will still hurt like a *****, but it will be better than bleeding.

May work like the silk armor of the Mongols too. The force of the arrow would still pierce but because the arrow was bound up in the silk it stops broad and barbed heads from causing the greater damage when extracted. It wouldn't work on anything that didn't have some sort of head to get bound up like bullets, most bolts and thrown knives.

[Zer0 Kay]

Wood frame, parchment nailed to frame with nails that have a silver rune on the head, silver runes applied after fabrication to frame and parchment.

[Library Ogre]

Again, Zero, the wood splinters under impact like any other wood. It would be light and provide protection, but your point of failure is going to be the wood.

[Zer0 Kay]

Again, Zero, the wood splinters under impact like any other wood. It would be light and provide protection, but your point of failure is going to be the wood.

Um... Huh? The silver runes get applied to the parchment AND wood frame after assembly. Wait lemme check... Yup that's what I said

silver runes applied after fabrication to frame and parchment.

How is an indestructible frame going to splinter?

[Grug]

You can't apply a silver rune to anything other than parchment. So there's no way to make the wood indestructible. (At least not via a silver rune.)

It's at the point where i think the whole silver rune section needs to be rewritten...

[Library Ogre]

Again, Zero, the wood splinters under impact like any other wood. It would be light and provide protection, but your point of failure is going to be the wood.

Um... Huh? The silver runes get applied to the parchment AND wood frame after assembly. Wait lemme check... Yup that's what I said

silver runes applied after fabrication to frame and parchment.

How is an indestructible frame going to splinter?

Because applying a silver rune to make something invulnerable only works on parchment. It doesn't work on wood. That's why parchment armor is usually regarded as a bad idea... all you're left with is indestructible paper, that doesn't do much more than paper to absorb or dissipate a blow.

[eliakon]

Though in theory Alchemists (and possibly certain dwarves) know a procedure to make other indestructible objects. It might be possible to use the same procedure used to make indestructible weapons to make a mounting frame that is also indestructible.
The cost though is going to be staggering though. At a guess your looking at, more or less, modified staffs....and at 30,000 per piece your frame is going to get hideously expensive in a very, very fast way.
And you still need to have some sort of mounting system (maybe barbed staves, hole punched parchment, and teleport the parchment on the hooks?)

Oh yeah....and the other problem is the meta-game one. In game the knowledge that Rune Parchment is indestructible is not widely known. While every player of Palladium Fantasy knows it, out side of Diabolists the knowledge is supposed to be pretty rare....
Meaning that almost nobody knows enough about this to even bother to do the research into trying to develop the technology in the first place......) Which is also sort of mooted by the fact that for a tiny fraction of the cost you could just get a ward of permanence to anchor a Impenetrable Wall of Force which is also indestructible.....

[kiralon]

and your armour might get mistaken for proper rune armour (see keeping rune weapon discussion)

[Zer0 Kay]

Unlikely. Rune items are covered in runes and emanate strong magic. Indestructibility of an item is granted, iirc, from a single magically imbued silver rune applied to the material. Not that much in the way of a magical aura, amount of runes or possible possession of PPE, which, IIRC... again, a rune weapons can have.

[Zer0 Kay]

Again, Zero, the wood splinters under impact like any other wood. It would be light and provide protection, but your point of failure is going to be the wood.

Um... Huh? The silver runes get applied to the parchment AND wood frame after assembly. Wait lemme check... Yup that's what I said

silver runes applied after fabrication to frame and parchment.

How is an indestructible frame going to splinter?

Because applying a silver rune to make something invulnerable only works on parchment. It doesn't work on wood. That's why parchment armor is usually regarded as a bad idea... all you're left with is indestructible paper, that doesn't do much more than paper to absorb or dissipate a blow.

Ah, k. Well we do know that they can make wooden weapons indestructible as a magic power so have that added to the wood frame. Or use the indestructible parchment stretched over platemail that way we get the force dissipation and increase the improbability of the plate being pierced. Dented... not so much.

[Zer0 Kay]

Parchment being stretched skin... The silver rune should work on raw hide. Which can be dried into "poles" and then "etched". Maybe stretch wet rawhide over a steel rod and then dry it and etch it.

[Veknironth]

Well, let me throe some other problems with the rune parchment armor onto the pile. I wonder how you would construct the armor. It seems impossible to take one large piece of parchment and fold it into a suit of armor or article of clothing. So, you'd need to stitch it together before applying the runes. That would leave you with a bunch of individual parchments that need runes. Since the parchment is now invulnerable, there is some question as to whether it will stretch at all. So it might be difficult to wear. Regardless, the stitching is going to be a serious weak point. Any force applied to the "armor" will transfer to the stitching which will probably break pretty quickly. Once it breaks, there isn't much you can do with the resulting piece of parchment, except maybe try to restitch through the existing holes. Regardless, essentially one hit and the armor is useless. A possible work around is to have grommets with a stronger connector but that might require a ruling - does the inclusion of something inside the single sheet of parchment ruin the enchantment?

It also won't provide any protection against said hit. As Mark stated, the parchment armor won't transfer force away from the body. Wearing the parchment armor will offer as much protection from a mace as wrapping said mace with parchment. The same goes for arrows, stones, and any stabbing. It would help for cuts, but only once (see stitching problem). So, maybe half damage from the first cut.

The same puncture issue comes up with the soles in the shoes. If the person steps on a nail, the force will go up through the sole, into the parchement and be spread out to whatever is connecting the parchment to the shoe. If the connector is strong enough, you're safe. If not, you have a nail wrapped in parchment in your foot. It would help with removal and it would limit infection, though. It would also keep the wear and tear on the inside of the sole to a minimum.

If you throw in on front of a shield, it won't protect the shield much, but it will help remove arrows from the shield if you can pull the parchment tight.

As for parchment = rawhide, I say no. That's a slippery slope. You could argue that parchment is merely dead skin so you put a silver rune on a zombie and its skin can't be cut! Nope. Parchment isn't rawhide. If it were, it would be rawhide, not parchment.

-Vek
"Count on me to be negative."

[Hotrod]

How about a rune parchment kite?

[eliakon]

How about a rune parchment kite?

Sure, the sticks and string wont be indestructible, but the parchement? sure.

[eliakon]

Parchment being stretched skin... The silver rune should work on raw hide. Which can be dried into "poles" and then "etched". Maybe stretch wet rawhide over a steel rod and then dry it and etch it.

Nope. This is magic. It says "parchment" which means parchment. Thus to qualify you have to go through all the steps of the treatment to get the subject.

[kiralon]

One of the greatest discoveries has been that writing runes in pure
silver on parchment paper will make the runes and the parchment they
are written on completely indestructible!

Only works on parchment paper (which I believe in American terms is non-stick baking paper)
which hopefully won't burst into flames when you write on it with molten pure silver (how else would you get pure silver on paper)
and that would be the reason why it has to be non stick baking paper.

[ShadowLogan]

I wonder how you would construct the armor. It seems impossible to take one large piece of parchment and fold it into a suit of armor or article of clothing. So, you'd need to stitch it together before applying the runes.

I have been thinking about this recently. And I agree that you aren't going to get a full suit out of one piece of parchement paper, that said though there are potentially a few ways to handle this, which are not exclusive:
-Paper Straps & Rings. IINM nothing prevents the Silver Rune Paper Parchment (SRPP) from being subject to 'origami' to alter the shape in a non-destructive manner (fold, roll, twist). That means you can theoretically make over sized straps and strings that can be used to secure parts.
-Sectional Plate(s) only. Simply put you make the parchment paper panels for some areas of the armor to be indestructible and other not. This can avoid the noise issue as a result of the paper (unless additional runes are active to silence the suit). Still need a method to tie it down
-Instead of trying to use a single sheet to "wrap", maybe roll/fold up the SRPP sheet to increase its density so instead of hitting a single sheet, its more like you are hitting a phone book, even if it started out as just one page.

As Mark stated, the parchment armor won't transfer force away from the body. Wearing the parchment armor will offer as much protection from a mace as wrapping said mace with parchment. The same goes for arrows, stones, and any stabbing. It would help for cuts, but only once (see stitching problem). So, maybe half damage from the first cut.

It is historical fact that Paper Armor was used by the Chinese. Mythbusters did test Paper Armor and found w/ arrow/blades it was comparable to steel, at least with the design approach they used to create paper armor (off hand I don't recall how period accurate it was).

How about a rune parchment kite?

And you can even use it as a shield depending on the kite design, might have to make allowances for hand holds, but sure why not. The main weak points would be the non-SRPP, though you can probably make the SRPP into the frame (fold/roll it up), leaving the string as the true weakness that can't be covered unless you want something over-sized.

[Veknironth]

Well, I quite like the idea of folding, or even stacking the pages to make more thickness. I'd add that you could link the pieces together with other small pieces of parchment. I assume it's immune to sheer, compression, tension, and torsion. So, you could create a marshmallow suit, like wearing a phone book everywhere. It wouldn't work much for the joints, head (visor issues), or the hands, but it could offer protection to the chest, neck, arms, and legs. It would have to be fitted, of course, as you'd need to tie the parchment around the limbs to prevent it from flopping around.

I don't think it would make a good shield, though. The parchment would have to be REALLY stiff to hold up under its own weight when held vertically, much less absorb a blow.

-Vek
"Seems like we're lawyering this into plausibility."

[Library Ogre]

Basically, my position was that there were ways you could use invulnerable parchment in the armoring process, but the parchment by itself made poor armor. It would keep very pointy things from going into you, and there's a lot of ways it could be used to mitigate damage taken, but it wouldn't really stop you from being hurt by anything save the most minor of things. If attached to a shield, it would stop arrows from going in, but someone with an axe could still hit you hard enough that your shield splintered. It would be a novelty with some minor useful benefits, but probably more trouble than it is worth.

[glitterboy2098]

honestly, Historical Mulberry paper Armor, such as that used in China in 600 BCE, wpuld probably be a lot easier to make and use than any magical effort.. and probably would work just as well.

this was basically Scale armor, with the iron scales instead replaced by scales made from folded layers of paper encased in silk or similar tough fabric. these scales would then be sewed or glued to a leather or thick Cotton backing to create a protective garment.

while the paper would not last as long as a metal armor (damage would reduce its protective qualities faster, and the paper would be vulnerable to climate related damage more), when replica's of such armor was tested it protected nearly as well as the metal versions. (same AR, less SDC, effectively). all while being a bit lighter, but bulkier (the paper is not as heavy as the iron.. but the iron plates can be quite thin, while the paper was closer to half an inch to a full inch thick, depending on the paper and methods used)

[Library Ogre]

The Mulberry paper armor actually might be a good way of making the parchment armor... the mulberry paper inside of parchment pouches. You'd have to intermittently repair the closures of the pouches, but it would be better than many of the suggestions.

[Zer0 Kay]

Well, let me throe some other problems with the rune parchment armor onto the pile. I wonder how you would construct the armor. It seems impossible to take one large piece of parchment and fold it into a suit of armor or article of clothing. So, you'd need to stitch it together before applying the runes. That would leave you with a bunch of individual parchments that need runes. Since the parchment is now invulnerable, there is some question as to whether it will stretch at all. So it might be difficult to wear. Regardless, the stitching is going to be a serious weak point. Any force applied to the "armor" will transfer to the stitching which will probably break pretty quickly. Once it breaks, there isn't much you can do with the resulting piece of parchment, except maybe try to restitch through the existing holes. Regardless, essentially one hit and the armor is useless. A possible work around is to have grommets with a stronger connector but that might require a ruling - does the inclusion of something inside the single sheet of parchment ruin the enchantment?

It also won't provide any protection against said hit. As Mark stated, the parchment armor won't transfer force away from the body. Wearing the parchment armor will offer as much protection from a mace as wrapping said mace with parchment. The same goes for arrows, stones, and any stabbing. It would help for cuts, but only once (see stitching problem). So, maybe half damage from the first cut.

The same puncture issue comes up with the soles in the shoes. If the person steps on a nail, the force will go up through the sole, into the parchement and be spread out to whatever is connecting the parchment to the shoe. If the connector is strong enough, you're safe. If not, you have a nail wrapped in parchment in your foot. It would help with removal and it would limit infection, though. It would also keep the wear and tear on the inside of the sole to a minimum.

If you throw in on front of a shield, it won't protect the shield much, but it will help remove arrows from the shield if you can pull the parchment tight.

As for parchment = rawhide, I say no. That's a slippery slope. You could argue that parchment is merely dead skin so you put a silver rune on a zombie and its skin can't be cut! Nope. Parchment isn't rawhide. If it were, it would be rawhide, not parchment.

-Vek
"Count on me to be negative."

Uh... Why are you making such small parchment? Use a whole cowhide or bear skin. Why would every hit destroy the bindings? It doesn't with lorica segmentata or leather armor. How to fix small pieces... Each string is a piece of parchment with a piece at the end wide enough to put a rune on. If it can't bend or stretch as you suggest than it invalidates your argument that it wouldn't be good for anything but cutting. Because it is the rigidity that allows armor to dissipate the force. If it isn't stiff but won't stretch then it will work again arrows and bolts from penetrating with blunt trauma. This whole line of thought is pointless. Indestructible parchment provides as much blunt damage protection as chain mail and better protection against piercing attacks. As far as not being comfortable to wear because it doesn't stretch... Can you tell me which chain, plate or hard leather armor stretches?

[Zer0 Kay]

Well, I quite like the idea of folding, or even stacking the pages to make more thickness. I'd add that you could link the pieces together with other small pieces of parchment. I assume it's immune to sheer, compression, tension, and torsion. So, you could create a marshmallow suit, like wearing a phone book everywhere. It wouldn't work much for the joints, head (visor issues), or the hands, but it could offer protection to the chest, neck, arms, and legs. It would have to be fitted, of course, as you'd need to tie the parchment around the limbs to prevent it from flopping around.

I don't think it would make a good shield, though. The parchment would have to be REALLY stiff to hold up under its own weight when held vertically, much less absorb a blow.

-Vek
"Seems like we're lawyering this into plausibility."

Why not make a shield that is only a steel frame with the parchment held taut?

[Library Ogre]

Why not make a shield that is only a steel frame with the parchment held taut?

We call that a "drum".

[RavenStarver]

Why not make a shield that is only a steel frame with the parchment held taut?

We call that a "drum".

Dude. War bard. Use an enchanted drumstick as a mace

[Zer0 Kay]

Why not make a shield that is only a steel frame with the parchment held taut?

We call that a "drum".

A drum that can't be pierced and if it is held well, WILL spread the force over an area.

[Zer0 Kay]

Why not make a shield that is only a steel frame with the parchment held taut?

We call that a "drum".

Dude. War bard. Use an enchanted drumstick as a mace

Bah, could use an enchanted mace as a drumstick... It can take it.

[eliakon]

Well, let me throe some other problems with the rune parchment armor onto the pile. I wonder how you would construct the armor. It seems impossible to take one large piece of parchment and fold it into a suit of armor or article of clothing. So, you'd need to stitch it together before applying the runes. That would leave you with a bunch of individual parchments that need runes. Since the parchment is now invulnerable, there is some question as to whether it will stretch at all. So it might be difficult to wear. Regardless, the stitching is going to be a serious weak point. Any force applied to the "armor" will transfer to the stitching which will probably break pretty quickly. Once it breaks, there isn't much you can do with the resulting piece of parchment, except maybe try to restitch through the existing holes. Regardless, essentially one hit and the armor is useless. A possible work around is to have grommets with a stronger connector but that might require a ruling - does the inclusion of something inside the single sheet of parchment ruin the enchantment?

It also won't provide any protection against said hit. As Mark stated, the parchment armor won't transfer force away from the body. Wearing the parchment armor will offer as much protection from a mace as wrapping said mace with parchment. The same goes for arrows, stones, and any stabbing. It would help for cuts, but only once (see stitching problem). So, maybe half damage from the first cut.

The same puncture issue comes up with the soles in the shoes. If the person steps on a nail, the force will go up through the sole, into the parchement and be spread out to whatever is connecting the parchment to the shoe. If the connector is strong enough, you're safe. If not, you have a nail wrapped in parchment in your foot. It would help with removal and it would limit infection, though. It would also keep the wear and tear on the inside of the sole to a minimum.

If you throw in on front of a shield, it won't protect the shield much, but it will help remove arrows from the shield if you can pull the parchment tight.

As for parchment = rawhide, I say no. That's a slippery slope. You could argue that parchment is merely dead skin so you put a silver rune on a zombie and its skin can't be cut! Nope. Parchment isn't rawhide. If it were, it would be rawhide, not parchment.

-Vek
"Count on me to be negative."

Uh... Why are you making such small parchment? Use a whole cowhide or bear skin. Why would every hit destroy the bindings? It doesn't with lorica segmentata or leather armor. How to fix small pieces... Each string is a piece of parchment with a piece at the end wide enough to put a rune on. If it can't bend or stretch as you suggest than it invalidates your argument that it wouldn't be good for anything but cutting. Because it is the rigidity that allows armor to dissipate the force. If it isn't stiff but won't stretch then it will work again arrows and bolts from penetrating with blunt trauma. This whole line of thought is pointless. Indestructible parchment provides as much blunt damage protection as chain mail and better protection against piercing attacks. As far as not being comfortable to wear because it doesn't stretch... Can you tell me which chain, plate or hard leather armor stretches?

There is a question about rune size
Wards have to be one inch in diameter to work. While it makes sense that runes can be smaller I would suspect that there is minimum 'font size' at which it will still 'take'

[Zer0 Kay]

How about a rune parchment kite?

Sure, the sticks and string wont be indestructible, but the parchement? sure.

Yes they would, if they are enchanted with the same enchantment as magic weapons.

[Zer0 Kay]

Well, let me throe some other problems with the rune parchment armor onto the pile. I wonder how you would construct the armor. It seems impossible to take one large piece of parchment and fold it into a suit of armor or article of clothing. So, you'd need to stitch it together before applying the runes. That would leave you with a bunch of individual parchments that need runes. Since the parchment is now invulnerable, there is some question as to whether it will stretch at all. So it might be difficult to wear. Regardless, the stitching is going to be a serious weak point. Any force applied to the "armor" will transfer to the stitching which will probably break pretty quickly. Once it breaks, there isn't much you can do with the resulting piece of parchment, except maybe try to restitch through the existing holes. Regardless, essentially one hit and the armor is useless. A possible work around is to have grommets with a stronger connector but that might require a ruling - does the inclusion of something inside the single sheet of parchment ruin the enchantment?

It also won't provide any protection against said hit. As Mark stated, the parchment armor won't transfer force away from the body. Wearing the parchment armor will offer as much protection from a mace as wrapping said mace with parchment. The same goes for arrows, stones, and any stabbing. It would help for cuts, but only once (see stitching problem). So, maybe half damage from the first cut.

The same puncture issue comes up with the soles in the shoes. If the person steps on a nail, the force will go up through the sole, into the parchement and be spread out to whatever is connecting the parchment to the shoe. If the connector is strong enough, you're safe. If not, you have a nail wrapped in parchment in your foot. It would help with removal and it would limit infection, though. It would also keep the wear and tear on the inside of the sole to a minimum.

If you throw in on front of a shield, it won't protect the shield much, but it will help remove arrows from the shield if you can pull the parchment tight.

As for parchment = rawhide, I say no. That's a slippery slope. You could argue that parchment is merely dead skin so you put a silver rune on a zombie and its skin can't be cut! Nope. Parchment isn't rawhide. If it were, it would be rawhide, not parchment.

-Vek
"Count on me to be negative."

Uh... Why are you making such small parchment? Use a whole cowhide or bear skin. Why would every hit destroy the bindings? It doesn't with lorica segmentata or leather armor. How to fix small pieces... Each string is a piece of parchment with a piece at the end wide enough to put a rune on. If it can't bend or stretch as you suggest than it invalidates your argument that it wouldn't be good for anything but cutting. Because it is the rigidity that allows armor to dissipate the force. If it isn't stiff but won't stretch then it will work again arrows and bolts from penetrating with blunt trauma. This whole line of thought is pointless. Indestructible parchment provides as much blunt damage protection as chain mail and better protection against piercing attacks. As far as not being comfortable to wear because it doesn't stretch... Can you tell me which chain, plate or hard leather armor stretches?

There is a question about rune size
Wards have to be one inch in diameter to work. While it makes sense that runes can be smaller I would suspect that there is minimum 'font size' at which it will still 'take'

and THAT would be the exact size of the tab.

[Veknironth]

Well, the drum shield suffers from the same affixing problem. What is keeping the taut parchment attached to the frame?

-Vek
"I suppose some serious knot work would work. Or not."

[RavenStarver]

Well, the drum shield suffers from the same affixing problem. What is keeping the taut parchment attached to the frame?

-Vek
"I suppose some serious knot work would work. Or not."

I'm not familiar with how drums are put together, but I'd assume stitching the parchment on before you write the rune on would work just fine

[Library Ogre]

Well, the drum shield suffers from the same affixing problem. What is keeping the taut parchment attached to the frame?

-Vek
"I suppose some serious knot work would work. Or not."

I'd go with a piece of parchment, pierced to allow mounting studs, then made invulnerable. The rim of the shield would be something like a sandwich, with the mounting studs passing through the parchment, and then into the front face of the rim.

Of course, then you are limited by the strength of the rim; significant damage there and you've got a funny looking purse, not a shield and, unlike a wooden shield, the shield material won't be providing any additional reinforcement.

[Zer0 Kay]

Well, the drum shield suffers from the same affixing problem. What is keeping the taut parchment attached to the frame?

-Vek
"I suppose some serious knot work would work. Or not."

If the metal fram even just has nobs, spikes, something for the parchment to be pinned on before the silver rune is put on... Hows it gonna break? Or two steel frames, one small enough to nest into the other. The smaller one has spikes facing outward and two pairs of rings facing back on opposing sides. The larger only has the sets of rings facing back, no spikes, that match up with the smaller frames rings. The parchment is stretched across the larger frame and pulled behind it, four cuts are made so the rings can go through the parchment then the parchment is pierced on the small games spikes as the frames are nested and the spikes are driven through the first layer wrapped around the large frame. A handle is fit between each set of four rings and pinned into place the parchment is allowed to dry and stiffen and a silver rune is applied to the backside of the shield.

[Zer0 Kay]

Well, the drum shield suffers from the same affixing problem. What is keeping the taut parchment attached to the frame?

-Vek
"I suppose some serious knot work would work. Or not."

I'd go with a piece of parchment, pierced to allow mounting studs, then made invulnerable. The rim of the shield would be something like a sandwich, with the mounting studs passing through the parchment, and then into the front face of the rim.

Of course, then you are limited by the strength of the rim; significant damage there and you've got a funny looking purse, not a shield and, unlike a wooden shield, the shield material won't be providing any additional reinforcement.

Oops, guess I shoulda read your before I posted.