C&T Hand Armor Inspection Guide

The intent of this guide is to provide a repeatable and reasonable way to inspect armor under the new guidelines.

Inspecting Hand Protection for C&T

For the purposes of the inspection, you will be using a true-edge, vertical, and direct falling cut. You can perform this with a dagger or sword.

Ask the fighter to grasp the sword normally, then position their hand with their thumb up.

From parallel to the weapon, perform the specified cut slowly. Identify if you can strike areas without the required armor. Then perform the same action from 45 degrees to the right of the weapon, then 45 degrees to the left of the weapon.

Then do the same three strikes with the fighter holding their weapon palm up, then again holding their weapon palm down.

If in any of these cuts, you can strike areas without the required armor, then the armor does not pass.

Example Inspection

The following pictures show a fighter holding a swept hilt rapier with a demi gauntlet, with the marshal striking from a 45 degree to the right in the 3 hand positions. A complete inspection would repeat the same checks being parallel and 45 degrees to the left of the blade.

This picture is showing a strike with the palm down, from 45 degrees to the right. In this picture, the guard and demi gauntlet are acceptable.

The second, palm up, 45 degrees to the right. In this picture, the guard and demi gauntlet are acceptable.

The third, thumb up, 45 degrees to the right. In this picture, the back of the thumb is exposed.

When facing a single handed weapon, this fighter would need to add the equivalent of 1/4” open cell foam to the exposed area on of their thumb. When facing a two-handed weapon, this fighter would need to add rigid component to the exposed area of their thumb.