Plate Mail

Plate mail is a combination of chain or brigandine armor with metal plates covering the vital areas such as the chest, abdomen and groin. Similar in construction to bronze plate mail, true plate mail comprises heavy steel plates riveted to a sturdy backing of chain and leather. These metal plates are often better constructed than those found in bronze plate and banded mails, relying on superior metallurgy and advanced lamination techniques to produce a lightweight steel with excellent combat characteristics.
Brigandine backing for this type of armor is rare, because the stiffness of brigandine armor makes this type of backing an unpopular choice among plate armorers and warriors alike.
For all of these reasons, plate mail protects the human body more effectively than bronze plate mail.
The development of plate mail heralded the beginning of the age of chivalry and knighthood. Associated most often with classic French medieval culture, the names given to the segments of plate mail reveal their French origin to this day.
The most important metal plate on the armor is called the plastron-de-fer, or breastplate. It protects the vital chest and abdominal areas from attack. Typically, the shoulders were protected by metal shoulder guards called epaulieres. Lower leg protectors, called grevieres (or greaves), and metal-plated chain gloves, or gauntlets, are also common accessories to a plate mail suit. Any manner of helm is also desirable.
Plate mail is the most common form of heavy armor in fantasy campaigns. It provides maximum protection for a fraction of the cost of field or full plate armor, and can take month after month of grueling combat punishment. It is only moderately heavier than banded or chain mail, and because of its custom fitting and sturdy straps, wears easier than either.
Because the plates are carefully fitted to combine with the chain suit beneath, the layer of leather or padding beneath the chain is often much thinner and more flexible than that found in banded or brigandine armor.
Many long years have gone into perfecting the construction of plate mail, which makes even the most basic of suits a wonder of medieval engineering. With regard to cost, the purchaser of a set of plate mail may have to fork out a considerable sum of money compared to banded mail, but no wearer of plate mail doubts for long the value and summary wisdom of his purchase.
Knights, royal guards, and mercenary captains often wear plate mail. Even as a prize of battle, plate mail is infinitely easier to fit to a new owner than either field or full plate armor. Plate mail is the preferred protection of the vast percentage of the world's most experienced warriors, because it is not nearly as cumbersome to don or remove as other heavier types of armor.
It is a matter of pride among many kingdoms that even the slightest improvement to the general plate mail design was quickly attributed to the armorer who invented the alteration and the king whose wisdom it was to accept the change.
As such, most sets of plate mail were constantly upgraded throughout the known world, and now are very similar indeed. In fact, the perfection of the basic plate mail design was so nearly complete that many armorers had already begun devoting most, if not all, of their time and resources to working field and full plate armor with similar care and precision.
Plate mail is the heaviest armor commonly used by adventurers, both as a matter of pride and for the general necessities of daily use and efficiency.