The existence of this armor has been questioned. Splint mail is a variant of
banded mail in which the metal strips are applied vertically to the backing of chain, leather, or cloth rather than horizontally as in banded mail. Since the human body does not swivel in mid-torso as much as it flexes back to front, splint mail is more restrictive in battle.
In game terms, splint mail is to banded mail as
scale mail is to
brigandine;
splint mail is the style of the earlier and less efficient armoring techniques. Much like scale and
ring mail, splint mail will be used by the less advanced cultures and poorer warriors. Its relatively low street price in a western campaign when compared to banded mail and even chain is due to the fact that few western warriors will even touch a set of splint mail unless they are destitute or desperate.
The protection splint mail affords is equivalent to that of banded mail, but it is much more fatiguing to wear in a lengthy battle. Furthermore, broken splints tend to work inward toward the wearer in the course of a battle. More than a few warriors have found themselves painfully cut across the ribs when broken banded mail would have merely shifted up or down. Maintenance problems for splint mail are otherwise the same as for banded mail.
For characters with a light purse, splint mail can be picked up in seedier armor shops. Its price makes it ideal for adventurers who want the extra bit of protection over chain mail.
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