Barding

Barding is a set of tools that appear in EvilHack and Hack'EM.

Description

Barding is a form of armor that certain monsters can wear: any monster of any size that is eligible for riding as a steed can wear barding, even if they are not currently wearing a saddle. Like armor, barding also possesses enchantment and increases the wearer's AC; a barded monster will have their head and much of the body covered by the barding.

A hero can apply barding to an eligible pet to equip them with it, though they may resist as with an applied saddle - the hero can enchant their steed's barding by reading a scroll of enchant armor while mounted on the steed; a prompt will appear to confirm whether or not the steed's barding is the intended target.

There are four different types of barding:

Item	AC	Properties	Base material
Barding	3	none	iron
Spiked barding	3	blocks digestion	iron
Barding of reflection	3	reflection	silver
Runed barding	6	none	metal

Runed barding only appears in EvilHack, where it is not randomly generated, and serves as the base item for the artifact barding Ithilmar.

Generation

Any monster that is generated with a saddle has a ¹⁄₁₀₀ chance (1%) of being generated with any type of barding: the set of barding has a ³⁄₄ chance (75%) of being normal barding, a ¹⁄₆ chance (16%) of being spiked barding, and will otherwise be barding of reflection.

General stores and hardware stores can sell barding.

Some types of barding can also be created at a forge:

First item	Second item	Result
plate mail	saddle	barding
barding	morning star	spiked barding
barding	shield of reflection	barding of reflection

Strategy

Barding grants steeds and other pets an additional level of survivability against various monsters, particularly including zombies and the illness they can spread from their bites.

History

Barding is introduced in EvilHack 0.7.0, and is introduced to Hack'EM in version 1.2.0.

Origin

Barding, also spelled bard or barb, is body armor designed for warhorses. Originating in antiquity within the Asian kingdoms of Parthia and Pahlava (in the regions of the former Persian Empire), the practice of armoring horses likely made its way into European military practices after the conquests of Alexander the Great via the Seleucid Empire and later Byzantine Empire. Despite its historical roots, barded horses have become a symbol of the late European Middle Ages chivalry and the era of knights.

The full bard was developed by Lorenz Helmschmied and Konrad Seusenhofer for Maximilian I, who used them extensively for propagandic and aesthetic purposes, as well as diplomatic gifts. During the Late Middle Ages, as armor protection for knights became more effective, their mounts became targets and warranted the development of barding: this vulnerability was exploited by the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn in the 14th century, when horses were killed by the infantry; the English would do the same at the Battle of Crécy in the same century, where long-bowmen shot horses and the dismounted French knights were then killed by heavy infantry.

Though surviving period examples of barding are rare, complete sets can be found on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Wallace Collection in London, the Royal Armouries in Leeds, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Encyclopedia entry

Barding (also spelled bard or barb) is body armour for war horses.
The practice of armoring horses was first extensively developed in
antiquity in the eastern kingdoms of Parthia and Pahlava, and
after the conquests of Alexander the Great it made its way into
European military practices via the Seleucid Empire and later
Byzantine Empire. Though its historical roots lie in antiquity in
the regions of what was once the Persian Empire, barded horses have
become a symbol of the late European Middle Ages chivalry and the
era of knights.
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