Chainmail

Chainmail (also known as chain mail or simply chain) was a type of armor used on Toril.

Description
Chainmail was a common form of armor made of interlocking metal rings. Clothing was typically worn underneath such an article to prevent chafing, bruising, and irritation. Chainmail could also provide the base of other armors, such as plate mail.

Chainmail could comprise an entire set of armor, or it could be a specific article, such as a chain shirt or gauntlet. Boom's Garden sold chainmail chemises (45 gp), corsets (25 gp), leggings (35 gp), loincloths (20 gp), bustenhalts/brassieres (15 gp), and skirts (40 gp). Chainmail was also often used for barding.

Chain shirts covered only the torso, leaving the arms and legs free. Full chainmail armor covered most of the body and hung from the shoulders, making it uncomfortable to wear for a long time. Armor usually came with a padded hood known as a mail coif, either as a separate garment or built-into the armor.

Lace mail was a variant of chainmail that was "airier" and showed off the skin beneath it.

Ring mail was a variant of chainmail in which large metal rings were sewn onto a backing of leather or cloth. It was harder to maintain and provided less protection than standard chainmail.

Materials
Chainmail was usually made from metal. In Faerûn, the following special metals were typically used:
 * Adamantine
 * Arandur
 * Magically-treated copper
 * Darksteel
 * Dlarun
 * Fever iron
 * Hizagkuur
 * Living metal
 * Mithral
 * Treated platinum

Sometimes, other nonmetal materials could be used to make special chainmail:
 * Silverweave (silver coral fronds), used by the races of Serôs.
 * Bluewood, used by volodni in the Unapproachable East.

Notable chainmail items

 * Elven chainmail, armor crafted by the elves.
 * Drow chainmail, adamantite armor crafted by the drow. It decayed when exposed to sunlight.
 * Calishite mail, an enchanted form of chainmail unique to the region of Calimshan.
 * The fist, a magical dwarven gauntlet.
 * Silver mail of the Unicorn Queen, an elven chainmail.
 * Gauntlets of weaponry arcane
 * Glove of Taarnahm the Vigilant

Groups

 * Axe of Mirabar
 * City Watch of Waterdeep
 * Lances of Leilon
 * Warswords of Impiltur

Individuals

 * Artus Cimber (steel and mithral chainmail)
 * Drizzt Do'Urden (mithral chainmail)
 * Storm Silverhand (elven chainmail)

Races & Intelligent Creatures

 * Ysgardian dwarves often dressed in chainmail shirts with a +2 enchantment.
 * Some Northmen were known to wear chainmail armor when engaging in land raids.

Appearances

 * Comic Books
 * Forgotten Realms (#24)
 * Video Games
 * Eye of the Beholder • Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon • Baldur's Gate series • Icewind Dale series &bull; Neverwinter Nights series