HEROIC REALMS

In a spur of the moment decision, I decided to buy a bunch of Friendly Plastic, a modelling plastic Alex and Kristin might remember from Midsummer Night's Dream. I still mis that mask... Anyways, assuming I can think of a valid ingame reason for a mask without getting arrested and/or killed, I plan on making and wearing one.

This led me to think, why not try to make a mask that can give me an armour bonus? Helm style, not magical. That may come later. So... at what point, ie how much must my head be covered, to count as a helm?

Additionally, any ideas on design and reasonable ways to aquire the mask, preferably without getting anything ELSE out to kill me, are quite welcome.

I already have some ideas, one including grafting polarized sunglass lenses into the mask (requiring two to be made so I can still wear it at night, and another involving making a set of parabolic ears. Considering my natural hearing, that could be interesting. And I should probably 'jot' ideas down here while I'm at it, for your consideration and critiqe as well as so I don't foget.

Idea Number A: Replacable eyes using magnets or clips to hold them in place. Should allow for multiple lenses, such as clear or empty, sunglasses, and something for at night.

Idea Number 2: Vents. I know how horrendously hot masks can get, so, since I'm literally making my own design, I might as well try for comfort. Vasaline soaked popsticle sticks and/or tongue depressors should work.

The basic shape I see right now is a beaked face, still allowing me to eat and drink (should be fun testing that), leading to tendrals meshing across my head to for a psuedo helmet, and possibly large ear fins.

So, thoughts, ideas, preferably constructive critisism?

Well its funny that you bring this up, as I plan to start doing this mask making/armor stuff for an ebay store... so your ideas are interesting.

There are some things I want to point out:

1. Friendly plastic - WAY too expensive to accomplish what you want to do. I have 2 better reccommendations, depending on which you would prefer to work with. Wonderflex for one... it is thermo plastic that can be made mallable with hot water or industrial heat gun. It is very easy to repair and stays in the form you press it into. Fossshape is another material good for this purpose, it is like a really starched felt. Friendly plastic is good to go with wonderflex to smooth out the surface.

2. Polarized lenses without an optical frame in a combat oriented costume/mask/helm piece BAD IDEA, especially if you are going to make them so they are interchangeable. Magnets will not work, the lenses are made of plastic (chances are they wont give you glass ones because your not putting them in a frame and law requires they be chemically hardened before dispensed, not that that would help your magnet idea) Clips.. again, not going to do an adequate job as the frame of the eyes made from friendly plastic is not solid enough. Id say if you absolutely must have lenses... and honestly, setting up a mask with a need to accommodate lenses is only going to make it much harder to see (loss of peripheral vision) Then I would suggest you build a mask to fit around a sports or safety glasses frame.

3. As someone who wears a mask... and a very light one at that, something to consider is how damn hot and uncomfortable it can get while larping. And mine is not a big plastic super helm/mask like you are planning. I would reccommend making a helm and perhaps keeping a mask piece seperate, that can attach and be taken off. You dont want to overheat yourself in hot weather, and your head is the source of heat release. Just something to keep in mind.

4. You should probably sketch out your design first and play with it a bit until you decide what it is you want for a look. It would be a painful waste of money to just wing it and hate it in the end. You will also need to either make or find a form to use while shaping it. Be mindful of the material because working with plastic tends to make it stick to what you are using. Also research what paints/methods of coloring you intend to use, and how best to apply them as plastic is not an absorbant material and color tends to lay on top which means... easy to scratch. Id reccommend some sanding and priming a color coat or three and finally a finish/protective coat (some sort of polyurethane might work)

5. I think though I don't swear to it, the rule book offers explanations on helm requirements. But, to answer these questions directly, speak to Keith.

Hope this insight has helped a little. The following is a link to a bird like mask I did out of plaster, using acrylic, gold leafing paint and hot glued feathers. http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x92/ ... irdman.jpg

I hope it doesn't start being counted as armor, since I am an armorless mage, and Artha's going to be sporting a mask and overhead bandana for a while once I get the new costume bits in place for my Evil Plans (TM) for Artha.
Luckily, I don't thin a domino mask sized thing will ever qualify as armor.

I wear a mask as costuming and it does not count as armor. If you really wanted to wear some sort of magical looking kinda "armor" pieces to enhance your costume, you don't have to use it as armor. Just like your clothes aren't. For example, I have a very nature type leather curiass that has been considered "armor" in other games. Keith had told me I could wear it as costuming, like it is just a heavy cloth. So I don't think you need to worry about it.