Hehe yeah, I was just joking and being a smartass.
I've just had a lot of bad experiences with people ( especially in DnD communities ) who are extremely nitpicky and overanaylze armor and clothes if it's even slightly feminine but then pay zero attention to or don't even notice or even praise more obvious flaws.
But then someone has an OC character and there's even a slight hint of a female chest on the breastplate, minor cleavage, legs or belly exposed in robes/ clothes which aren't even meant to protect etc and the whole comment section becomes like 90% nitpicking and '' wElL aChTuAlLy '' lol.
Heck even if someone posts art of their OC and it's basically google copy pasted irl historical armor there's still a guarantee to be people harping on about how they like it because it's '' not like those designs ''.
I was just venting and poking fun at that a little, I am really tired of it.
Cloaks were actually used sorta like makeshift shields by twisting them in your hand altho that was in unarmored duels with swords like Epees, Foils and Rapiers.
Wearing a cloak in armored combat would be a really terrible idea lol, then again so would walking around in it all day too.
But gentlemen would often use them that way, but they also removed them if they weren't going to use them that way regardless too :P.
I kinda wonder how much gripping power Tieflings have in their tails tho, they could potentially pull some crazy shenanigans with them.
It'd be funny if they could use them for pickpocketing too even in conversations.
Distract them by speaking to them and then grab their purse around their belt with your tail xD.
Yeah, being a smartarse too.
I have been known to snark about "feminine" armour a bit but only the types clearly designed by prepubescent boys. In general I like seeing what people can come up with, historical or otherwise. Not going to tell someone they are wrong for using it, however if there is a lot of exposed skin and I am fighting them, then they learn soon to cover themselves more.
Dueling with a cloak was a rather interesting style. Still would be a bit risky I think, but have not tried this method in rl so can't say for sure.
Tiefling pickpocketing with tail, hmm this gives me ideas. I had only thought to trip someone in combat or slash them in the face with a bladed tail piece. Maybe Sleight of Hand check with disadvantage since it might be clumsy?
Being a bit snarky is fine, it's just the volume of it in regards to this that annoys me.
People often tend to project their views unto other people, I've seen a lot of women in art get annoyed by this a lot recently too because people assume the whole '' prepubescent boys '' thing about them and their art.
People just have different ideas of fun and coolness and perceive sexuality and what is and isn't sexual in different ways.
It's not a fair assumption about male artists either, people aren't that simple.
I still think that Baldur's Gate is a setting where you have room for a middle ground tho, for example I am hoping to see more variety in robes and clothes including some on the more revealing side.
Actually, I'd like to see a seduction mechanic even as part of persuasion and it'd even be cool if some clothes gave you a bonus.
Like lemme unbutton the coat like Wyll in the loading screen art lol.
When it comes to heavy armor in Baldur's Gate tho I wouldn't expect Red Sonja, but a bit stylized armor should still be fine cloaks included.
But on the other hand Red Sonja is perfectly fine if the setting supports it and can be fun as well.
In the context of Baldur's Gate 3 too here, people have datamined models of the armor and there was one in particular that some people were doing this about ( the Half-Plate ).
It's not revealing at all, but the breastplate is curved more after a womans chest and people have been making derogatory comments about it so I am a bit on the edge about it because aesthetics I like is super important to me.
And people wouldn't be doing this if it was like those Greek breastplates...
I think it looks A LOT cooler than the male equivelant ( all of them do imo ), I'd be really sad if they changed it especially since it's the only one I think.
And being so nitpicky about it is quite bizarre imo, I mean even if one wanted to complain about the female Half-Plate there's bigger issues like lack of shoulderpads etc.
But yeah anyways.
Scholagladiatoria made a short video on cloaks in fencing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTPrpTGEqegIt's obviously not ideal, but probably preferable to dying :P.
But he also does mention the distraction part like you brought up.
