Ra'Erist Armor

In the deserts of the east armies don this great golden suit of mail. It is adorned with gold and black steel. It is also covering a thin body suit to keep out sand.

Although the armor is heavy and has black on it, the air circulates through it well and seems to be ok in battle while in the heat of the lands.

The armor is worn by generals and commanders for the armies where similar white and gold suits are worn by the regular troops.

The armor give the equal protection of Platemail. This can be incorporated into your fantasy setting this way.

Magical varieties of this armor include a climate enchantment to make sure it keeps the wearer cool. Also, there are some that include "Sand walk", a magical effect that allows those in it to walk across soft sands without sinking. And finally a rarer version contains the enchantment of the "Sand storm".

Sand storm causes a wind to arise up to a 100' wall of wind blowing sand into the eyes of attackers. While it does little physical damage it does have the ability to blind some and reduce visibility by 75%.

Ra'Erist armor is locally twice the price of Platemail and four times the price in far off lands. While the weight of the armor is 25% more.