Middleweight Armor

Middleweight armor is going to be stuff that gives you a compromise between protection and mobility. For my definition, it would include a minimum of rigid plate armor, because that belongs in heavy armor, even if you’re only wearing some of it. Most medium armor is probably mail (aka chain mail) combined with bits and pieces of other protection; leather, leather with rings sewn on, that kind of thing. Keep in mind that almost all armor is worn over some kind of padding, so it’ll be fairly hot and sweaty stuff unless you are in a cold climate. This kind of gear has the great advantage of being flexible, which the rigid armors aren’t. For example, you can sit in a chair in plate (if you must) but it’s not entirely comfortable because you don’t bend at all the points a human body can normally bend. Mail, on the other hand, is pretty bendy (though it can bunch up at joints) and will move with you. Even stiff leather has some give in it. If you have to wear armor all day long, this stuff is going to much much more comfortable, even if there is some additional weight.

As for protection, it’s surprisingly tough, but not nigh invulnerable like a good suit of plate. Slashes from daggers or swords won’t go through mail (unless the mail is old or the slash terribly powerful), and it would also serve to stop claws and teeth pretty well. Blunt force, on the other hand, is only reduced by the amount of padding, so maces, clubs, and bites would still hurt (though not as much as being unarmored). Some piercing weapons like axes or picks are quite good at piercing this kind of armor, as it concentrates a lot of force down to a single point, which can breach the mail. A hard dagger thrust might do the same thing, though it also might not if it hits at an angle.

All this to say, these middleweight flexible armors offer a lot of benefit without being as limiting or uncomfortable as rigid armors, and they cost a great deal less as well. You can swap it with your friends, loot it from an enemy (mind the blood) or trade it much more easily than the heavy stuff.