Armor Durability and Repair Rules in Dragonbane

While weapons can (and do) break in Dragonbane, armor is pretty much set-it-and-forget-it. I want to change that.

So the party I GM for in Dragonbane has an Artisan character in it, and their specialty is blacksmithing (and hitting things in the face with a big axe or hammer). In general, the blacksmithing part doesn't come up that often, though.

So I've been thinking of ways to incorporate crafting a bit more, as well as make combat more dynamic and challenging (yeah, I know more challenging in DB? Really?)

Right now, I am thinking of simply reducing a player's armor rating when their armor absorbs the maximum damage it can. I kind of want it to represent the dings and dents it would gain over the course of a few encounters, and then it would be repairable by the blacksmith or tanner when they're taking a rest that evening.

Here's the draft I have of it so far. What do you think?

Armor Durability and Repair

A piece of armor’s durability is equal to its armor rating. When a player character is dealt damage greater than their total armor rating, that rating is reduced by 1. This effect stacks until the armor rating is 0. 

The GM chooses which item loses the durability, helmet or armor.

Armor and helmets can be repaired by a character with the Master Blacksmith (metal armor) or Master Tanner (leather armor) heroic ability.

✦ Quick Repair: A character can spend a stretch working on an item with blacksmith’s or tanner’s tools. With a successful CRAFTING roll, they can use up to D4 WP to restore its armor rating by the same amount. 

✦ Full Repair: A player character can spend a full shift working on any number of items with blacksmith’s or tanner’s tools. They can use WP equal to the total reduced armor rating of all items to restore lost durability. A character cannot benefit from a shift rest if they spend that time making repairs. 

Example: A character with Master Blacksmith can spend a shift working on plate armor and a great helm can spend 8 WP to restore 6 armor rating to the plate and 2 armor rating to the helm.