oh, we know. we referred more that armor designs might be affected by the role magic plays in war. Its a nice simple rule. Prevents a lot of potential OP.

The key factors for what armor they might be wearing are (we think):
[list][*]Funds available
[*]Army size
[*]access to raw materials and smiths to use them[/list]

The cheapest armor that isn't cloth is boiled leather, studded leather or (if category three is good above) mail of some sort.