Something longer, floor length or more, would be more annoying than it's worth.Īny long thing which is connected to your body can be thought of as a handhold with which to restrict your movements, capes are no exceptions. Something medium long, like a trench coat, could be useful. Keep your arms and hands inside as you patrol out in the snow, or keep it around you as you hold your reigns while riding.Ī cloak that can be taken off would be better than a heavy coat if you end up needing to fight.Ĭape length would be something to really consider. being able to keep warm in the cold is great, and a cape would work well for this. likewise a cape could hide armaments and armor from others, giving you an advantage. You could come across as pretty non threatening, right up until you're ready to start something, by having your weapons drawn under the cape. Makes it harder for enemies to judge your strengths and weaknesses. Given the right color, like dark green or dark grey, it could be an effective camouflage even in daylight. The eye is good at picking out human shapes, so in dim light the cloak could be spread out a bit, break up the outline, and hide any shiny things like swords and armor. It would be heavier so that it wouldn't blow in the wind. In battle the cloak could be held up as a makeshift shield. This could be some high tech stuff, or even just a real fine mesh to stop an arrow.
The cape could be made of a material that could deflect shots to the back.
(In case, say, the palace was burning down.) In a pinch, you can also use it to protect yourself from fire. Since you may be wearing a cape or cloak anyways, to keep out the weather and whatnot, it's great that it can double as a shield. There is also the off chance that you can use your cloak to bind people's weapons, but getting that to reliably happen is a little tricky. You also get the benefit of being able to hide some weapons, like daggers, behind your cape/ cloak. While not as effective as a solid metal shield, it often was able to block sword/mace blows (or in defense against wild animals).