My thought for any "original" armor type would be that it would probably have to be lamellar, small strips of something bound together in a harness to make armor. That would be the easiest way to (believably, maybe not realistically) reduce many of the problems you would have with most materials. The goal would be to have a few strips of the material shatter, while the rest of the force would be diffused throughout the armor by the harness holding the strips together. Maybe obsidian strips in a silk harness, with a layer of leather underneath.
But that's armor, and I'd never use it without running it by an expert because there's too many technical considerations I would be embarrassed to mess up. Funny armors break disbelief more than funny weapons because you use them to "escape" bad literary consequences. "That would never work, but it's awesome" only works for things that create conflict, not for things that resolve them.
But like somebody said, it doesn't sound like you want real armor. If what you want is a "magic shield," because there's too many wizards, then that's easy enough. Coat your steel suit in a thin layer of ceramic that's made from a made-up mineral that repels magic. Maybe the ceramic breaks during a battle, but that's okay because it's the steel that repels weapons. And if it breaks off when it's hit in battle, that's a consideration that makes for interesting battle tactics.
But that's armor, and I'd never use it without running it by an expert because there's too many technical considerations I would be embarrassed to mess up. Funny armors break disbelief more than funny weapons because you use them to "escape" bad literary consequences. "That would never work, but it's awesome" only works for things that create conflict, not for things that resolve them.
But like somebody said, it doesn't sound like you want real armor. If what you want is a "magic shield," because there's too many wizards, then that's easy enough. Coat your steel suit in a thin layer of ceramic that's made from a made-up mineral that repels magic. Maybe the ceramic breaks during a battle, but that's okay because it's the steel that repels weapons. And if it breaks off when it's hit in battle, that's a consideration that makes for interesting battle tactics.
Scribe
