Are there alternate rules for weapon / armor hardness? E.g Quarterstaff vs. plate mail.

[Axolotl]

I was thinking about weapons designed in the Middle Ages specifically to bust open armor, e.g. lucerne hammers. In the real world, you just wouldn't get anywhere hitting someone in plate mail with a club. Some of this ability is acknowledged in their Sunder quality, but not all.

My other thought is that one particular weapon should be more awesome, namely, the lowly quarterstaff. If one looks into the history of this weapon, there are reports of one staff wielder taking on multiple swordsmen and killing them all.

That being said, a staff won't ding plate armor that well.

So--I'm wondering if there are rules somewhere to account for these differences in armor and weapons? One idea I had was to allow some DR from armor, and to make blunt weapons' damage in some cases be non-lethal against armor--that way, you can make the quarterstaff more deadly in general, but have drawbacks against armor. Of course, this allows for armored characters to be very difficult to kill, so in the interests of game balance one would have to make armor wearing difficult in terms of fatigue and such. (For which there are already rules).

Anyhoo, just a thought. In all likelihood this would make weapon and armor rules too annoying, but I'm curious if there are systems out there that have been devised.

[Bigger Club]

Actually bludgenning weapons are the best against plate mails, apart from very specialized piercing weapons. Slashing weapons are the worst against plate mail.

Anyways 2E Players handbook, at least the one I have has the optional rule for the armor types giving bonus or penalty depending on the type of damage used against it, slashing/piercing/bludgeoning. Not that much more bookeeping just mark 3 ACs on the sheet for each type. If you can get hold of the book might be worth the buy. (Note: Because of how AC and THAC0 works if you are not familiar with it, multiple readings is needed if you want to convert it.)

On the quarter staff issue, well those instances in history more than likely speak more about the wielders skill than the weapon. That being said the tittle King of weapons is not pulled from thin air. Well first thing is that unlike in d20 systems one hit from quarterstaff is potentially fatal in real world. Like in PF it is a double weapon or two-handed weapon depending on how you wield it, combine that with the ability hold it from anyplace of the weapon and relatively light weight gives very good defensive properties.

As for actual advice on how to get this in to the game I would suggest making some feats that makes it possible to make a master with a staff. Shield bonus for example.