TL Project

Making these characters is kind of a drag for TL1-3.

The differences between the tech is essentially just a matter of materials.  Bronze to iron to steel.  The basic character types are the same.

GURPS: Low Tech provides really detailed armor rules and it's discouraging as to the "better" types of armor.

At TL1 you have plate armor available, but it'd have to made from bronze; which costs 4x as much as steel.  A pair of greaves is G$2,200 made from bronze and the starting wealth for TL1 is a mere G$500!  You have to blow a lot of points on wealth to be able to afford a full panoply.  Never mind that such a character would really need even more wealth because it'd be unheard of for someone who owns such armor to have the unsettled lifestyle that allows to you to piss all your starting wealth on adventuring gear.

TL2 iron armor, except for mail, just isn't any better than bronze.  In fact, the best types for DR and weight will still be the ultra expensive bronze!  This is even historically accurate.  Bronze plate hung in there well into what GURPS calls TL4.

Heck TL3 is the supposed "high fantasy" tech level, but most of the technology that gamers associate with "medieval" is actually TL4 stuff.  You know, after guns were invented and became widely disseminated?

Once we hit TL4 we get all new weaponry so there's some variety there.

TL5 is yet more better weapons and materials.

TL6 through TL8 is a repeat of TL1-3 where it's just materials getting better for equipment.  With the exception of TL8 getting all sorts of lightweight communications and computers.