Is black plate worth it?

[Ewierl]

NTJedi said:

I also see very little difference between Fire Plate and Red Dragon Scale Mail...

Fire Plate = 5 Fire gems
Red Dragon Scale Mail = 10 Fire gems, 1 less encumberance and 25% better fire protection.

I believe RD scale armor provides a larger moralte boost.

But I think, in some fairly-frequent circumstances, the 1 less encumbrance makes a significant difference. If you're trying to protect a spellcaster, the double-encumbrance-from-armor really adds up; if you have the gems to spare, you want to save every point of fatigue you can muster.