Fair enough. Skew it more to the Alatriste and BBC Musketeers side of the spectrum. Protagonists still rarely get hit, but I agree. If there’s a hit, let them rest and recuperate.
The armor hack should alter the way the fights play, as opposed to having the same fights with only a leather chest armor piece only.
Again, its all to skew things towards the players, and to encourage swordplay