ARMOR
Item Cost Armor Class (AC) Strength Stealth Weight
Light Armor
Padded 5 gp 11 + Dex modifier — Disadvantage 8 lb.
Leather 10 gp 11 + Dex modifier — — 10 lb.
Leather scale 25 gp 12 + Dex modifier — Disadvantage 15 lb.
Studded leather 45 gp 12 + Dex modifier — — 13 lb.
Medium Armor
Layered furs 5 gp 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 15 lb.
Hide 10 gp 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) — — 12 lb.
Brigandine 35 gp 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 35 lb.
Chain shirt 50 gp 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) — — 20 lb.
Scale mail 50 gp 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 45 lb.
Coin armor 100+ gp 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 50 lb.
Breastplate 400 gp 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) — — 20 lb.
Half plate (field plate) 750 gp 15 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 40 lb.
Heavy Armor
Ring mail 30 gp 14 — Disadvantage 40 lb.
Banded mail 55 gp 15 — Disadvantage 45 lb.
Chain mail 75 gp 16 Str 13 Disadvantage 55 lb.
Splint (plate mail) 200 gp 17 Str 15 Disadvantage 60 lb.
Plate (full plate) 1,500 gp 18 Str 15 Disadvantage 65 lb.
Shields
Buckler 15 gp +1 — — 2 lb.
Pavise (archer shield) 20 gp +1 — — 9 lb.
Shield 10 gp +2 — — 6 lb.
Tower shield 45 gp +2 Str 15 Disadvantage 30 lb.
Additions
Armor spikes +25 gp — — — —
Great helm +10 gp — — — 3 lb.
Locking gauntlet +10 gp — — — —
Reinforced gorget +4 gp — — — 1 lb.
Shield sconce +5 gp — — — —
Shield spikes +15 gp — — — —
Subtle armor x2 — — — —
GETTING INTO & OUT OF ARMOR
Donning
and doffing armor takes place in a matter of some minutes, depending on
the armor’s category. Shields can be made ready or stowed in much
shorter time.
Don. This is the time it takes to put on armor. It is
also the time needed to make ready a shield, bringing it to a ready,
usable position. You benefit from the equipment only if you take the
full time to don the suit of armor or make ready the shield.
Doff.
This is the time it takes to remove armor. It is also the time needed to
stow a shield, freeing up that hand for other uses. If you have help
doffing a suit of armor, reduce the time by half. You cannot be assisted
in stowing a shield.
VARIANT: THE RESTLESS REPOSE
Someone who
sleeps in armor does not rest easily. Normal sleep is possible, but a
worn-out adventurer will find her sleep less restorative while enclosed
in the stifling confines of her armor.
A character that wears armor
for an entire long rest cannot remove a level of exhaustion and does not
recover previously-expended hit dice. A character can safely wear armor
for up to two hours of a long rest, perhaps while standing watch,
without invoking this penalty.
VARIANT: THE SAILOR’S CURSE
There
is a reason that sailors avoid wearing armor at sea. Surrounded by
water and sinking, a suit of armor can weigh down the sailor as surely
as a tangle of leaden chains.
Any armor that provides Disadvantage
to Dexterity (Stealth) checks is too cumbersome for use in water. Such
armor imposes Disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made for
swimming.
Such armor also reduces the wearer’s movement speed in
water; each foot of movement costs 2 extra feet (instead of the normal 1
extra foot). Even if the wearer has a swimming speed, such armor means
that the wearer must use 2 feet of movement for each actual foot moved.
DESCRIPTIONS
Armor suits, shields, and attachments are described below.
Armor
Spikes. These short, sharp spikes can be added to any suit of armor.
When you use the attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes
1d3 piercing damage if your grapple check succeeds. Armor so modified is
“spiked armor” for purposes of the Battlerager Armor class feature but
this damage is not additive with that feature.
Banded Mail. This
resembles leather armor with form-fitted metal bands sewn over important
areas. It represents an improvement in protection over ring mail but
gaps in the bands provide less protection than the integrated links of
chain mail.
Buckler. This small, lightweight shield straps to the
forearm for ease of use. It takes only a bonus action to don or doff a
buckler, gripping the interior handle or flicking it back to the forearm
to put that hand to some other use. This allows you to switch quickly
between combat styles.
Breastplate. A solid plate covering the chest
and another on the back, linked with leather straps. This leaves the
less-vital portions of the body unarmored, but allows the wearer to
retain her full range of motion and move about with little encumbrance
from the armor.
Brigandine. A doublet of cloth or canvas, to which
are riveted a series of oblong, overlapping plates. Although variations
exist, this type of brigandine uses a great deal of plates with
extensive overlap for maximum protection.
Chain Mail. A hauberk and
short pants made of heavy, riveted links. A suit of this type includes
some sort of forearm protection and a chainmail coif. It also includes a
padded layer of cloth underneath.
Chain Shirt. A suit of light chainmail that covers just the torso. This armor is often worn between layers of cloth or leather.
Coin
Armor. This armor constitutes an ostentatious display of wealth. It is
crafted as scale armor but uses coins instead of scales. Each coin is
punched with holes used to tie the coin scales together and each coin is
backed with steel to offset the weakness of the metals used in the
coins. A suit of coin armor requires 2,000 coins; this additional
expense (variable based on the coins’ types) is added to the cost of the
armor but does not affect crafting times.
Great Helm. This heavy
helmet is more protective than the head covering that normally comes
with a suit of armor. It fully encases the head and neck, while a visor
fully protects the face. Great helms often bear decorative plumes,
crests, or elaborate figurines on top. Wearing a great helm provides a
+1 bonus to saving throws against area spells and effects, like a
dragon’s breath weapon or a fireball spell. It also grants immunity to
the special mechanics of saps and garrotes. Wearing a great helm imposes
disadvantage on the wearer’s Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Half
Plate. Sometimes called “field plate,” this is a lighter version of full
plate armor. Most of the wearer’s body is covered in connected metal
plates. It tends to provide less protection at the joints and the
extremities of the limbs than full plate armor.
Hide. The treated
hide of an animal, fashioned into a protective suit of armor. Hide armor
is often used in primitive societies.
Layered Furs. Thin or
poorly-cured hides, when used in layers, provide significant protection
to the wearer. Layered furs are used for protection in primitive
societies or as ceremonial armor.
Leather. The breastplate and
shoulders of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by
boiling in oil. The rest of the armor is made of softer and more
flexible materials.
Leather Scale. A torso and shoulder covering made of stiff, overlapping scales of treated leather.
Locking
Gauntlet. Built into a suit of metal armor, the fingers of this armored
gauntlet are equipped with locking braces designed to keep the wearer
from being disarmed. While holding a weapon in the gauntlet, the wearer
can use an action to lock the braces with her free hand. Thereafter, the
gauntlet wearer automatically resists disarming attempts. (See page 271
of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.) When a weapon is locked in place, the
gauntlet wearer cannot put it down or use the hand for anything else.
Unlocking the gauntlet also requires another action with a free hand. A
locking gauntlet functions as an armor gauntlet if used with unarmed
strikes.
Padded. Padded armor consists of quilted layers of cloth and batting.
Pavise.
Also called an “archer shield,” a pavise is a convex shield with a
prominent central ridge. This shape, and a spike attached to the bottom,
allows the pavise to stand on its own and provide cover to someone who
crouches behind it. Placing a pavis (or picking it up from a placed
position) requires an action. Once placed, the user no longer gets a
shield bonus but can claim half cover while prone behind it. This cover
only applies to the direction the pavise is placed against. When using a
battle mat, mark one entire side of the square you are in when you
place the pavise. If a straight line drawn from either unmarked corner
of your square to any corner of the attacker’s square touches or passes
through the marked side, the pavise provides you with half cover.
Plate.
Sometimes called “full plate,” this armor’s shaped, interlocking metal
plates cover the wearer completely. Even the extremities are covered in
interlocking plates, down to the individual joints covering the backs of
each finger. Plate armor is typically worn over an arming doublet,
buckled to various parts of the doublet to better distribute the carried
weight across the wearer’s body.
Reinforced Gorget. A reinforced
gorget is a metal collar that protects the wearer’s neck and clavicle
region. This protective device grants immunity to the special mechanics
of garrotes.
Ring Mail. Heavy rings sewn onto a leather covering,
this armor is not as protective (or expensive) as a suit with
interlocking rings, such as chainmail.
Scale Mail. This armor consists of a leather hauberk and leggings covered by overlapping metal scales.
Shield.
A one-handed protective device, this flat or curved plane covers a
portion of the body and is actively wielded for blocking attacks. A
shield can be made of wood or metal. It provides the protection
described in the Armor chart. You can only benefit from one shield at a
time.
Shield Sconce. This heat-resistant plate and set of brackets
mounts on the front of a shield. This device can attach to any kind of
shield except a buckler. It is built to lock in a lit torch or sunrod,
allowing the shield-bearer to carry a light source in the same hand as
the shield. A shield modified with a sconce cannot also bear an emblem
holy symbol or shield spikes.
Shield Spikes. These sharp studs cover
the face of a shield, making it into a convincing weapon. They can be
applied to a shield, but not a buckler, pavise, or tower shield. When
the affected shield is used as an improvised weapon, it inflicts (1d4)
piercing damage instead of bludgeoning damage. Additionally, when you
use the Attack action to shove a creature, you can inflict the spikes’
piercing damage if your check succeeds. (Do not add your ability
modifier to damage when using the spikes in a shove.) A shield modified
with spikes cannot also bear a sconce or an emblem holy symbol.
Lizardfolk are particularly skilled with spiked shields and can use them
to exceptional effect (Monster Manual, page 204).
Splint. Narrow
vertical strips of interlocking metal, riveted together and backed by
leather and cloth padding. Significant overlap of the plates provides
exceptional protection (and weight). Chainmail segments cover some of
the wearer’s joints. The “plate mail” version of this armor uses large,
harder plates over the certain sections of the body.
Studded Leather. Made from tough but flexible leather, studded leather is reinforced with close-set rivets or spikes.
Subtle
Armor. Using various techniques, affected armor takes on the appearance
of normal—though sometimes bulky—clothing. Leather padding can be sewn
inside canvas tunics and baggy trousers. Chain can be disguised with
quilting. Even narrow plates and splinting can be incorporated into the
lining of heavy coats. This modification can apply to most armors suits,
excluding half plate and plate. Heavy or medium armor with this
addition can be identified with a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check by
anyone within 30 feet. Physically handling any kind of subtle armor
reveals its nature without a check. A suit of subtle armor costs twice
its normal price.
Tower Shield. A tower shield is much larger and
heavier than a standard shield, standing nearly as tall as the person
who wields it. In addition to the normal benefit to your Armor Class,
while carrying a tower shield, you gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity saving
throws. This benefit is not compatible with bonuses granted by cover.
You can also perform a special version of the Dodge action by hunkering
down behind a tower shield. The benefit of this Dodge is not lost if you
are incapacitated because of the stunned condition or if your speed is
otherwise reduced to 0.