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To wear armor effectively, you must be proficient in its use. Most armor proficiencies are granted by your class. While using armor with which you are not proficient, you get disadvantage on all rolls that involve a Strength or Dexterity bonus, including attacks. You also move at half your normal rate and cannot cast magic. The same penalties apply to shields if you are not proficient in their use either. Note that spells cannot be cast while holding a shield.
Armor comes in three basic types, light, medium, and heavy. To use each type of armor you must have the appropriate armor proficiency. In general, those proficient with one type of armor, are often proficient in lighter armors as well (those how have Armor Proficiency (Heavy), generally can also use light and medium armors). Each armor group can be defined as follows
A character who sleeps in armor must make a DC 15 Con save the next day or he doesn't gain the benefits from his long rest. This means he doesn't heal, may not be able to prepare spells the next day (depending on his class), and suffers ability damage from sleeplessness (see Resting).
Heavier armors are noisy and inhibit Stealth checks. In medium armor these are made at -4; in heavy, they are made at -8.
Armor can also be fatiguing. If you fail an Acrobatics or Athletics check while wearing anything other than light armor, you must make a fatigue check (Constitution check) to avoid gaining fatigue. In medium armor this check is made at a DC 10. In heavy armor, the DC is equal to the DC of your failed Acrobatics/Athletics check (minimum 10). Each failed check inflicts 1 level of fatigue. If you have the Endurance ability, you make these checks at advantage.
Athletics checks made while attempting a grapple on your turn can trigger a fatigue check if failed. Checks made to defend a grapple do not.
This represents the general class of armor you are wearing. Each category could potentially have many different types of armor in it, though these generally share the same qualities. For instance, leather armor might be a leather jerkin, a specialized armor crafted for a rogue, or rough hides worn by a barbarian.
The cost of the armor.
Each armor or shield grants a bonus to AC. The armor bonus from a suit of armor doesn't stack with other effects or items that grant an armor bonus. Similarly, the shield bonus from a shield doesn't stack with other effects that grant a shield bonus.
Your Dexterity bonus grants you a dodge bonus to your AC, but that bonus is limited by your armor. The Max Dex listed in the table indicates the maximum bonus you can get from dexterity while wearing a specific type of armor. Another way of looking at it is to say that your dexterity grants you a dodge bonus equal to your Dex Bonus or your armor's Max Dex, whichever is lower.
Note that you can still get dodge bonus from other sources besides Dexterity, such as from spells or abilities. Unlike other AC bonuses, dodge bonuses all stack.
Some armors reduce the damage from each successful attack made against it. The amount of damage reduced is listed.
This column gives the weight of the armor sized for a Medium wearer. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armor for Large characters weighs twice as much.
Hardness is the amount of damage an item can take from each attack against it before losing one point of integrity. See Damaging Items below.
| Armor Category | Cost (gp) | AC Bonus | Max Dex Bonus | Weapon Resistance | Weight (lbs) | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light armor | ||||||
| Cloth | 10 | 2 | None | None | 5 | 10 |
| Leather | 50 | 3 | 4 | None | 10 | 10 |
| Medium armor | ||||||
| Soft Breastplate | 75 | 4 | 4 | None | 20 | 15 |
| Breastplate | 100 | 5 | 3 | None | 20 | 15 |
| 150 | 6 | 2 | None | 30 | 15 | |
| Augmented Mail | 250 | 7 | 1 | None | 40 | 15 |
| Heavy armor | ||||||
| Partial Plate | 750 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 20 |
| Full Plate | 1,200 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 20 |
| Armor Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Cloth | Gambeson, quilted wappenrock, reinforced tunic, padded armor |
| Leather | Leather, hide shirt, leather lamellar, studded leather |
| Soft Breastplate | Scale hussar armor, lorica squamata, mail shirt, lamellar |
| Breastplate | Steel breastplate, lorica segmentata, cuir bouilli, coat of plates |
| Mail hauberk, kusari | |
| Augmented Mail | Lamellar and mail, mail and plate, splint armor |
| Partial Plate | Transitional era plate armor, o-yoroi |
| Full Plate | Medieval plate armor, dwarven stone plate |
Full plate represents the apex of all protective armor. In addition to the increased armor class, full plate armor prevents all critical hits. Because sneak attack damage is only possible when you can make a critical hit, plate armor also prevents sneak attack damage. This advantage only applies if you are proficient in heavy armor.
However, certain actions become more difficult while in plate armor. Retrieving an item from your bag, picking something up off the ground, or stowing any item is a standard action. You also make all perception checks at disadvantage (this can be mitigated by removing your helm, though this essentially reduces your armor to partial plate status).
For full plate armor to be most effective, some pieces need to be tailored to an individual's body. Full plate armor that is found and not crafted for an individual wearer may not fit perfectly, causing it to function as Partial Plate instead. Armor crafted for a different body shape (tall, short, heavy, thin, dramatically different races, etc.) never fits. Armor of the same general body shape still only has a 50% chance of fitting perfectly.
The time required to don armor depends on its type.
Don:This column tells how long it takes a character to put the armor on.
Don Hastily: A character may hastily don his armor, cutting don time in half. For hastily donned armor, all fatigue checks are made at a disadvantage, and AC is 1 point worse than normal.
Remove: This column tells how long it takes to get the armor off. Dropping a shield is a free action.
Assistance: A character who has help may cut the Don or Remove time in half. A character must have help with plate to Don, though he may remove it on his own. Two people assisting with plate cut the time in half.
| Armor Type | Don | Remove |
| Light Armor | 1 minute | 1 minute |
| Medium Armor | 4 minutes | 1 minute |
| Heavy Armor | 10 minutes | 4 minutes |
Masterwork armor is a cut above the standard armor you typically find in most shops. Most masterwork armor is custom-made by a master craftsperson, making it just a little better than the munitions-grade pieces worn by the local militia. When creating masterwork armor, the smith can enhance it with one or more masterwork properties, making it more durable, more protective, lighter, or just more comfortable. The more you pay for your armor, the more masterwork properties are available to be added to it.
Up to ten masterwork points worth of enhancements can be added to a piece of armor when it is constructed (see Masterwork Armor Cost table). After the armor is complete, masterwork properties can no longer be added or removed from the armor. Magical properties can still be added later, however.
Masterwork Armor Cost
| Masterwork Points | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 point | 1,000 gp |
| 2 points | 4,000 gp |
| 3 points | 9,000 gp |
| 4 points | 16,000 gp |
| 5 points | 25,000 gp |
| 6 points | 36,000 gp |
| 7 points | 49,000 gp |
| 8 points | 64,000 gp |
| 9 points | 81,000 gp |
| 10 points | 100,000 gp |
Masterwork armor can be created with the following masterwork properties. The point cost for each property is included in the description.
Adamantine is one of the hardest substances known, and therefore it often makes good armor. Creating anything with adamantine is difficult. Armor crafted from it automatically has the impervious quality and also grants an extra weapon resistance 3 to its wearer. This stacks with any other resistance the armor has. Creating adamantine armor requires three masterwork points.
Bulettes are known for their tough, armored shell. This shell can be re-purposed to create a set of armor. Bulette shell is heavier than steel, but it's also harder and more flexible, allowing the armor to move more freely than it normally would. Bulette armor weighs 50% more than normal, increases the armor's hardness by 3, and increases its Max Dex by 1. Bulette shells can't normally be purchased and must be acquired by hunting the actual creature. Making armor out of Bulette hide requires 1 masterwork point.
Masterwork armor can be improved to make it more comfortable than usual. Armor with the comfortable property can be slept in without causing fatigue. Comfortable armor requires 1 masterwork point.
Some armor can be crafted to further minimize damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing sources. Depending on how many points you use you can add weapon resistance to your armor as below. This resistance stacks with weapon resistance from other sources.
| Masterwork Points | Weapon Resistance |
|---|---|
| 1 point | 1 |
| 3 points | 3 |
| 5 points | 5 |
Darkwood is a rare magic wood that is very light and durable. Darkwood armor automatically has the lightweight property though without the decreased hardness. Making armor out of darkwood requires 1 masterwork point.
Dragonhide can be used as a crafting material to make armor. While wearing dragonhide armor, you gain resistance 5 to the type of damage associated with the dragon color (e.g. black hide is immune to acid, blue is immune to lightning, red is immune to fire, etc.). Furthermore, the armor also gains the lightweight property, though without the decreased hardness. Making armor out of dragonhide requires 3 masterwork points.
Masterwork armor can be improved to make you more resistant to acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage. Multiple resistances can be added to the same armor if you have the points to do so. Energy resistance can be added for the following points.
| Masterwork Points | Energy Resistance |
|---|---|
| 1 point | 2 |
| 2 points | 4 |
| 3 points | 6 |
| 4 points | 10 |
| 5 points | 15 |
| 6 points | 20 |
| 7 points | 25 |
| 8 points | 30 |
Most masterwork armors are enhanced. Enhanced armors are more protective, more durable, and easier to move in. For each masterwork point used to enhance armor, the armor gains +1 enhancement bonus to AC (max +5). As an enhancement, masterwork bonuses increase the base AC of your armor, but they don't stack with any other enhancement bonuses, such as those you might get from a ring of protection.
Fortified armor is specially crafted to reduce damage in very particular, vulnerable areas. As such, it's successful in minimizing critical hits to its wearer. Each time a critical hit happens, 25% of the time fortified armor will negate it. Greater fortified armor will negate critical hits 75% of the time, though this armor requires 3 masterwork points instead of 1. All fortified armor increases your armor's weight by 25%.
Armor with this special ability is especially hardy. The armor gains +10 to its normal hardness. The armor also gets advantage on any saving throws meant to protect it from harm (such as preventing a rust monster's rust ability). This requires one masterwork point.
This armor is specially crafted to mitigate the force taken from blows while fighting from a mount, granting advantage on checks made to stay on your mount in adverse circumstances. Jousting armor requires one masterwork point.
An expert smith knows how to trim the weight off of armor without reducing its ability to protect you from damage. Lightweight armor is 25% lighter and grants +2 to fatigue and stealth checks. However, your armor's hardness also drops by 2 points. Lightweight armor requires 1 masterwork point.
Ultra-lightweight armor can also be mastercrafted. This armor weights half its normal weight. Fatigue and stealth are calculated as if the armor were one armor group lower (e.g. heavy armor instead uses the same fatigue and stealth rules as medium armor). Ultra-lightweight armor requires 2 masterwork points and reduces the armor's hardness by 5 points.
The polished surface of a mirrored shield or armor gleams and shines and can be used as an ordinary mirror. Furthermore, it aids in battling creatures with gaze attacks. When averting your gaze, you only suffer from 1/4 cover instead of 1/2. Even with this cover, you are able to deal sneak attack. Finally, any attacks made with rays get disadvantage against you. This special ability may only be added to metallic armor or shields and requires one masterwork point.
Mithral is a very light but extremely rare form of silver that is harder than steel. Mithral armor is automatically ultra-lightweight, though they don’t suffer the lack of hardness many ultralightweight armor have. Mithral armors also have a Max Dex one point higher than usual. Making armor out of mithral requires 2 masterwork points.
A master smith can craft armor to do a better job of deflecting incoming magical energies. This armor grants its wearer spell resistance per the table below. This spell resistance doesn't stack with any from other sources.
| Masterwork Points | Spell Resistance |
|---|---|
| 1 point | 14 |
| 2 points | 16 |
| 3 points | 18 |
| 4 points | 20 |
| 5 points | 22 |
Masterwork armor can be further enhanced by enchanting it with magical abilities. To do so, the enchanter (not necessarily the smith) needs the Enchant Arms and Armor proficiency. The process of adding magical properties to masterwork armor can happen long after its creation. Multiple magical enhancements can also be added.
The cost of enchanting armor depends on the number of enchantments it currently has and the potency of those enchantments. When adding a new magical property to armor, find the tier level of the property and consult the Price of Enchanting Armor table. When adding multiple enchantments, simply add all the tiers together to find the total price. If some of the enchantments were previously completed, subtract their cost from this total.
Price of Enchanting Armor
| Total Tiers | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 tier | 4,000 gp |
| 2 tiers | 9,000 gp |
| 3 tiers | 16,000 gp |
| 4 tiers | 25,000 gp |
| 5 tiers | 36,000 gp |
| 6 tiers | 49,000 gp |
| 7 tiers | 64,000 gp |
| 8 tiers | 81,000 gp |
| 9 tiers | 100,000 gp |
The following magical properties can be added.
Calming armor is dyed or stained a soothing color, usually blue. While wearing this armor, you gain advantage on saves to prevent emotion-based effects (fear, rage, etc.). In addition, once per day as a bonus action, you can emit an aura of calmness, that affects you and anyone within 5 feet as if under the calm emotions spell (DC 15 WIS save negates).
Armor with this special ability excels at blocking the attacks from a particular creature type. Against the designated type, the item's masterwork enhancement bonus is 2 better than usual. Against these foes you also gain DR 2/--.
Armor or a piece of clothing with this enhancement focuses the wearer's mind, preventing distraction in even the most disruptive circumstances. Twice per day, as a reaction, you can choose to automatically succeed on a concentration check that you have already failed.
On command, this ability allows you to become ethereal (as the ethereal jaunt spell) once per day. You can remain ethereal for as long as desired, but once you return to normal, you cannot become ethereal again that day.
Three times per day as a bonus action, you can summon a burst of speed and gain a +10-foot enhancement bonus on all modes of movement for 1 round. This ability can be applied to any kind of armor, but not shields.
This armor or shield seems almost translucent. Both its enhancement bonus and its armor bonus count against the attacks of incorporeal creatures. It can be picked up, moved, and worn by incorporeal creatures at any time. Incorporeal creatures gain the armor or shield's enhancement bonus against both corporeal and incorporeal attacks, and they can still pass freely through solid objects.
A suit of armor with this ability appears normal. Upon command, the armor changes shape and form to assume the appearance of a normal set of clothing. The armor retains all its properties (including weight) when glamered. Only a true seeing spell or similar magic reveals the true nature of the armor when disguised.
A suit of armor with this property normally has a pale, greenish hue. While wearing this armor, you make all saves against poison at advantage.
This armor is jet black and blurs the wearer whenever she tries to hide, granting a +5 competence bonus on Stealth checks. Greater quality armor grants a +10 bonus, and superior armor grants a +15 bonus.
This armor endows the wearer with strength just when you need it most. Three times per day you can use this armor to either make a strength check or save at advantage or prevent yourself from being knocked prone.
While wearing this suit of armor or shield, you may control up to 26 HD of undead per day, as the control undead spell. At dawn each day, you lose control of any undead still under your sway. Armor or a shield with this ability appears to be made of bone; this feature is entirely decorative and has no other effect on the armor.
While wearing this armor, you preserve your armor bonus and any enhancement bonus while in a wild shape. Armor and shields with this ability usually appear to be made covered in leaf patterns. While the wearer is in a wild shape, the armor cannot be seen.
The following are specific magic armors that can regularly be found.
Ten 100-gp gems adorn this +3 banded mail. Once per week, the armor allows you to require that an attack roll made against you be rerolled. You must make this decision before damage is rolled, and you must take whatever consequences come from the second roll.
This finely crafted +2 breastplate radiates a powerful aura of magic. When worn, the armor bestows a dignified and commanding aura upon its owner. You gain advantage on all Charisma-based checks. Friendly troops within 360 feet of you become braver than normal, gaining favor on saves against fear effects. Since the effect arises in great part from the distinctiveness of the armor, you cannot hide or conceal yourself in any way and still have the effect function.
This bright silver or gold +3 chainmail is so fine and light that it can be worn under normal clothing without betraying its presence. It has a maximum dodge of +8, and a skill check penalty of -2. It is considered light armor, weighs 20 pounds, and it allows you to use fly on command (as the spell) once per day.
This plate armor is fashioned to make the wearer appear to be a demon. The helmet is shaped to look like a horned demon head, and its wearer looks out of the open, tooth-filled mouth. This +4 full plate allows you to make claw attacks that deal 1d10 points of damage, strike as +1 magic weapons, and afflict the target as if she had been struck by a contagion spell (Con save DC 14 negates). Use of contagion requires a normal melee attack with the claws. The "claws" are built into the armor's vambraces and gauntlets.
The armor bestows one HD of life drain on any nonevil creature wearing it. This life drain persists as long as the armor is worn and disappears when the armor is removed. This never results in actual level loss, but it cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells) while the armor is worn.
This extremely light chainmail is made of very fine mithral links. The armor has a maximum dodge bonus of +4, and no skill check penalty. It can be worn by those proficient in light armor, and it weighs 5 pounds.
As a free action, you can activate this +1 mithral full plate, enabling you to act as though affected by a haste spell for up to 10 rounds each day. The duration of the haste effect need not be consecutive rounds. Speed while wearing a suit of mithral full plate is 20 feet for Medium creatures, or 15 feet for Small. The armor has a maximum dodge bonus of +3, and a skill check penalty of -3. It is considered medium armor and weighs 25 pounds.
This +1 full plate is decorated with a wave and fish motif. While wearing plate armor of the deep you are treated as unarmored for purposes of making any swimming-related check. The wearer can breathe underwater and can converse with any creature with a language that breathes water.
This +2 hide armor is made from rhinoceros hide. In addition to granting a +2 enhancement bonus to AC, it has a -1 skill check penalty and deals an additional 2d6 points of damage on any successful charge attack made by the wearer, including a mounted charge.