*snip* Secondly, Larian seems to think Heavy Armor some how is MORE POWERFUL than Scale Mail +1, because you only get Ring Mail until the VERY END of Early access. This is a super annoying oversight, making every character go the Medium Armor Road anyways.
This. Each type of armor in 5e has its own tiers of rarity, and similar tiers of each type should be available at the same time. It is a BIG NERF that Larian seems to make all types of light armors available, most medium armors, and basically no Heavy Armors. Fighters should be able to start with or easily find chain mail.
-Lv1 characters should start out with (padded or leather) or (hide, chain shirt, or scale mail), or (ring mail or chain mail). These should be available from shops and enemy drops.
-At Lv3 (or so) we should start finding (studded leather) or (breastplates) or (splint mail), or +1 versions of the above armors.
-At Lv 5 (or so), we should start finding (drow studded leather) or (half plate) or (Full Plate), or +1 version of the above.
Giving us Chain Mail, Splint, or Chain Mail +1 would go a long way toward helping Shadowheart be less useless. Take the Heavy Armor Feat and bam she goes from AC 14 in Scale Mail +1 to AC 17 in Splint Mail. (Then add +2 for her shield)
Their weakness give some feeling of randomness, uniqueness, realism(?).
Clerics are supposed to be a somewhat tanky class, and their spells heavily rely on concentration (and thus not taking damage, requiring high AC). I'd argue that the combination of Shadowheart's low dex and the lack of heavy armors available weaken her way beyond "a feeling of randomness." It just makes her needlessly weak and way harder to find her role in the party (she can't stay at range because Sacred Flame is poop and her ability with bows is even more poop).
