OK. It's D&D 5e Item Talk. And here's your host: GM4Him. Today, we're talking about armors and why each one is important in the D&D 5e system. You see, each armor, even if it doesn't seem good, has its specific place in the D&D universe. If armor is not handled correctly, its value is negated and therefore not needed in a game, whether cRPG or Tabletop.
Padded - Worst kind of armor you can find. It gives you the same protection as Leather, but it gives Disadvantage on Stealth checks. Ew! Who would want that? Well, if you only have 5 gp, it's better than nothing. Also, if you're not stealthy, who cares? If you're not planning on sniping enemies or stabbing them in the back, why not Padded? It's the cheapest and it weighs 2 pounds less than Leather. This should actually be the most commonly found junk armor you find in the beginning during the prologue. All the thralls should have it, and if you were to start with nothing, it should be the most basic armor you find in the beginning. Why? Because the point of D&D is to build up your character from nothing to something awesome. It's about the journey from virtual zero to total and absolute hero. Granted, fighting imps and intellect devourers and hellsboars and demons and cambions at Level 1 with Padded Armor, no matter what class you are, is suicide, so I totally get why they don't start you with lame, Padded Armor. Now, why Astarion, who is a rogue vampire spawn starts with such armor is 100% beyond me. He, of all people, should not start with this armor. He should be in Leather from the moment we meet him. But, we're not discussing, in this post, just how weird the equipment sets are for each of the origin characters, are we? If we were, we'd have to also point out here that Shadowheart wearing what looks like plate armor - which is actually chain - is also quite weird, especially since that armor looks like Dark Justiciar armor which should draw everyone's attention who meets here and gets them wondering, "Hey! Aren't you a Sharran cleric?" Then they should turn on her and try to kill her on sight, because most common folk, especially the druids of the Emerald Grove, really REALLY don't like Shar. And we'd also have to wonder why Lae'zel AND Shadowheart both would ever let you take their armor - since Shadowheart's is obviously Sharran and Dark Justiciars are elite Sharrans, so she'd be really proud to be wearing it, and since Lae'zel is a gith which are proud by nature and would NOT let anyone take their armor especially if they gave them inferior armor to replace their superior armor. Yeah... really weird. And why Wyll with Padded? Why not Leather like any normal Warlock would be? I don't get it.
Leather - Very basic armor. Good for those with High Dexterity. Doesn't hinder stealth, and it doesn't limit your Dex bonus. Even if you're a cleric, if you have High Dexterity, Leather could be better than some of the heavier armors. It's light weight, cheap, and better than nothing - unless, of course, you're a Monk or Barbarian with Unarmored Defense, High Dexterity and High Constitution (Barbarian) or Wisdom (Monk).
Studded Leather - The best dang Light Armor you can find, of all the basic armors, that is. 12+Dex. Ah! Rogues will certainly upgrade to Studded Leather at the first chance they get, unless they already have Leather + 1. Why not? It's only 45 gold, as opposed to 10 for Leather, and it only weighs 3 more pounds. That's like a drop in the bucket. So, it's 1 point better than Leather, so if you can afford it, why not? Note: In most D&D 5e sessions where you start with Level 1 characters, almost all Rogues and similar classes would start with Leather and upgrade to Studded Leather as soon as they can. The point, again, is to build up your character, to start super low and upgrade, not start at Studded Leather and have nowhere to go. So, starting characters with Leather or Padded is a GOOD start for these classes so they have somewhere to go later.
On to Mediums.
Hide - Worst armor of the Medium variety. It only gives 12+Dex(max +2). So why would anyone want it? Ever? Why does it even exist? Studded is better? Hide is only really better than Leather and Padded. So why? The answer is: Druid. Druids start with Leather armor. Why? No metal. Why? It's taboo. So, although they CAN have Medium armor, most armor - Light, Medium or Heavy - is made with metal of some kind, so it is taboo for them to wear. So, they start with Leather and typically will only upgrade to Hide because Hide is made of animal skins and furs. Why not Studded Leather? It's better than Hide. Because Studded Leather is usually made with metal studs. It CAN be made with bones or teeth or other such natural studs, but typically it is made with metal, so unless the DM says, "You find a set of Studded Leather Armor made with bones and teeth for studs," you as a druid would never buy or wear a set. This is one of the primary limitations of a Druid. Wizards are limited in that they can't wear armor at all, unless they take a special feat just to wear Leather, Rogues are limited to Light, as are Warlocks, Monks and Barbarians are limited to wear no armor or they don't get their special bonuses for defense, and Druids are limited in that they can't wear as many types of armor. Pretty much Padded, Leather and Hide. That's all they get, so they aren't too OP. Take away the Druid's limitation on wearing metal, and Hide becomes pointless and stupid to even have in the game. Just take it out. It's no good.
Chain Shirt - Next worst Medium Armor. However, it's 13 + Dex (max +2), so if you don't have more than 14 Dex, it is better than Leather, Padded, Studded Leather and Hide. Chain Shirt is also better than Padded because it doesn't provide Disadvantage on Stealth. So, overall, a decent set of armor to upgrade to if you have Medium Armor proficiency. So, at level 4, if you are a Bard, Rogue, Warlock, etc., and you choose the Medium Armor Proficiency Feat, you would maybe do well to upgrade right away to Chain Shirt, if you can. It's only 50 gp, and it only weighs 20 pounds, so not bad set. Not great, but not bad.
Breastplate versus Scale Mail - Why would you choose Scale Mail when you could Choose Breastplate? After all, both are 14 + Dex (max +2). So, better than all previous armors unless you're a Rogue or something with +4 or +5 Dex and Studded Leather. Well, you might choose Scale because it's cheaper at only 50 GP. If you can get the same protection with Scale that you get with Breastplate, and Breastplate is 400 gp, well, even if you found Breastplate as loot, you'd likely sell it and keep the Scale because you'd get 8 times the gp from it. That said, Scale gives you Disadvantage on Stealth, while Breastplate doesn't, so if you aren't stealthy and don't plan on sneaking, ever, Scale beats Breastplate. But, if you plan on sneaking, sell the Scale and wear the Breastplate. Also, Breastplate weighs less, so it really is superior in most ways. The only time you'd want Scale over Breastplate is if you're never going to sneak and you're super strong so weight limitations mean nothing to you.
Finally, Half Plate - 15 + Dex (max +2). If you can get Half Plate, and you have Medium Armor Proficiency, of course you should equip it. It's the highest, best armor in the category. Oh... well, that is, unless you are stealthy. Half Plate gives Disadvantage on Stealth. So, naturally, if you are a Rogue or the like, Half Plate really wouldn't be your thing. Also, a Rogue - or whoever - with +5 Dex would do just as well with Studded Leather. Half Plate is also 750 gp and weighs 40 lbs, so if you aren't strong, Half Plate may not be your thing. Maybe you should pick something like Breastplate which is half the weight.
Heavy
Ringmail - Probably the most useless armor in the game. It is only good for those with 10 Dex, who don't sneak, ever, and if they are desperate and have nothing better in the Heavy Category that they can choose from. It only provides 14 AC, period, and it provides Disadvantage on Stealth. It is more expensive than all the Light Armors, and almost as expensive as a Chain Shirt, which weighs half as much. This said, some DM's will allow Druids to be equipped with Ringmail, but again, like Studded, only on rare occassions where the rings are made of bone or something natural. This CAN provide an upgrade to a strong Druid who chooses Heavy Armor Proficiency Feat at level 4, letting them go from Hide (at 12 AC without Dex bonus) to Ringmail (at 14 AC). Again, other than this, there isn't much use for Ringmail other than as a "I'm a desperate person who needs SOME protection on the battlefield."
Chain mail - Requires Strength 13 just to be able to wear it and Disadvantage on Stealth plus doesn't allow Dex bonus to be added. So, if you have a Dex bonus, Half Plate is better for sure, except that Chain mail costs WAY less. Starting clerics and fighters are given the option of having Chain Mail IF they have proficiency and Strength to be able to wear it (because not all clerics have Heavy armor proficiency, and many may not have the Strength 13 needed). So, naturally, if you have the prerequisites, it's a good starting armor for clerics and fighters. Paladins better start with Strength 13, at least, because their starting armor is Chain mail. Period. So, it is actually, typically, considered to be the true starting armor for heavier armor types, like fighter, cleric and paladin. Then they upgrade from here to bigger and better armor, like Splint or Plate.
Splint and Plate - Pretty much the same except AC is 17 for Splint and 18 for Plate. Why? Because it's the best. Both require Strength 15 to wear, so you have to be pretty strong. Also, if you have at least Dex +2, Half Plate protects just as well as Splint and weighs less. So, why not Half Plate instead of Splint? Well, if you don't have good Dex, Splint is better. Also, Splint costs a lot less than Half Plate. Plate, of course, is hard to beat in terms of defense. Even if you have high Dex, you won't beat AC 18 that Plate provides, so it is, if you can wear it, superior to all other armors and the highest armor you can get in the game short of magical armor. It, of course, gives Disadvantage on Stealth, as does Splint, so Rogues and other stealthy types won't like it, but it's not for them anyway. It's for your super tough fighter/paladin tanks.
So, why did I think Ragnarok was talking about Chain Mail? Because clerics shouldn't be starting with Chain Shirts. Their starting gear is either Chain Mail, Scale Mail or Leather depending on what fits your cleric best.
Why would druids wear Hide and not Studded? Because most Studded Leather has metal. Hide does not. Why not Chain Shirts for druids? Druids hate metal armor. It's taboo. Chain Shirts are made of metal.
Why is cost important even if not buying? Because you can sell more expensive armor and keep stuff that isn't as expensive if it offers the same or almost the same protection.
But what about Githyanki and Dwarf Wizards? Why limit Druids to no metal but not limit Githyanki and Dwarf Wizards?
Last I checked, Dwarves don't get armor proficiency based on race, nor do they get Shield proficiency, so I'm not sure what you mean by this. Last I checked, Githyanki get Light and Medium Armor proficiencies, but also not Shields. Yes, a Githyanki Wizard could have Medium Armor and that's pretty tough, but Githyanki have other limitations (or they don't have certain special abilities) that other races don't have (or have), which balances it out. Yes, a Githyanki Wizard can be pretty hard to kill with a Half Plate armor and lots of spells. That is true. However, it doesn't unbalance the game because Gith don't have +1 to every ability score, like humans, or Dwarven Resilience, or Dark Vision, or Keen Senses, or Trance, or Fey Ancestry, or whatever the other races have that they don't have. Besides, for a Wizard who knows Mage Armor, having armor proficiency at all really isn't that big of a deal. A Wizard with Mage Armor can get 13 AC + Dexterity Modifier for up to 8 hours at a time as long as they aren't wearing armor at all. So, a mage with +2 or +3 Dex can have just as good or better AC than someone with Scale or Half Plate Armor. So is the Gith ability to have Medium Armor as a Wizard really all that great?
So, unlimit druids so they can wear any armor and what do you get? A spellcaster with high damage spells who can heal, be a tank, turn into an animal and gain extra HP, and who can get up close and deal a lot of damage in close range combat. Limit their armor and suddenly druids are forced to support rather than be the have-all-be-all. If all they get is a max of 14 AC for armor because they won't wear anything with metal, suddenly, druids ain't so quick to run up close and be the focus of every enemy's attention. If they have a shield, sure, they might get to 16 AC, and that's pretty good, but it's still not something like 18-20 like you can get with fighters, clerics, paladins and the like. They might even be high dex druids wearing Leather instead, but it still limits their AC to roughly 16 or 17 at the most.
THAT is why they should be limited.
