Super Simple Armor

[mrpopstar]

It sounds about right. If you used these rules, instead of the ones in the book, the game would not suffer significantly for it.

It does raise the question of why anyone would buy plate armor, if scale armor was just as effective and also cheaper (or easier to make), but I'm sure you have a reasonable answer for that.

I missed the rest of your post!

Scale armor is a medium armor so would net you a max AC 17, and plate armor is a heavy armor so would net you a max AC 18 (notice light armor nets you a max AC 16). I cost the only concern, or are the AC numbers too close?

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Scale armor is a medium armor so would net you a max AC 17, and plate armor is a heavy armor so would net you a max AC 18 (notice light armor nets you a max AC 16). I cost the only concern, or are the AC numbers too close?

The numbers are fine. Heavy armor is better than medium armor is better than light armor, under ideal circumstances.

My concern is that plate armor has always been a prestige item, in the game and historically. Every fighter wants plate, because it's amazing; but not everyone can have plate, because it's expensive. Under this change, the most expensive plate armor is not any more effective than the ring mail that any chump can afford. So does that mean plate armor is just cosmetic, for rich people to show off how rich they are? And everyone knows that it's a waste of money?

 

[mrpopstar]

<snip> Scrap that.

 

[mrpopstar]

The numbers are fine. Heavy armor is better than medium armor is better than light armor, under ideal circumstances.

My concern is that plate armor has always been a prestige item, in the game and historically. Every fighter wants plate, because it's amazing; but not everyone can have plate, because it's expensive. Under this change, the most expensive plate armor is not any more effective than the ring mail that any chump can afford. So does that mean plate armor is just cosmetic, for rich people to show off how rich they are? And everyone knows that it's a waste of money?

I see what you're saying.

I'm amenable to something binary like masterwork that offers a cost differentiator making more expensive armors more attractive in terms of their benefit. What might that look like? +1 or +2 AC for masterwork? Do the base numbers shift?

 

[mrpopstar]

Is heavy armor 18 AC too high at first level?

 

[mrpopstar]

<snip> Nah.

 

[guachi]

I'd be tempted to lower the strength requirement on medium armor to 11.

 

[mrpopstar]

I'd be tempted to lower the strength requirement on medium armor to 11.

Why are you so tempted?



In the most basic terms, barbarian, cleric, druid, fighter, paladin and ranger are proficient with medium armor. Let's work from that baseline.

 

[Staccat0]

I've thought about doing this my entire D&D life but have never had the guts. As a player it always annoys me when I SHOULD take an armor mathematically that doesn't match the aesthetic I am going for haha.

 

[Horwath]

I like it.

But I would add that light armor is 13+dex(max 4)

as for price:

light armor 50gp

medium 200gp

heavy 1000gp