D&D 5E DMG Excerpt: Wonderous Items

[Tormyr]

Yes, for the PCs who find this useless piece of crap. Really I would take a +1 armor over that any time. Heck, I'd propably sell it even if I don't have another magical armor and buy something useful from the money.

I don't know. That adamantine armor will negate probably as much damage as a difference in AC of 1. And it would negate the big hits instead of the slowly strung out damage. I know our Paladin would have preferred to take 12d6 instead of 24d6 when the assassin surprised him.

 

[KarinsDad]

I don't know. That adamantine armor will negate probably as much damage as a difference in AC of 1. And it would negate the big hits instead of the slowly strung out damage. I know our Paladin would have preferred to take 12d6 instead of 24d6 when the assassin surprised him.

Yes, the sole purpose of this item is to stop spike damage.

On the other hand, it doesn't stop riders. So with +1 armor, xDy+z plus riders is stopped 5% of the time, with this armor an extra xDy damage is (typically) stopped 5% of the time. Compared to paralysis (as one example), an extra 12D6 damage might in some circumstances be preferable. In other cases, that damage will kill the PC (or minimally make him go unconscious) and the adamantine armor would be preferable.

 

[Bugleyman]

Once again...beautiful art and graphic design.

 

[Tormyr]

Yes, the sole purpose of this item is to stop spike damage.

On the other hand, it doesn't stop riders. So with +1 armor, xDy+z plus riders is stopped 5% of the time, with this armor an extra xDy damage is (typically) stopped 5% of the time. Compared to paralysis (as one example), an extra 12D6 damage might in some circumstances be preferable. In other cases, that damage will kill the PC (or minimally make him go unconscious) and the adamantine armor would be preferable.

Sure. In my case, the assassin rolled ridiculously low. Seeing as this armor is only uncommon, I could see +x adamantine popping up at 1 rarity level higher than the +X armor normally would be. A +1 adamantine would block about as much as +2 regular armor.

 

[KarinsDad]

Sure. In my case, the assassin rolled ridiculously low. Seeing as this armor is only uncommon, I could see +x adamantine popping up at 1 rarity level higher than the +X armor normally would be. A +1 adamantine would block about as much as +2 regular armor.

That would be dream armor for a fighter, especially if the DM almost never handed out +2 armor.

 

[grizzo]

Make lots of potato salad.

 

[Iosue]

Normal +1 armor stops dice+mods damage plus any riders (like ghoul paralyzation) 5% of the time.

This armor stops extra dice damage (typically) 5% of the time.

So, normal +1 armor is better the vast majority of the time unless you are facing a foe with a better than 5% crit chance and no riders.

A couple things. In general, crits happen on a nat 20, but some monsters can crit with a 19.

Secondly, that's not the only way to crit. If you're paralyzed or unconscious, any hit is automatically a critical hit, unless you have this armor. If you're unconscious and making death saves, any hit is a critical that makes you fail two saves, unless you have this armor.

All that is situational, and a simple +1 may still be the better choice (if you have one). But that doesn't mean adamantine armor is useless, as Mirtek suggested. It's clearly a better choice than non-adamantine armor of the same AC.

 

[KarinsDad]

It's clearly a better choice than non-adamantine armor of the same AC.

Yup.

 

[Agamon]

There's a magic item on the list that's better than another one? Stop the presses!

Who want's a +1 sword, when there's vorpal, amiright?

 

[Li Shenron]

I think you meant hp. In the example above, if the fighter was wearing the Amulet of Health and had 114 hp (its max) and removed the Amulet of Health, its max hp would drop to 103 hp and the current hp would be above the new max hp. So the current hp would drop to 103 hp, the max.

Long story short: the current hp cannot be above the max hp. That is what temp hp is for, and this isn't temp hp.

Yes but I meant in the first phase: if you have 103/103hp, put on the amulet, would you rule you now have 114/114hp or 103/114hp?