Medium armor mastery; minor buff to make the feat more atractive to more characters:

[Horwath]

Medium armor mastery,

It now gives increase of max dex bonus to medium armor of +3 instead of default +2 and no stealth penalty for medium armors.


new bonuses;

Medium armor mastery; prerequirements; proficiency with medium armors.

You gain +1 AC while wearing light or medium armor.
Light and medium armor do not give disadvantage to stealth checks(just in case that later some light armor is with stealth penalty).

why this change; to make MAM feat more of an option to STR based classes(rangers, barbarians, fighters, paladins) that want a level of stealthiness but do not want to commit to full dex build.
dex 16 is expensive for a secondary attack stat. 14 is alot cheaper and now it comes with total same AC from it.

Also light armor is included in bonuses so characters with 20 dex and medium armor proficiency can have more options in armor selection (although not many with 20 dex will spend ASI on Medium armor mastery).

 

[CapnZapp]

I think you should first ask yourself why people don't take the armor feats.

The reason is that it is much more effective to gain their benefits from other sources.

By multiclassing correctly you can have the armor proficiencies you want. Or by picking a particular race (which is an even better, as in less expensive, option when it is available).

Just saying this because I think it is okay that these feats come across as underwhelming. I understand why they're there. They add verisimilitude to the game, explaining that, yes, you can too train in armor even though you didn't start out a fighter.

It's just so much more effective to do that: start out as a fighter, that is. (Or be a dwarf).

In the end, I personally am okay with nobody ever taking these feats.

But good luck with your homebrew

 

[Shiroiken]

In general, I approve of giving +1 AC rather than increasing the Max Dex Bonus. I wouldn't bother adding in the Light Armor bonus for two reasons. It's Medium Armor Mastery, not Light and Medium Armor Mastery. More importantly Light Armor wearers already have an advantage: they can focus on Dex as a primary ability.

 

[Horwath]

[MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION], I was talking about armor proficiency feats, but about armor mastery feat.

As for proficiency, yes half a feat is a cost too steep to pay for it.

Maybe armor proficiency feat can be molded into "skilled" feat. Then by replacing bonus skill proficiency you get armor proficiency. One by one basis.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That is a good fix. Another option is making it a half feat like heavy armor mastery.

 

[Horwath]

That is a good fix. Another option is making it a half feat like heavy armor mastery.

I have thought about it too. adding +1 dex to it. But that also forces it into dex build and I wanted to be viable for str build also. this way dex or str can have it both as 14 dex is easy to come by.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I have thought about it too. adding +1 dex to it. But that also forces it into dex build and I wanted to be viable for str build also. this way dex or str can have it both as 14 dex is easy to come by.

That is a good reasoning, but I personally don't see it as a big problem. +1 dex allows you to go from 15 dex to 16. That is +1 AC, stealth, initiative and saves which is a lot more than just AC +1. Both don't increase str. There is also no need to really max a stat. Effective? Yes. Needed? no. You can have 16 in both stats with ease, using a longbow in concert with a 2 handed weapon. The damage lost with 1 may be conpensated by always being able to attack no matter the range.
As a human you can even start with 16 in both stats when using the standard array.
A 14 Str and 16 Dex build allows for formidable climbing to advantageous shooting positions a 8 Str person won't easily reach.
So the +1 str or dex may come in handy. But +1 AC is simpler.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I've done something similar (but I only applied the +1 AC in medium armor) for pretty much the same reasons. By the book medium armor is only good for a strength-based character if that character doesn't have heavy armor proficiency. This change still leaves it mostly sub-par, but at least not as subpar.

 

[mellored]

That's the same houserule I use, without the light stuff.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I understand that 16 dex may be expensive, but is this really a necessary change?

Most Paladins I've seen don't care about stealth, so they are perfectly happy going for full plate and taking the disadvantage.

Most strength fighters are the same, and the dex based fighter is going to have a Dex 16

Barbarians generally either focus on things other than AC, or go for the unarmored defense, so the barbarian that cares enough about the stealth and AC is already going to have a higher dex.

That's a big thing I think, in my experience, most characters that care that much about stealth are going to have higher Dex scores.

Rangers probably are majority dex builds because of how good archery is for them.

There is nothing wrong with changing it, but it just seems the people who want this feat have a build that includes a higher dex most of the time, so I don't see the need.