D&D 5E What potential problems are there with this medium armor fix?

[Kobold Stew]

Thinking a bit more, I realize that issues of verisimilitude and armour do shape my thinking quite a bit. There are choices that I make as a player, regardless of how a DM enforces the rules (I don't insist on them as a DM, so they're not house rules; they are however part of how I make sense of Armour in D&D for characters I play).

When I choose armour for a character, I assume the following are true:
* armours that give disadvantage to Dex (Stealth) checks also give disadvantage to Strength (Athletics) and Dex (Acrobatics) checks for movement (so swimming in plate is harder than swimming in leather).
* it is not possible to get the benefits of a long rest when sleeping in heavy armour.
* donning/doffing times as in the PHB can't be shortened.
* in social contexts, heavy armour creates a negative impression that gives disadvantage to Cha (Persuasion, Performance, Deception) checks.

These don't actually need to be true in the game world to shape how I play my character; it gives me choices to make that I find interesting, even if they're not required by the DM: I enjoy playing characters interrupted during their rest and adopting different tactics than they would otherwise because they aren't in armour.

 

[Tony Vargas]

A lot of us recognize that medium armor is mechanically problematic. Here's my proposed fix:

If you wear medium armor, you add your Dexterity or Strength modifier (your choice), to a maximum of +2, to the base number from your armor type to determine your Armor Class.

I don't see a huge problem with it. Adding STR to AC may seem strange. Adding the /lower/ of STR or DEX to AC could 'realistically' represent high enough STR letting you move more or less unencumbered by the armor, which lets you take advantage of DEX if you've got it....

That creates the same problem that you dislike, punishing a high STR build with a 'need' for good DEX, as well. I think it'd be nice if medium armor were part of a cluster of mechanics that made OK-good STR & DEX builds more viable, rather than 'punishing' high-STR builds. Not sure what that'd be, exactly...


Edit: Ok, I thought of one. It's a little fiddly...

When you attack with a one-handed weapon (other than the rapier), a versatile weapon used two-handed, or a ranged weapon (other than a crossbow), you can combine your STR and DEX modifier to attack and damage, up to a total of +4.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

I have no problems with Medium Armor -- most characters I make chose it, even when they have heavy armour proficiency, because a breastplate or chain shirt work so much better in my mind's eye for day-to-day adventuring than a character clumping around in Plate mail all the time.

Wouldn't an even simpler solution be to cap the AC benefit from Dexterity of light armour at +4?

I think that accomplishes your goals.

No, that just makes Mage Armor more attractive.

RE: OP's proposal, I dislike it aesthetically (it doesn't make sense for Str to increase your AC) and it also seems mechanically unnecessary. Medium armor already has a niche. It's better than light armor for everyone except hyper-agile Dex 20 characters, for whom both armor types are competitive. If you have low Dexterity, on the other hand, you really want heavy armor to cancel out your Dex penalty AND give you some decent protection.

Medium armor as a category is just fine. If you want something to worry about, worry about the fact that padded armor is just awful.

 

[Kobold Stew]

No, that just makes Mage Armor more attractive.

More attractive to whom? This is just introducing another variable. Because you prefix it with "no" it sounds like an argument against, but since the concern of the OP was that bevy armour was too good, I do not see how this is relevant.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

More attractive to whom? This is just introducing another variable. Because you prefix it with "no" it sounds like an argument against, but since the concern of the OP was that bevy armour was too good, I do not see how this is relevant.

Fair enough. Since I don't understand the OP's concerns in the first place (I keep rereading the section on "The problem with Medium Armor" but I can't follow the logic), perhaps you are better than I am at spotting whether your solution mitigates the OP's concerns.

 

[guachi]

Wouldn't an even simpler solution be to cap the AC benefit from Dexterity of light armour at +4?

I think that accomplishes your goals.

I was wasting mental power at work today thinking about medium armor.

I think this is a better solution. The"problem" between light and medium armor crops up when you get that +5 in dexterity. This, generally speaking, won't occur until sixth level (for a fighter) or eighth level (everyone else).

Medium armor is now equal to light armor for no disadvantage at sneaking, but it costs a lot more to get there. And medium armor is still one less than heavy for sneaking disadvantage.

 

[guachi]

As for padded armor - boost its AC by one.

Heck, I'd boost its AC by one and eliminate studded leather armor.

 

[jaelis]

As for padded armor - boost its AC by one.

Heck, I'd boost its AC by one and eliminate studded leather armor.

My fix for padded, hide, and ring armors: you can use them without penalty at one lower level of proficiency (thought they still count as armor of their type). So wizard could use padded armor without penalty (other than to stealth), a rogue could use hide, and a ranger could use ring. That makes padded an option for non-proficient types, and it makes hide and ring better options for things like outfitting an army on a budget.

 

[Kobold Stew]

My fix for padded, hide, and ring armors: you can use them without penalty at one lower level of proficiency (thought they still count as armor of their type). So wizard could use padded armor without penalty (other than to stealth), a rogue could use hide, and a ranger could use ring. That makes padded an option for non-proficient types, and it makes hide and ring better options for things like outfitting an army on a budget.

My solution has always been to assume no one ever uses any of these three. This is better!

 

[CapnZapp]

I think the concern is that for everyone but a barbarian, all those characters have the option to be Dex based and, from an optimization perspective, they should.

That still leaves barbarians.