Zardnaar
Legend
Every single character cares about AC. If you want to pretend that only front-liners do, then cross off all the ranged attackers whom light armor gives a good AC as well, all the casting clerics with heavy armor who want to be protected, etc. But I can tell you we often have squishies in the back line targeted, be it to kill them off or to break concentration.
It isn't at all the same as weapons for non-weapon wielders - those get used infrequently while every character gets attacked.
You are exactly right, now follow your statement to it's conclusion.
Unless your character build invests heavily in DEX, Medium Armor is superior to Light Armor. Your valor bard who's boosting CHR, your clerics who's domain don't grant heavy armor and will never have have a reason to increase DEX - but are still up there casting spirit guardians (or just don't want to be hit to keep up concentration buffs), and so on. There are plenty of classes that are not served by pumping all of their ASIs into DEX but still don't want to be hit.
With the default array it's really only good on ranged spellcasters that don't want to melee. It's because of MAD.
A melee cleric us going to want decent Dex, con, strength and wisdom all benefit from being 14 or higher.
A ranged cleric is perfectly fine with 14 Dex/con and can buff wisdom. Very good for nature clerics and light clerics.
Rangers also are decent with medium armor and they can buff strength.
It's also ok in that situation where you have 20 strength and 16 Dex and take medium armor master.
Valor bards are in the same boat as melee clerics using medium armor. ,4 decent stats with the default array is rough.
With rolled stats medium armor is better if you have higher than average ability scores. The Valor hard starts looking a lot better with 4 scores of 14 to 18 level one.
Since most games don't go past level 10 you only have 2 ASIs for the most part unless you're a fighter. Fighters function fine on two decent stats, so do Rogues.
It's almost a waste of time being a melee based primary caster trying to use medium armor with the default array.
Note Hexblades can use it well as they can hit 14 Dex and con and put all ASIs into charisma.
You really need to know how to use it, otherwise if you're a primary caster always go ranged. It's a big reason why valor bards are regarded as weaker than lore bards. Light clerics for example are very meh at melee but make a very good invoker substitute.
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