D&D 5E Any One Have Variant Armor Rules?

[Shiroiken]

I've found it matters what character creation method is used. With Standard Array or Point Buy, Medium Armor is very niche, since most character will either dump Dex or max it out. With Rolled Scores, Medium Armor becomes much, much better, because many classes that do not get Heavy Armor aren't Dex heavy by default.

In the Thule game I play in, we have 2 Medium Armor, 2 Light Armor, and 2 no-armor. My Greyhawk game has 2 Heavy, 1 Medium, 2 Light, and 1 no-armor. Both of these games use rolled characters, and so we see a pretty good mix of armor types.

I totally agree with the 3E failure of one "best" type of armor for each proficiency, and really wish there was a better way of doing it.

 

[CapnZapp]

Most heavy armors do have move penalties, assuming the players involved aren't outright refusing to use heavy armor on characters that don't meet the strength requirement to avoid them

I believe he means move penalties that aren't so easily avoided.

The problem, I think, isn't that players refuse to use armor they would be penalized for; but that they never need to.

If you have a lousy Strength, you never need to feel any consequences. You can pick a finesse weapon (ignore low Strength) and you can wear light or medium armor for similar:ish AC.

Yes, there exists a definite set of ability scores for where the rules present a real conundrum. But mostly that impacts NPCs.

The core issue is that the rules that can result in drawback for having a low Strength (or Dexterity) set the respective bars very low compared to the generous character generation rules.

IF you use random roll AND you roll mediocre scores, then yes. But that's two rather big ifs*.


*) One of them was an and, but still...

 

[CapnZapp]

I totally agree with the 3E failure of one "best" type of armor for each proficiency, and really wish there was a better way of doing it.

The problem isn't that there aren't solutions with more than one "best" armor, the problem is that there probably aren't any that doesn't add complexity... and since AC is a very core concept, complexity would mean the entire game would slow down.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

IF you use random roll AND you roll mediocre scores, then yes. But that's two rather big ifs*.

I disagree that using random rolls is a "big if" - it's the default rule of the game, and every time I've ever given players at my table a choice between rolling or point buying, the vast majority vote for rolling.

And even when not rolling, it is not at all guaranteed that no character will end up with scores that don't include a low enough strength to be penalized by heavier armor and a low enough dexterity to get a better AC out of using medium or heavy armor rather than light. Regardless that your group would never prioritize their characters' ability scores in such a way.

 

[Satyrn]

To me it seems more that people are operating under the assumption that a score will either be at it's maximum possible value, or it will be 10 or less - so they just don't think that any character would have a +2 dexterity modifier.

My gnome battlemaster with a high Dex (16) wears breastplate. There's no sense going down to studded leather until (unless) I boost that Dex up to 20, and I'm probably not doing that until some high level we're never gonna reach anyway.

Especially since a swashbuckler dual wielding rapiers ought to wear a glittering breastplate.

 

[Satyrn]

The problem, I think, isn't that players refuse to use armor they would be penalized for; but that they never need to.

I like that the posted you quoted includes an example of a player doing exactly what you say we never need to.

 

[CapnZapp]

I disagree that using random rolls is a "big if" - it's the default rule of the game, and every time I've ever given players at my table a choice between rolling or point buying, the vast majority vote for rolling.

And even when not rolling, it is not at all guaranteed that no character will end up with scores that don't include a low enough strength to be penalized by heavier armor and a low enough dexterity to get a better AC out of using medium or heavy armor rather than light. Regardless that your group would never prioritize their characters' ability scores in such a way.

Just trying to explain why it would seem to you that people assume either a maxxed or dumped Strength.

Please don't say "it's the default rules" to justify turning a blind eye to the fact that many many groups prefer point buy (especially in the States, or so I've heard).

Besides there was two big ifs* - you can't just disagree to one of them. I never said using random rolls is a big if. I said using random rolls AND getting mediocre results. I don't think it's far-fetched at all to assume most groups aren't basing their characters on that. Instead I think that is precisely why things might seem like you say.

*) well...

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

Just trying to explain why it would seem to you that people assume either a maxxed or dumped Strength.

Pardon me, but it read as though your explanation for why it seemed that way to me is that you were saying 'Or course it seems that way, that's how it is" which didn't seem a helpful explanation.

Please don't say "it's the default rules" to justify turning a blind eye to the fact that many many groups prefer point buy (especially in the States, or so I've heard).

Your accusation is false, and entirely baseless. I have turned no blind eye.

Besides there was two big ifs* - you can't just disagree to one of them.

I actually disagreed with both. That bit about how players prioritize their scores doesn't just apply to point buy.

I don't think it's far-fetched at all to assume most groups aren't basing their characters on that.

I think it is far-fetched to assume that most groups aren't ever playing any characters that don't have at least one of a 15+ Strength or 18+ Dexterity, which is what is required for the scenario of heavy armor having no penalties and anyone not wearing heavy armor being better off with light armor rather than medium.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

My gnome battlemaster with a high Dex (16) wears breastplate. There's no sense going down to studded leather until (unless) I boost that Dex up to 20, and I'm probably not doing that until some high level we're never gonna reach anyway.

Especially since a swashbuckler dual wielding rapiers ought to wear a glittering breastplate.

Yeah, I have seen quite a few characters (and even play one myself) at my table which fall firmly into medium armor being a better choice - either because light armor would be an AC reduction, or because heavy armor would penalize stealth and sometimes movement speed too (the character I play is probably going to take medium armor mastery at some point, and is very unlikely to raise dexterity above the 16 its already at because I already almost never miss attacks and haven't felt like it takes too long for the party to take our opponents down).

 

[Satyrn]

the character I play is probably going to take medium armor mastery at some point, and is very unlikely to raise dexterity above the 16 its already at because I already almost never miss attacks and haven't felt like it takes too long for the party to take our opponents down.

Yeah, I'm still waffling on ever bothering to raise my Dex. I want more combat options. Defensive Duelist looks like a far more fun way to avoid getting hit, and should feel much more swashbucklery.