D&D 5E Armor Proficiencies

[TwoSix]

Now on to medium armor:
Level 1: DEX 12, AC 14/15 (chain shirt/scale mail)
Level 4: DEX 14, AC 15/16 (chain shirt/scale mail)
Level 6: DEX 14, AC 16/17 (breastplate/half plate)
As with heavy armor (and light armor), the upgrade at level 4 requires an ability score increase. Medium and heavy are different from light in that the level 6 upgrade is by equipment only.

My only quibble with this is that any class or subclass that caps at medium armor is going to have Dex as a tertiary stat at worst, so they can get a pretty easy level 1 Dex 14.

 

[coolAlias]

Or those who just have light armor proficiency and not medium or heavy.


Maybe, but there are a bunch of reasons that might not be the case. Off the top of my head:

1. Warlocks have light armor proficiency, but their caster stat is not Dex.
2. Bards have light armor proficiency, but their caster stat is not Dex.
3. Druids would often choose light armor, as their only real medium option is hide which is the same protection as studded leather. Their caster stat is not Dex.
4. Barbarians get light and medium armor proficiency but may well be focusing on other stats than Dex.
5. All mountain dwarves get light and medium armor proficiency, but may well be of a non-Dex class.
6. A lot of PCs will choose their armor based on magic armor they might find. If you were wearing Hide, but find +1 Studded Leather, you will change to the magic armor.

Or a dwarf.

Medium armor is better than light armor at most early levels, even with a 12 Dex.

Dwarves are certainly an exception to some of what I stated, but the rest of your points can be summed up as follows:

For anyone with any armor proficiency at all and with no other method of calculating AC, wearing the heaviest armor you can will almost always provide the best AC.

I don't disagree, I just didn't consider those types of characters when mentioning my stat breakdowns.

 

[Xeviat]

Dwarves are certainly an exception to some of what I stated, but the rest of your points can be summed up as follows:

For anyone with any armor proficiency at all and with no other method of calculating AC, wearing the heaviest armor you can will almost always provide the best AC.

I don't disagree, I just didn't consider those types of characters when mentioning my stat breakdowns.

If "almost all" included the Dex Ranger, I'd be with you.

 

[coolAlias]

If "almost all" included the Dex Ranger, I'd be with you.

The statement was in the context of characters whose primary stat is NOT Dex.

 

[Hriston]

Since Medium provides the same AC as Light, why would you assume different Dex scores?

Because the benefit of medium armor is that you don’t need to invest as much in DEX to have the same AC (if you take disadvantage on Stealth checks) thereby being able to invest in other abilities. If you’re wearing medium armor, there’s no benefit to AC in having a DEX above 14.

Before the availability of half plate (6th level), if your DEX is 18 or higher, you should wear studded leather unless you also have a STR 15 or higher and heavy armor proficiency. Once you can afford half plate, if your DEX is 20, you’re better off wearing studded leather unless your STR is 15 or higher, and you have heavy armor proficiency.

If the light armor guy starts at 16, just start the medium armor guy at 16, or at least 14. They're not likely starting 12 given the classes involved - 14 seems somewhat likely to me given the skills and initiative and saving throw involved with Dex.

The classes involved are barbarian, cleric, druid, and ranger. Ranger is the odd man out. A DEX-primary ranger should wear light armor, so medium armor proficiency is included only to enable STR-primary rangers. A STR ranger is still going to want a high DEX, though, so will probably max out his/her medium armor at 1st level. As s/he increases his/her DEX to 18 and above at higher levels, s/he may end up adopting light armor.

That leaves barbarian, cleric, and druid. Typically, none of these classes are going to have DEX higher than 3rd or 4th in importance. I’m assuming a starting array with the numbers 16, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8, which would give these characters a 13 or 12 in DEX at best. What am I missing?

Also, if we're assuming an ASI, why wouldn't the Medium armor guy just take the medium armor mastery. Their 16 Dex and a feat is now a higher AC that the 18 Dex guy in light armor...or even the 20 Dex guy in light armor.

Feats aren’t part of the base game, which is what I’m focused on, so my analysis doesn’t account for them.

 

[DND_Reborn]

You know, all this talk about armor proficiency made me think of something: what happens if you wear armor you aren't proficient in??? I am sure there is something in the PHB about it, but another player is borrowing mine and for the life of me, I can't think of the rule about not having proficiency...

 

[Mistwell]

That leaves barbarian, cleric, and druid. Typically, none of these classes are going to have DEX higher than 3rd or 4th in importance. I’m assuming a starting array with the numbers 16, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8, which would give these characters a 13 or 12 in DEX at best. What am I missing?

OK I will go through point-buy with some common races for those classes.

Barbarian Half-Orc: 16, 15, 14, 12, 10, 8
Hill Dwarf Cleric: 16, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8
Ghostwise Halfling Druid: 16, 16, 14, 10, 10, 8

Not seeing the issue. A 14 Dex as the third stat should be very common. If you start with Medium armor proficiency, you will almost certainly also start with a 14 Dex. At least that's my experience, and the experience of others in this thread. AC is one of the only things that doesn't reliably increase with level. You're going to want to look out for it from level one.

 

[coolAlias]

Seconding [MENTION=2525]Mistwell[/MENTION] here - I don't know that I've ever seen a character who has (and plans to use) medium armor proficiency have a Dex less than 14, regardless of class, race, or stat generation choice.

 

[S'mon]

I don't know how frequently this has (or hasn't been) debated but I feel that that heavy armor should be +2 to what it currently is, and medium armor should be +1. There was a reason why people wore it - because it was hugely effective.

Take a look at the Armored Combat League to see just how protective plate is.

You can add in some better armour types.
In 5e Primeval Thule, Bronze Cuirass is Medium +6 AC, 900gp.
In my 5e Golarion, Hellknight Plate is Heavy +9 AC. You could add in some kind of Gothic Plate with the same effect; maybe 2500gp or 3000gp?

 

[S'mon]

Seconding [MENTION=2525]Mistwell[/MENTION] here - I don't know that I've ever seen a character who has (and plans to use) medium armor proficiency have a Dex less than 14, regardless of class, race, or stat generation choice.

Yup, me too. Especially with Point Buy, DEX 14 is very much the standard allocation.