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Message: <blockquote data-quote="luide" data-source="post: 5861970" data-attributes="member: 74205">Problem really is that making "realistic" armor clashes with lot of core design issues in D&D. Armor in D&D has been gamist from the start (options should be balanced against each other). If you want to make things realistic, it will screw up the game balance. For example, having properly fitted armour doesn't slow you down that much. It weighs a lot, and if you have true encumbrance rules that should be taken into account, but D&D basically assumes that a) encumbrance effects armor only b) strength doesn't affect armor encumbrance.So if you're aiming for realism, hide, chain, scale and plate users should be hit pretty much the same, dex bonus for AC should probably be lower of STR / DEX bonus for those wearing armor (probably with some minuses to str bonus for scale/plate).Also remember that  armor proficiences are game balance mechanic that aren't realistic at all. Third problem comes from scaling between levels. If you stick to any one DR value for armor, there's pretty small sweetspot where it works. For example, DR 5 is awesome at level 1 and ok at level 10, pretty meh at level 15 and more-or-less useless at level 20+. In my opinion, it's not worth the effort to try to make the system balanced with DR. AC as combination of hits glancing off armor and not being hit at all as acceptable compromise to me. For me, D&D scaling with damage with levels, lack of melee damage types (crushing, cutting, piercing etc), lack of encumbrance rules makes any attempt to use Armor as DR either 1) just as big compromise and unrealistic as the armor as AC or 2) so much work that I'd be better off using just using GURPs rules.</blockquote>

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