D&D 5E (2014) At what level do your heavy armored characters get their plate mail?

[SkidAce]

Whenever they decide to acquire it in character, or defeat an opponent wearing it. Or find it in an old ruin.

I dont place it specifically, but usually between 3 and 5ish.

 

[Voadam]

I generally prefer a B/X model where it can be starting equipment and the PC can stick with one look through their adventuring career instead of upgrading to different suits throughout.

5e decides otherwise and puts plate at the top of the normal pile but out of starting equipment range.

It is annoying to have plate mail be the one thing money can't buy at first level and pretty much the only thing money can really upgrade later in the game.

When I have characters start at 1st level they get starting stuff and we see how it goes. If they come in at higher level I generally say have whatever mundane equipment on your person you want including plate mail if you want.

 

[Voadam]

double post

 

[Horwath]

2nd level at lastest, and at 20% of current price.

class features should not be gated this hard by mundane equipment.

Also mithril and adamantium armor is not magical, its just another mundane(but more rare and expensive) material.

and there is less clutter if there is only few armors in the book

Light; studded leather
Medium: breastplate(stealth), halfplate(no stealth)
Heavy: fullplate


after few levels it all boils down to those 4 armors, so why waste print space.

in 3.5 with variable max dex and ACP+ASF there was reason for 10+ armors, now there is none.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Would be nice if this was the one time crafting was relevant. Save half the gold on a full plate, actually makes a difference! However, it would also take 300 days, and many DnD games don't have downtime, and then you'd have to pay for the full party's lifestyle for a year...

I'd probably have them upgrade their heavy armor in steps, as they take armor bits off from enemy bosses (with some crafting/costs to adjust the size to match the PC).

 

[DeviousQuail]

Early on in 5e I reverse engineered how much money and magic items characters should have by level based on the dmg. Obviously, that's just a guideline, but it showed that characters would surpass the 1500gp mark around level 5. Level 5 is also a big upgrade with extra attacks, 3rd level spells, and prof bonus increasing. So it felt right to me that any heavy armor characters get access to plate mail somewhere around there. Access being a stand in for buy, earn, or find as the setting permits.

 

[Blue]

Last campaign I ran the players were all special agents of the Imperium, and I told them at character creation they can pick any mundane gear, though a limit of 3 healing potions each. Part of this was that they would be heading to a new continent and have little chance to buy things for quite a while. So 1st.

A few campaigns I played in ago the DM still had "plate armor needs to be customized for each wearer" and I was playing a Loxodon Cleric. We didn't get enough gold until like 6th to purchase it, and then the several weeks in-game to get Loxodon-sized plate we were like 8th. (We were in the largest metropolis on the continent, with plenty of Loxodon citizens including a whole neighborhood, and part of the standing army of Athena. No idea why it took so long.)

But usually it's around 3rd or 4th depending on how we do treasure. 3rd if the party outfits folks and we don't have other high expenses - worth it to protect the tank. 4th if it's "here's your share, go for it", and that often involves borrowing from other PCs without high expenses.

 

[Blue]

I generally prefer a B/X model where it can be starting equipment and the PC can stick with one look through their adventuring career instead of upgrading to different suits throughout.

5e decides otherwise and puts plate at the top of the normal pile but out of starting equipment range.

5e has a bunch of armors that have zero mechanical reason to exist - except that they cost less. So they have to justify it some way.

It is annoying to have plate mail be the one thing money can't buy at first level and pretty much the only thing money can really upgrade later in the game.

Umm, you're buying Breastplate (400gp) or Half Plate (700gp) at 1st level?

Heck, even Split (200gp) is out of reach.

When I have characters start at 1st level they get starting stuff and we see how it goes. If they come in at higher level I generally say have whatever mundane equipment on your person you want including plate mail if you want.

I'm the same way.

 

[the Jester]

There's no hard and fast rule for this. It depends on when they find or purchase some, which depends on the risks they take. I run a pretty hardcore sandbox, so it's really up to the group.

 

[Blue]

class features should not be gated this hard by mundane equipment.

It's not. There are several affordable Heavy Armors.

Just like there are affordable Medium armors and then those you need to save for.