Is heavy armor overblown?

[VirgilCaine]

In my opinion, the drawbacks of platemail out wiegh its advantages to adventurers.

Now, for a mounted horseman fighting on open ground in predictable times and places, or a castle defender waiting out a seige, platemail is a really good deal. For an adventurer in hostile wilderness environments, lighter armor is the way to go.

This also applies to heavy armor in general, correct? Because I don't like every person in non-leather armor having plate mail either--it's WAAAAYYY too expensive for anyone but a very rich or very powerful person to own.

 

[Staffan]

This also applies to heavy armor in general, correct? Because I don't like every person in non-leather armor having plate mail either--it's WAAAAYYY too expensive for anyone but a very rich or very powerful person to own.

Thing is, with the way magic items works in D&D, it's pretty much pointless to make magic armor out of anything other than a mithral chain shirt or full plate (OK, leather if you're a druid), and mid-level fighting-types in D&D will have magic armor. (Masterwork) Full Plate buys you 8 points of AC for 1,650 gp, which is pretty much as cheap as high AC gets. Using chain mail or something like that gets pointless around 4th level or so.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Heavy armour is not useless

I agree with the sentiment that when sticking to the expected point buys and the like, Heavy armour does earn its place as being useful. Depending on mobility for a high AC ends up creating a fairly easy to exploit weakness. Deny mobility, and you deny Dex / Dodge related AC. As a general case, the weakness may not be an issue, but it may need to be exploited only once to become painful.

Nightmare Scenario 1: Your stunned and exposed to multiple sneak attacks. You lose Dex + Dodge AC, and will take a great deal of damage from each attack that hits.

Nightmare Scenario 2: You get nailed by a spell that takes a way Dex + Dodge, and the caster has the support of mulitple archers. You are now goint to impersonate a Pin cushion until the spell expires.

Plausible Scenario 1: You get caught flat footed by an ambush manned by many Archers.

Plausible Scenario 2: You face opponents who inflict Dex Damage.

Plausible Scenario 3: You are attacked in a situation where you cannot use Dex / Dodge.

In these situations, even if the weakness is only for a round or two, and mid to high levels, you can get dog piled and taken down shockingly fast. For Plausible 2, your probably not as bad off since you just end up vulnerable instead of dead (low dex high armor opponent is just dead from dex damage before AC becomes an issue).

Also, If your bent on taking a class path that needs stats in places other then Dex (such as a Paladin which needs many stats to be good to get the best of the benefits of the class), Dex + Dodge may just be a non viable option.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Warehouse23]

What are the rules for armor and riding? Of course knights in days of yore didn't try to hustle around the battlefield in uber-plate; they rode! Being on a mount cuts out the "slow speed" and "movement modifiers" problems with heavy armor.

Why don't we see more heavily armored halflings on war dogs?

 

[gizmo33]

I think one of the problems here is the bias that medieval armor is restrictive in it's movement. Medieval plate armor designed for war does not require knights to be mounted in order for them to fight effectively. In fact, there's evidence that knights fought on foot in formation frequently. Think of all the time they spent scaling castle and city walls. The whole "I need a crane to get on my horse" idea is a ridiculous myth that plays on the concept that an armored knight is a stupid oaf. The idea that a character of any dexterity would choose not to be armored in war IMO is goofy - but I guess it makes for good dungeonpunk.

 

[Stalker0]

Thing is, in real life, heavy armor was always the prefered choice....but it was also insanely expensive compared to what most people had, it just wasn't possible for most people to have full plate.

In dnd, pcs quickly gain the money needed to get full plate...and making it more expensive would just delay the inevitable...eventually your whole party would be in full plate if armors were done more "realistically."

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Why don't we see more heavily armored halflings on war dogs?

I think it's because:

Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

What are the rules for armor and riding?

Armour check penalty does not apply to the ride skill. Riding a mount complements heavy armour nicely & if the DM gives the ok, even a fighter can get a bulked up mount via 'leadership'.

 

[Bront]

Of course, the dex fighters big advantage is against touch attacks, most heavy fighters often have 10 or 11 touch ACs.

Meanwhile, guys in heavy armor have higher flat footed ACs.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

...or simply cave in to a whining player that hasn't got his 17 or 18 he "absolutely needs or he'll be useless".

Well, it's better than listening to him whine about it until I get fed up and kill his character, eliciting the inevitable "see, I told you so. If I had three 17s I wouldn't have died there."

28 point buy or nothing.