D&D 5E Plate Mail and hobgoblins

[Superking]

Just off the cuff

The hobgoblin Warlord known as Thago, earned his plate armor at a young age after defeating a rival warlord named Ru-tach. His victory on the field of battle marked the beginning of Thago's rise to power and by donning the armor, earned the respect he needed to command his own legion of hobgoblin warriors.

 

[iserith]

The warlord claimed the armor after slaying an adventurer of minor renown years prior. Etched into the inside of the breast plate is a map and strange runes that comprise a cipher. When decoded, it reveals the location of the ruins of a mysterious lost civilization.

 

[Derren]

Why is plate armor now so special as if they were magic items?
Those things were mass produced.

 

[Warbringer]

Just off the cuff

The hobgoblin Warlord known as Thago, earned his plate armor at a young age after defeating a rival warlord named Ru-tach. His victory on the field of battle marked the beginning of Thago's rise to power and by donning the armor, earned the respect he needed to command his own legion of hobgoblin warriors.

Then by definition the party can claim the plate as booty

 

[Sacrosanct]

Different limb proportions would render it unwearable. As would different body length to width. And different muscle distribution.

EG: Conan's armor won't work for Porthos, despite being the same height and weight... Porthos carries his in belly fat, Conan in much lean muscle. And Conan could probably wear Porthos' armor, but it wouldn't work as well because it would swing like a bell.

Curious. So can I assume in your games that no PC can ever wear plate mail they find during an adventure without having it modified by a blacksmith then, since the odds of two people being the exact same build are pretty darn improbable?

 

[Prism]

I also think a few posters are being a bit harsh on the poor hobgoblin warlord. It says in the hobgoblin entry that they look after their weapons and armour very well. A hobgoblin warlord is the pinnacle of his kind and leads an entire legion into battle. In games terms he is 13HD and gets 3 attacks a round with a big damage boost. If you are going to find an opponent wearing plate mail its probably him and if you defeat him you probably deserve it, considering you either fought (or sneaked) though a legion of hobgoblins to get to him.

I'd go with the cost to refit option

Btw the knight also wears plate and is only cr3

 

[Beleriphon]

Curious. So can I assume in your games that no PC can ever wear plate mail they find during an adventure without having it modified by a blacksmith then, since the odds of two people being the exact same build are pretty darn improbable?

I don't know. Two knights of similar height, weight and age are probably pretty similar to each other in build. If you look at most professional atheletes that play the same sport they tend to have pretty similar body types if they're the same height and weight. I'm pretty sure that Michael Jordan and any other basketball player of the same height and weight would be able to wear each other's tailored suits without too much trouble or discomfort.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Either way, don't forget to change the challenge rating for higher AC.

Per DMG guidelines, you can assign any AC that makes sense without affecting CR at all. That's why hobgoblins have AC 18 at CR 1/4.

 

[Warbringer]

Per DMG guidelines, you can assign any AC that makes sense without affecting CR at all. That's why hobgoblins have AC 18 at CR 1/4.

Page 274 suggests increasing the CR by 1 for every 2 points defense higher than the monster stat table suggests for its hit points.

As plate is +2 I'd shift the CR to 1.

Now if this guy is already a Warlord CR 6, then he indeed is already is assumed to have plate and shield

 

[Sacrosanct]

I don't know. Two knights of similar height, weight and age are probably pretty similar to each other in build. If you look at most professional atheletes that play the same sport they tend to have pretty similar body types if they're the same height and weight. I'm pretty sure that Michael Jordan and any other basketball player of the same height and weight would be able to wear each other's tailored suits without too much trouble or discomfort.

I agree with you. I was just asking for clarification because he said the PC wouldn't be able to use hobgoblin armor, and even two adult humans wouldn't be able to use each others unless it was tailored for them. So I was asking if he had that limit all the time. I.e., no plate mail found would be useable unless it was tailored.