D&D General Reasons to prefer magical armor to more effective non-magical one

[Stormonu]

Roll on the magic item quirk table in the DMG. In 5E, magic items are no longer dime-a-dozen, so it is easier to remember and use those quirks in game.

 

[Weiley31]

Well for starters, the Bikini-Armor just has more aerodynamics for those jump action shots during intense scenes of movement. Which offers great gas mileage in avoiding air friction. Your normal/standard leather/plate armor doesn't offer that and isn't as durable as you would imagine.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

In 2E, we had two rules with magic armour:

1) Once identified, you could make it resize itself within reason, whereas normal armour had to be fitted to an individual - it was still sometimes specific to like gnome/halfling, dwarf, elf/human, etc. depending on the whim of the DM when he wrote it up, or sometimes would resize to any humanoid. It would thus also likely be more comfortable than "real" armour (which would be HUGE if you were wearing it all day).

Pretty sure that was already a standard rule in the books for magic armor by then.

 

[Steampunkette]

Studded Leather is just Brigandine Armor by a different name because Early D&D Designers didn't have access to the internet. It is a 100% Valid armor.

Die mad about it!

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Studded Leather is just Brigandine Armor by a different name because Early D&D Designers didn't have access to the internet. It is a 100% Valid armor.

Except brigandine would definitely not be light armour. It is pretty much a better, higher tech-level scale armour.

 

[Steampunkette]

Except brigandine would definitely not be light armour. It is pretty much a better, higher tech-level scale armour.

Brigandine doesn't have overlapping plates. If something happens to strike near the edge of a plate it's going to deflect between two and go right on through.

It weighs around 3kg. A Chain Hauberk is around 10kg. Scale Armor is in the range of 14-16kg, depending on thickness of scales.

Brigandine/Studded Leather is a light armor.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Brigandine doesn't have overlapping plates. If something happens to strike near the edge of a plate it's going to deflect between two and go right on through.

It weighs around 3kg. A Chain Hauberk is around 10kg. Scale Armor is in the range of 14-16kg, depending on thickness of scales.

Brigandine/Studded Leather is a light armor.

The plates do usually overlap and are generally larger than in scale armour. Also in scale the scales are exposed and small, so it is much easier to strike under the scales.

Scale weights a lot, because it is a low tech level armour that uses a lot of metal for mediocre protection. Brigandine is merely an update on the same concept, and it is bizarre that it would be less protective.

 

[Lanefan]

Why take magic armour?

--- it's more likely to fit, as it can resize itself
--- better saving throws for itself and its wearer
--- often allows higher functional dex than mundane armour of the same type
--- weighs less

 

[Kurotowa]

I am a big believer in having magic items that are not JUST +1 anything. They should all have some additional (preferably unique) properties.

This is not only a good idea, it's pretty much the only solution if you don't want to complicate AC into being more than one value. Which is definitely an option that earlier editions have used. If this were 3e you might house rule that magic armor adds it's +value to touch AC, for example. But 5e keeps things simple and AC is a flat global value, so if you want your players to look twice at chainmail +1 when they're already in plate armor you have to give it an advantage besides that AC number.

 

[Ancalagon]

Heh. You seem to admit that Studded Leather is ridiculous nonsense.

The thing is, there is no need for this ridiculous nonsense. Appropriate historical equivalent of "d&d studded leather" exist. Behold:

Jack of plate - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org