Level Up (A5E) Removing medium armor and adding strength to all armors as minimum ratings.

[Horwath]

I don't mind dropping or keeping medium armor, but I do think its high time we get away from a variety of armors with differing ACs. It never works, players are always choosing the best armors to get their AC.

So I'm good with more static AC armors, and then use secondary qualities to make the armors distinct and interesting.

Maybe then go with 13th age-like solution to armor?

Fighter/paladin:
Light: 14+dex
Heavy: 19

Barbarian/ranger/cleric:
Light: 13+dex
Heavy: 17

Rogue/druid/warlock/bard
Light: 12+dex
Heavy: 15

Wizard/sorcerer/monk:
Light: 11+dex
Heavy: 13

Heavy armor gives disadvantage on stealth and reduces speed if you do not have 16 strength.

A half-feat can be made that bumps up category of armor by 1 step better.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Why would lighter armour ever become less useful if your Strength goes up?

Magic leather that gives AC 15 and cold resistance is going to work exactly the same if your Strength is 11 or 17, right?

The most important thing that armor does is determine your AC. Like, to an overwhelming degree. Anything else it does is incidental at best.

When given the option between AC 15 and cold resistance, or upgrading to AC 16 (with no other benefit) at a trivial GP cost, it's no contest. Maybe I'll save the old armor to wear as pajamas, but it's objectively inferior to a cheap mundane item for the one thing that actually matters.

 

[Minigiant]

I'd also throw a maximum-Dexterity-allowed number onto some of those. Say, max 18 for Wood and Laminar, max 17 for Splint and Steel Plate, max 16 for Bronze Plate and Heavy Plate. (thus, a character with Dex 18 wearing Heavy Plate would function in all ways as if Dex 16, as that's all the armour will allow)

This forces a choice between going Strength-primary or Dexterity-primary.

Nah. I'm against caps on armor. If anything, I'd have the Stealth penalty apply to all "Dex" checks in your Str doesn't meet the requirements.

Medium Armor	AC	Stealth Penalty
Furs	11 + Dex (max 2)
Gladiator (helm+ arm + legs)	11 + Dex (max 3)
Hide	12 + Dex (max 2)
Plate Coat	13 + Dex (max 2)	Disadvantage
Chain Shirt	13 + Dex (max 2)
Scale Mail	14 + Dex (max 2)	Disadvantage
Breast Plate	14 + Dex (max 2)
Half Plate	15 + Dex (max 2)	Disadvantage
Banded	16 + Dex (max 2)	Disadvantage
Brigandine	16 + Dex (max 2)

 

[aco175]

Strength 20 light armor, he never gets hit.

Similar to the simplified weapon thread, I would like to have more options in a crunchier 5e. DMs can give out +1 medium armor with frost resistance and leave it more general. I find that what armor the bad guy is wearing hardly comes up, so if the PCs fins X instead of Y like my PC is wearing, I can suspend a bit and just give our medium and let the player pick.

 

[tetrasodium]

I don't mind dropping or keeping medium armor, but I do think its high time we get away from a variety of armors with differing ACs. It never works, players are always choosing the best armors to get their AC.

So I'm good with more static AC armors, and then use secondary qualities to make the armors distinct and interesting.

There just needs to be more to armor than a single value(ac) & some irrelivant ones (weight/cost). Things like ACP were good because they affected lots of skills & touch/emergy/spell AC because you can have two different armors with similar AC but very different reasons for choosing one over the other. Once you start adding things like attune slots to the armor it adds in yet more calculations.

 

[CubicsRube]

A while ago I posted an alternate version of Armor with fixed ACs which was something like the below:

Light Armor
Name	Armor Class (AC)	Strength	Stealth	Weight	Cost
Padded	13​	-	Disadvantage	8 lb.	5 gp
Leather	13​	-	-	10 lb.	10 gp
Studded Leather	14​	-	-	13 lb.	45 gp
Medium Armor
Name	Armor Class (AC)	Strength	Stealth	Weight	Cost
Hide	14​	-	-	12 lb.	10 gp
Chain Shirt	15​	-	-	20 lb.	50 gp
Scale Mail	16​	-	Disadvantage	45 lb.	50 gp
Breastplate	16​	-	-	20 lb.	400 gp
Halfplate	17​	-	Disadvantage	40 lb.	750 gp
Heavy Armor
Name	Armor Class (AC)	Strength	Stealth	Weight	Cost
Ring Mail	14​	-	Disadvantage	40 lb.	30 gp
Chain Mail	16​	Str 13	Disadvantage	55 lb.	75 gp
Splint	17​	Str 15	Disadvantage	60 lb.	200 gp
Plate	18​	Str 15	Disadvantage	65 lb.	1,500 gp

This does kill the idea of a dexterous combatant in leather armor, but personally I don't mind this. One effect it does have however is make medium armor much more desirable for those with only light armor and may even be worth the medium armor proficiency feat.

 

[CleverNickName]

I guess you could do that, but it's not what I would like to see. I want more choices, not fewer.

I want to have fifty types of armor to choose from, with different pros and cons for each, and I must decide if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for each and every single option on the list. I don't want there to be One Obviously Best Option for a character class. I want a dozen options that are each the Best Option and the Worst Option depending on the situation and the mission. "This one offers more protection, but it's a lot heavier and slows me down. This one doesn't hamper my movement but it isn't as effective against arrows. This one looks gnarly...it gives me Disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) but gives me Advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. Hmm, decisions decisions..." That sort of thing.

Simplifying and condensing the equipment sounds like the opposite of "Advanced," IMO.

 

[tetrasodium]

A while ago I posted an alternate version of Armor with fixed ACs which was something like the below:

Light Armor
Name	Armor Class (AC)	Strength	Stealth	Weight	Cost
Padded	13​	-	Disadvantage	8 lb.	5 gp
Leather	13​	-	-	10 lb.	10 gp
Studded Leather	14​	-	-	13 lb.	45 gp
Medium Armor
Name	Armor Class (AC)	Strength	Stealth	Weight	Cost
Hide	14​	-	-	12 lb.	10 gp
Chain Shirt	15​	-	-	20 lb.	50 gp
Scale Mail	16​	-	Disadvantage	45 lb.	50 gp
Breastplate	16​	-	-	20 lb.	400 gp
Halfplate	17​	-	Disadvantage	40 lb.	750 gp
Heavy Armor
Name	Armor Class (AC)	Strength	Stealth	Weight	Cost
Ring Mail	14​	-	Disadvantage	40 lb.	30 gp
Chain Mail	16​	Str 13	Disadvantage	55 lb.	75 gp
Splint	17​	Str 15	Disadvantage	60 lb.	200 gp
Plate	18​	Str 15	Disadvantage	65 lb.	1,500 gp

This does kill the idea of a dexterous combatant in leather armor, but personally I don't mind this. One effect it does have however is make medium armor much more desirable for those with only light armor and may even be worth the medium armor proficiency feat.

Your example is very similar to the sort of "simplicity for the sake of simplicity" that made such a mess of 5e. I'd much rather see:

• A: More meaningful values on armor than "AC X" "can I use it?" and "do I need stealth more?"
• B: Using those new values to create a large variety of armors with different pros & cons as @CleverNickName described.
• C: I don't care if medium armor still exists as a type of armor or not as long as the result aids with accomplishing A & B. Starfinder is a great example of having done so by removing it & I'm sure there are others that have done it while keeping it.

 

[CubicsRube]

Your example is very similar to the sort of "simplicity for the sake of simplicity" that made such a mess of 5e. I'd much rather see:

• A: More meaningful values on armor than "AC X" "can I use it?" and "do I need stealth more?"
• B: Using those new values to create a large variety of armors with different pros & cons as @CleverNickName described.
• C: I don't care if medium armor still exists as a type of armor or not as long as the result aids with accomplishing A & B. Starfinder is a great example of having done so by removing it & I'm sure there are others that have done it while keeping it.

Hmm I disagree entirely that 5e is a mess, but to each their own.

If I wanted to create differentiation between armor types, and old school AC by damage type might be interesting. Some armors might be better at absorbing bludgeoning vs slashing vs piercing damage. There's other options of course, but there'd be quite a lot of design in that space due to interactions with combat as a whole.

 

[Minigiant]

Your example is very similar to the sort of "simplicity for the sake of simplicity" that made such a mess of 5e. I'd much rather see:

• A: More meaningful values on armor than "AC X" "can I use it?" and "do I need stealth more?"
• B: Using those new values to create a large variety of armors with different pros & cons as @CleverNickName described.
• C: I don't care if medium armor still exists as a type of armor or not as long as the result aids with accomplishing A & B. Starfinder is a great example of having done so by removing it & I'm sure there are others that have done it while keeping it.

I'm okay with some armors becoming obsolete if you have enough money to upgrade. I don't think a high level warrior should be wearing Hide unless it's magic or that's all that is available at the time.

I'm beginning to warm up to the idea of having Strength Score to more armors and Adding a penalty to Atheletics and Acrobatics

Light Armor allows for full Dex Modifier to AC.
Top tier Light Armor: Studded Leather, Gambeson

Medium Armor allows for Dex modifier to AC but is capped at +2
Top tier Medium Armor: Half Plate, Breastplate, Banded, Brigandine

Heavy Armor has flat AC
Top Tier Heavy Armor: Plate, Heavy Plate

If anything Medium should be most protected. Since it is the middle ground, it has the most variables.