D&D 5E Robes of Mage Armor

[Hatox]

Hey everybody,

I allow my PC´s to create their own magic items using the creation rules from the books as a baseline, but I made it a bit easier (e.g. they dont need a "formula" for each item). Now one of my PC´s asked me, if he could make something like "Robes of Mage Armor" so he wouldnt have to cast it 1-3 times each day and wouldnt need to prepare it all the time.

I´m down for this and think its a pretty simple yet cool idea, however I have some problems balancing it. If it just literally does "while you were these robes your AC is 13+dex" its nearly the same as +1 studded leather (with the bonus that you dont need light armor proficiency and the edge case downside that it is useless in an anti-magic-zone) so it should be a rare, without needing to attune to it. Even so its a bit better than a +1 studded leather I still have the feeling it isnt good enough to justify needing attunement or making it very rare.

Now there is a precedent to this Item. My player doesnt know about the "Robes of the Archmagi" which basically have a better mage armor on them. For those who dont know them, the Robes of the Archmagi are legendary, need attunement by a sorcerer, warlock or wizard and have the benefits: your AC is 15+dex, you have adv on saves against spells and magical effects and you have +2 spell save dc and spell attack bonus.

Now is it justified to make rare robes without attunement if we drop the AC down to 13+dex and drop the other two effects? What rarity would you think robes with ac 14/15 + dex should be? Do you think some/all of them should need attunement even so they would basically be studded leather +1/2/3 with the bonus that you dont need light armor prof.?

But if you compare a studded+3 with Robes of the Archmagi (both legendary items) the robes are way better, but need attunement, so should the robes be uncommon/rare/very rare but with attunement? The DMG gives the tipp that you should give items attunement if they would otherwise be stackable, that would explain why the Robes of the Archmagi are (+2 to save dc and spell attacks) but the normal 13/14/15 AC robes wouldnt be, because theyre just an alternative way of calculating AC.


TLDR: What rarity should "Robes of Mage Armor" be if they give you 13/14/15 +dex AC and should they require attunement?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Dont forget that you are not just giving him the equivalent of a medium armor as a full caster, you are also giving him a free spell slot and an extra prepared spell since it removes the need to cast mage armor 1-3 times a day.

I'd go with something like this:

Robes of the Apprentice
Rare, Armor
This ceremonial cloak given to young mages who first start their adventuring career by protective mentors are carefully crafted to offer a basic protection, while giving the new adventurers the chance to live to fight another and to learn the better part of valor.
- Your AC is now 11+Dex
- The cloak's many pockets count as a Component Pouch
- The caster can cast Expeditious Retreat 1/day

Robes of the Journeyman, Warmage Cloak
Very rare, Armor, Attunement
Improved upon the basic formula of the apprentices robes by traveling initiate, these robes were nicknamed after many of them saw use on battlefields across the plane.
- Your AC is now 11+Dex
- The cloak's many pockets count as a Component Pouch
- The caster can cast Expeditious Retreat 1/day

While attuned:
- You are considered under the effect of Mage Armor
- You can cast Shield, protection from Evil or Sanctuary by expending 1 charge. This item has three charges and recovers 1 at each dawn.

 

[Hatox]

Well when were talking about the AC 13+dex version, im not giving him the armor as a fullcaster AND extra spells, the spell already gives him the armor. What the Item would do on average is, gave him +1 prepared spells and ~2 first lvl spell slots/day, because thats essentially the trade of (with the 13+dex example), though the only thing we can compare this with is a pearl of power, which restores up to 1 3rd lvl slot, is uncommon, but requires attunement and doesnt do anything for prepared spells.

The AC 14 and 15 versions do give more than a Wizard should be able to have so I understand the comparision there, but I wouldnt even have thought of that if there wasnt already an Item doing this +more.

The wizard in question also is lvl 12, nearly 13 maybe that should be taken into consideration for balancing.

Edit: Basically if im going of from the "AC 15+dex, Adv on saves vs magic, +2 spell attack, +2 save dc, requires attunement" of the legendary, what would "AC 13/14/15 +dex, requires/doesnt require attunemnt" be.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Dont forget that you are not just giving him the equivalent of a medium armor as a full caster, you are also giving him a free spell slot and an extra prepared spell since it removes the need to cast mage armor 1-3 times a day.

I'd go with something like this:

Robe of the Apprentice
Rare, Armor
This ceremonial cloak given to young mages who first start their adventuring career by protective mentors are carefully crafted to offer a basic protection, while giving the new adventurers the chance to live to fight another and to learn the better part of valor.
- Your AC is now 11+Dex
- The cloak's many pockets count as a Component Pouch
- The caster can cast Expeditious Retreat 1/day

I like this, but would probably remove the Expeditious Retreat and make it Uncommon instead of Rare. Then add a potential upgrade:

Robe of the Master Wizard (for comical groups, "the Master Caster")
Rare, Armor (requires attunement?)
- Your AC is now 13+ Dex
- The cloak's many pockets count as a Component Pouch
- The crystal (or whatever) adorning this robe acts as a Spell Focus
- Add expeditious retreat or some other function maybe?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Well when were talking about the AC 13+dex version, im not giving him the armor as a fullcaster AND extra spells, the spell already gives him the armor. What the Item would do on average is, gave him +1 prepared spells and ~2 first lvl spell slots/day, because thats essentially the trade of (with the 13+dex example), though the only thing we can compare this with is a pearl of power, which restores up to 1 3rd lvl slot, is uncommon, but requires attunement and doesnt do anything for prepared spells.

The AC 14 and 15 versions do give more than a Wizard should be able to have so I understand the comparision there, but I wouldnt even have thought of that if there wasnt already an Item doing this +more.

The wizard in question also is lvl 12, nearly 13 maybe that should be taken into consideration for balancing.

Well, that changes everything. I thought this was a low-ish level caster.

Honestly, given his high level, I would probably just go with a robe of Archimagi.
At this level, I feel he deserve something a little cooler than just a robe of ''free one level slot''.

Robes of the Magistrati
Rare, Armor
Those robes are only given to high ranking officials of Mage Guilds, Cabals or Organizations. It offers great protection while offering the comfort sought by traveling cloaks afficionado.
- At the end of a long rest, you can cast Mage Armor and Protection from Evil/Good as ritual. The spells duration increase to 8 hours in both case, without concentration.
- The cloaks many pockets count as a component pouch
- During a long rest, you can cast Private Sanctum and Secret Chest as ritual, without component cost.

 

[Hatox]

Honestly, given his high level, I would probably just go with a robe of Archimagi.

Yea we are rolling for loot, and he was already lucky and got a Staff of the Magi. It was his idea to make a "mage armor" like robe, and they might not have the gold/materials for a legendary item, but rare/very rare is definetly within the realm of possibilities. Since it was his idea I just tried to make a somewhat weaker version of the robes of the archmagi. He just imagined a simple "always has mage armor on" robe, but I want to leave the ideas what he wants his robe to do to him, so it feels more like something he developed. My only job is to tell him which rarity it is and if it requires attunement.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Yea we are rolling for loot, and he was already lucky and got a Staff of the Magi. It was his idea to make a "mage armor" like robe, and they might not have the gold/materials for a legendary item, but rare/very rare is definetly within the realm of possibilities. Since it was his idea I just tried to make a somewhat weaker version of the robes of the archmagi. He just imagined a simple "always has mage armor on" robe, but I want to leave the ideas what he wants his robe to do to him, so it feels more like something he developed. My only job is to tell him which rarity it is and if it requires attunement.

Ha, well in that case I'd say
Rare, no attunement.

Its not that much of a power up, given his level and the fact that he already always had mage armor on anyway.

 

[Hatox]

Thanks, if he made a very rare version, would you say 14 or 15 without attunement?
From the normal progression Id say 14, but then the archmagi, which are just one step more rare, are just so much better, so I might allow 15...

Edit: Forgot that archmagi not only requires attunement but is also limited to sorc/wiz/wl, which helps with balancing since otherwise its just a glorified studded leather +3, so 15 without attunement is probably overkill

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I mean, 2 uses of a 1st level spell most wizards and sorcerers have anyway?

Uncommon.

Or, make it rare and make it 13+Int instead. Now it’s different from any other option.