[UPDATED] WotC Gives You Some Official 5E Modern Armor!

This took me rather by surprise - WotC has just posted statistics for D&D 5E versions of modern armor types, including leather jackets, tactical vests, forced entry units, and other items straight from d20 Modern. The article is titled "Firearms", but its focus is adding armor to use alongside the existing firearms in the Dungeon Master's Guide.

UPDATE: WotC has just renamed the article from 5E Firearms to My New d20 Modern Campaign.

Find the article here.

​

 

[Jeff Albertson]

I wish it was available in PDF format.

 

[Michael Long]

This is the point where I flip out over the inaccuracies of the table

And there are plenty...

Specifically?

 

[variant]

I would really like to see a d20 Modern under the 5th edition rules.

 

[Sacrosanct]

OK, rather than just flip out , let me offer my revision. Please reference the below image I quickly threw together. A couple notes:

* "tactical vests" don't offer any protection on their own. That's not what a tactical vest does. It's meant to carry your gear and typically made with lightweight webbing to allow your body to breathe.

* the famous "dragonskin" body armor is certified at level III. It's not some super uber body armor.

* body armor is divided into levels. See the image to see what sort of protection each gives.


So...

Knowing that AC is abstract in D&D, we really can't go with the realistic "if armor = X and weapon fired is from a pistol, ignore all damage, but if fired from a rifle caliber, then no damage is ignored, yada yada yada." That gets too complicated and is too much to remember. So my suggestions?

* No armor gives disadvantage to stealth. each plate is in an individual pocket and it doesn't make any more noise than your regular clothes.
* due to weight and encumbrance, I would give a max DEX bonus of +2 for level III or higher armor. Remember that level III and IV don't weigh that much different or carry different in any appreciative value. They are just made from different materials
* Level II armor gives DR2, Level III gives overall resistance, Level IV gives resistance or DR10, whichever is higher.

And be done with it.


View attachment 67867

 

[Serrrg]

No nice PDF attachment this time around

 

[Paraxis]

Is anyone else bothered by his inclusion of damage reduction, it doesn't exist in 5th edition as a concept. He doesn't explain what it is. Some people coming into 5th edition will be very confused and have no idea. This does seem like just a random blog or forum post in the house rules section of a fan site.

 

[Kramodlog]

The order in which D&D material get "credibility".

1) A good old fashion D&D book published by WotC.

2) A Dragon/Dungeon article.

3) An article on WotC's website written by known WotC's designers.

4) An article on WotC's website written by someone who is unknown to the general public.

5) 3rd party publisher material.

6) Fan made material available on forums.

Is it accurate?

 

[Trickster Spirit]

The order in which D&D material get "credibility".

1) A good old fashion D&D book published by WotC.

2) A Dragon/Dungeon article.

3) An article on WotC's website written by known WotC's designers.

4) An article on WotC's website written by someone who is unknown to the general public.

5) 3rd party publisher material.

6) Fan made material available on forums.

Is it accurate?

I'd agree, though I'd include digital content such as the PotA Player's Companion under #1, as it essentially is a "good old fashioned D&D book" in terms of playtesting, just not big enough to actually be printed.

I'm also not 100% certain of what the distinction between your #3 and #4 really is... Daniel Helmick is part of D&D R&D, whether he's "known" or not, so I'd say this is at least as official as an Unearthed Arcana article with "pencil, not ink" disclaimer.

 

[Sacrosanct]

The order in which D&D material get "credibility".

What do you mean by credibility? Do you mean officially sanctioned content, or accuracy of said content?

 

[Umbran]

Is anyone else bothered by his inclusion of damage reduction

No, because despite the thread title, this is not really "official". It is merely one designer's suggestion.

This does seem like just a random blog or forum post in the house rules section of a fan site.

Two things:

1) It is slightly better than that, insofar as it comes form someone with some design credentials. That doesn't make it perfect, of course, but one can reasonably give it consideration for that.

2) Good! WotC is showing off some things people can do with the system. This is a feature, not a bug!