Imagine diving into battle with only your t-shirt and sweatpants on. You might be able to get some blows in, but let’s be honest: unless you have the toughest, most durable casualwear in the world, you will be stabbed, shot, or bludgeoned to death within minutes. I apologize if I just ruined your afternoon plans.

 In this world, armies wear combat uniforms, police have bulletproof vests, and then, of course, we also see soft armor and hard armor in combat situations. However, in the world of D&D, armor falls into three categories: light armor, medium armor, and heavy armor.

Quick Rules for Armor in D&D 5e

Just like any other aspect of D&D, armor comes with different ones attached. As with other rules, plenty of them are optional and can be improvised on the spot by the DM because, sometimes, it’s easier to just freestyle something, go with the flow, and create an easier and smoother experience. For example, it is logical armor will vary in size; it is considered a piece of clothing in a manner, but many DMs will choose to forgo this rule and just let players find the perfect size whenever there’s new armor to be had.

Having Armor Proficiency is key in being able to perform while wearing the armor as you would without it. It’s important to pay attention to this because almost all classes have proficiency in at least some kind of armor. Except for Monks, Sorcerers, and Wizards. Sorry, guys.

Each armor has an Armor Class, which is key in determining if you get hit in combat. In previous editions of D&D, namely 3.5e, there was a thing called Touch AC, which added some specific rules, but Wizards of the Coast evidently decided to streamline the combat and make things easier with D&D 5e.

Certain armors will also require certain Strength scores, while others will bring disadvantages, but more on that later.

It’s important to highlight Shields as effective armor. In theory, having a Shield stacks up your armor class (say your base AC is 15, so if you have a + 2 shield, it would be 17), but having one also uses up one hand, so you have to rely on only using a one-handed weapon. Unless you’re using a homebrew race with more than two usable arms, but that’s a whole other can of worms.

Probably the most important rule to state is the so-called Don/Doff rule. Sometimes it’s a question of speeding up the gameplay, but it doesn’t make logical sense that you’re sleeping in your Chain mail armor, now, does it? I’m not snippy; it’s just that I had to argue this rule way too many times with way too many Rules Lawyers (the bad kind).

Basically, this rule states that there is a required time for you to put on your armor as well as take it off. Of course, you’d only take off your armor if you’re in a safe place, but what if you want to quickly blend into a gala party you’re meant to infiltrate and gather information? Donning on your armor can be even worse because you can easily get ambushed during the night, and then you just can’t spend 10 minutes putting on your Heavy Armor.

Armor Types

There are reasons why armor is generally grouped into three categories (light, medium, heavy), but the most logical reason is mechanical – some classes can only be proficient in some types of armor, as is logical.

Light Armor

This type of armor is made from thin and maybe even somewhat flimsy materials, but it can be useful and is generally favored by players with high Dexterity modifiers who prefer ease of movement and stealth.

In terms of game mechanics, you can usually add your DEX modifier to this armor, and if you’re a higher level, you can have a good AC with a smaller cost.

The main subtypes are Padded, Leather, and Studded Leather. Although for combat, these are pretty much just names with slight differences (like Padded Light Armor gives you a Disadvantage on Stealth, like what?), you can have a great deal of fun role-play experiences. Rockstar Bard with a Studded Leather jacket, anyone?

Medium Armor

As you could’ve guessed yourself, Medium Armor is better than light armor. It does also allow you to add your Dexterity modifier to the AC, but the maximum you can add is two. So, if your DEX modifier is +5, you’ll only be able to add two of those five, with the rest being unused.

Medium Armors are also heavier, so if you’re playing with carrying capacity, you might want to look out for those.

The most commonly used types are Hide, Chain Shirt, Scale Mail (gives you a Disadvantage on Stealth), Breastplate, and Half Plate (also a Disadvantage on Stealth). Those last two are usually more expensive ones if you go by the traditional D&D economy.

Heavy Armor

This is a perfect type of armor for your Tank Barbarian. Naturally, you have a disadvantage of Stealth, but why are you even trying to sneak around when you have an AC of 18?

In addition to stealth penalties, Heavy Armor usually requires you to have a certain Strength score in order to wear them. You want that cool Plate Armor for an AC of 18? Well, you got to have at least 15 Strength to pull it off.

Besides the mentioned Plate Armor, there are also Ring mail, Chain mail, and Splint Heavy Armor.

Conclusion

When it comes to the armor you wear, you have many options to choose from! The best option will always be based on your build and your character’s proficiency. There is also a fine line to be walked between choosing the most optimal armor and being willing to sacrifice some efficiency for exciting role-playing elements of the game.