Is it possible to create armor from monster skin with that monster’s resistances?

Question

Does armour made from a monster with resistance keep the resistance?

For example, a PC kills some Gricks and makes their skin into leather with his Leatherworker's kit.

The Grick's statblock says it has

Damage Resistance: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing From Nonmagical Attacks

Is it possible to create light armor with that resistance from tanned Grick leather?

If so, how do you calculate how complicated that process would be, and what it would cost in time and resources?

Answer 1

Making armor from animal/monster parts has a long history in D&D and other fantasy games but I don't think I've seen specific rules for it in 5e. But since the armor you are talking about has special properties that would push into the "magic item" category the DMG does have rules on pages 128 and 129. It is a bit too long for quoting here but you should review it.

There is no "Grick Hide Armor" listed in the DMG so you will first need to define what the finished item will be, in particular the level/rarity of the item because that will determine the difficulty, cost and time to create the item.

Some important things to consider:

• Leather armor and Hide armor are two very different things and the skin of a tough animal/monster is more likely to have the properties and limitations of hide than leather.
• The basic concept of making armor from an creature's skin and getting these benefits assumes that the benefits are a physical property of the creature's skin. If the benefits come from an internal structure that is not easily harmed then the skin has nothing to do with the benefit. If the benefits are some sort of an innate magic that reduces or instantly heals the damage then you need to find the source of that magic, not the skin. The Grick's stone camoflage seems like the most likely benefit to armor or maybe a cloak made from Grick skin than the physical resistances.

Answer 2

You’ll need to ask your DM.

Aside from a few, explicitly described cases (such as lizardfolk being able to fashion clubs and shields from bone during a short rest), 5E has no general provisions for collecting parts of dead creatures and assembling them into new equipment; the assumption is that basic equipment is purchased or crafted - both with gp - and advanced equipment (magic items, etc.) is found during your adventures.

If you want to craft your own items above and beyond regular gear, you’ll need to ask your DM. They may be able (and if they’re like me, willing or even thankful for the inspiration) to create a quest for you to do so.