98
votes
Accepted
My DM has removed heavy armour from the game. How can I make a Paladin work or convince him not to do this?
Since he's suggesting you play a Paladin and removed Heavy Armor and claim combat will be deadly, just start a conversation with him and how he imagines your character surviving without the Heavy ...
- 77.9k
79
votes
Does a natural 20 on the attack roll still automatically hit if the target is wearing adamantine armor?
Yes, the natural 20 is still an automatic hit
We know that a critical hit is, by definition, an automatic hit regardless of AC thanks to the basic rules for making an attack:
If the d20 roll for an ...
- 25.9k
74
votes
Accepted
Can wizards really cast spells in armor?
Yes. Any character who is proficient with a particular type of armor can cast spells while wearing that type of armor with no penalty.
There are two primary reasons for this.
There are better ways ...
- 14.4k
74
votes
Accepted
Does Heavy Armor reduce your speed?
PHB p.144:
Heavy Armor. Heavier armor interferes with the
wearer’s ability to move quickly, stealthily, and freely.
If the Armor table shows “Str 13” or “Str 15” in the
Strength column for ...
- 189k
65
votes
Accepted
Are there any penalties for wearing armor all the time?
Short answer:
No, there are currently no rules about what happens if you sleep in armour.
The are rules about how fast you can don and doff armour [pg. 146 PHB] that's quite kind and fast (you do ...
- 4,118
58
votes
Can you make armor with multiple elemental resistances using only wool and copper? And how much time and money would it cost?
No, this scheme does not work. Elemental magic is primarily magical rather than primarily elemental
For the same reason you can successfully cast Fireball underwater you can't expect wool and copper ...
- 21.2k
57
votes
Is there any difference between Studded Leather and Breastplate if my AC is the same with both?
Right now, they're the same. But at some point, you're probably going to want to raise your Dexterity up to 20, and at that point, the studded leather will be worth 17 AC (12 + 5), whereas the ...
- 141k
57
votes
Is there any difference between Studded Leather and Breastplate if my AC is the same with both?
There are two differences off the top of my head that may be relevant:
Donning medium armor takes 5 minutes; light armor is just 1 minute.
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\hline
\textbf{Category} & \...
- 1,311
53
votes
Would wearing full plate armor cause slashing damage to be converted into bludgeoning damage?
As an addendum to Thomas Markov's excellent answer, I'd like to add the old adage that "HP are not meat points". 5 HPs of slashing damage does not directly translate to a slashing wound, and ...
- 1,791
51
votes
Accepted
Is partial armour an optional rule?
No. This rule isn't official at all. It is a homebrew variant.
Neither the PHB nor the DMG contain any mention of partial armor.
XGtE (which itself is official but optional) does not cover it ...
- 7,988
49
votes
Accepted
Do you have to be proficient in armour to use it?
No, you don't. However:
If you wear armor that you lack proficiency with, you have
disadvantage on any ability check, saving throw, or attack roll that
involves Strength or Dexterity, and you ...
- 5,491
48
votes
Accepted
Does adamantine armor protect you from being beheaded by a vorpal sword?
No, the creature still loses its head
The effect of the vorpal sword is explicit:
...and roll a 20 on the attack roll, you cut off one of the creature's heads.
This wording in the item description ...
- 25.9k
46
votes
Accepted
Does a shield count as wearing metal armor for Shocking Grasp?
While a shield can be indeed made of metal, you are wielding it, not wearing it.
In the equipment chapter (p. 144) the PHB refers to a wearer of armor, but says you wield a shield.
"Rules Answers: ...
- 17.9k
46
votes
Would wearing full plate armor cause slashing damage to be converted into bludgeoning damage?
No, there is nothing in the rules indicating this is the case.
If plate armor had this effect, we would find it in the item description or rules for armor, and we don’t. Weapons generally deal the ...
- 112k
45
votes
Are there any penalties for wearing armor all the time?
Now with Xanathar's Guide to Everything (page 77 and 78) there is an official answer for the effects of sleeping with armor!
Sleeping with medium and heavy armor does not remove exhaustion levels and ...
- 1,987
45
votes
Accepted
Can elves trance in armor without any downsides?
No negative effects
Including the details on the Elven Trance feature here:
Trance: Elves do not need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such ...
- 7,531
43
votes
Accepted
What is "metal armor"?
This would refer to armor that was primarily metal. As in, you would look at it and say "that armor is made of metal." As opposed to "That is cloth armor" or "that is leather ...
- 60.9k
42
votes
Accepted
Combining various AC-providing clothing and armor
Does Armor Stack?
In general, there are two notations for AC:
The most common variety sets your AC to a fixed value, and looks something like this:
AC = 11 + Dex Modifier (Padded armor)
Your AC ...
- 43.8k
42
votes
Accepted
Can I wear as many magic items as I want?
You may equip as many magic items as you can properly wear, only three of which can be requiring attunement.
Many magic items require attunement, which is a process that lets a specific character ...
- 5,288
42
votes
Does +1 armor give resistance to damage?
The armor itself has resistance to damage, it does not confer this to the wearer
As you've quoted, the magic item itself has resistance to damage, but there is nothing that states it gives whomever ...
- 122k
41
votes
Accepted
If I multiclass from ranger into Druid, can I still wear metal armor?
In the PHB pg 164 it gives you the multiclass table for what proficiencies you gain once you place 1 level into Druid (or any other class). Note on this table it also reminds you that Druids will NOT ...
- 18.2k
41
votes
My DM has removed heavy armour from the game. How can I make a Paladin work or convince him not to do this?
Talk to him about the burden he's putting on you.
Talk to him about what he's asking you to do. Point out how hard it's going to be to tank without proper armor, how much more likely you are to die, ...
- 3,093
41
votes
Accepted
Would forcing armour on a wizard using an illusion spell and Illusory Reality 'harm' them?
RAW this should be fine
Given that, as you say, the illusion of armour, then the armour being made real, do not 'harm' the enemy, then there's no reason why this would contradict the emboldened part ...
- 77.1k
40
votes
When was Armour Proficiency first included and why?
It was in the very first incarnation of D&D. Witness ye, the words of OD&D (Men & Magic) from 1974:
Magic-Users: Top level magic-users are perhaps the most powerful characters in
the ...
- 172k
40
votes
Accepted
What happens if you no longer meet the Strength requirement for your armor?
You don't need the displayed Strength score to wear the armor; it prevents your speed from being lowered. Your speed will be reduced if at any time you do not meet the required Strength score.
The ...
- 72.2k
39
votes
Accepted
Do gauntlets do anything?
That depends heavily on what you count as "fluff".
There is no defined mechanical benefit for wearing gauntlets. However, that doesn't mean that wearing gauntlets is not a thing that can be ...
- 47k
39
votes
Can scale mail be modified to remove disadvantage on Stealth checks?
There is such a thing, but it's not because of cushioning. It's called Mithral armor.
Mithral is a light, flexible metal. A mithral chain shirt or breastplate can be worn under normal clothes. If ...
- 28.3k
38
votes
Can a bear totem barbarian gain damage resistance while wearing heavy armor?
Yes.
Counter to Airatome's point (which relies on a designer's input without errata), the rules as written are quite clear.
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a ...
- 1,070
38
votes
Accepted
Will adding helmets unbalance the game?
So first, at least one suit of armor available in the official materials has a helmet included: The plate armor.
Plate. Plate consists of shaped, interlocking metal plates to cover the entire body. ...
- 504
38
votes
Accepted
How do I fight with Heavy Armor as a Wizard with Tenser's Transformation?
Glyph of Warding
This assumes the Wizard is the big bad, or at least is on home turf.
Cast glyph of warding at 7th level, storing Tenser's transformation, with some trigger that the wizard alone can ...
- 7,084
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible