Medium Armor: Why?

[Herzog]

I've recently taken an interest in the various armors available for D&D, and ran into something I just can't wrap my head around.

If you are limited to light armor, you have a range of options to choose from.
The various armor's start with a +1 AC, with a max dex bonus of +8, and rangue up to +4 with a max dex bonus of +4.
Higher AC (from the armor) also means higher price, so a starting character may opt to buy a cheaper armor. Also, when you have a high DEX it might be interesting to buy a lower AC, allowing you to take full advantage of your dex bonus.

If you are in the position to take advantage of heavy armor, your range of options is very similar.
Your AC ranges from +6 to +8, and an increase in price either means a higher AC bonus or a higher dex bonus and/or decreased ACP.

Which leaves us with the middle ground, the Medium Armors.

The cheapest armor available is Hide, which is slightly more expensive than leather, and slightly cheaper than studded leather.
It has a lower max dex bonus and higher ACP than both leather and studded leather, and it carries the medium armor movement reduction.
Only characters REALLY pressed for cash (or characters wearing hide because of RP reasons....) would get Hide armor.

The second option when gettting medium armor is scale mail. Although half as cheap as a chain shirt, it's otherwise inferior to chain shirt in all aspects except the AC bonus.

The last two options are chainmail and breastplate, which have the same AC bonus but give better dex bonus/ACP options with an increased price.

So, to summarize:

When getting armor,
light armor gives you AC +1 to +4
medium armor gives you AC +5
heavy armor gives you AC +6 to +8

in addition, if you really want it, you can get slightly cheaper armor when you switch from light to medium, getting the same AC bonus but worse ACP/max dex.

My question: WHY? Why reduce medium armor to the poor-mans-armor option it seems to be?

The ONLY reason you'd want to restrict yourself to medium armor (instead of heavy) is when your class abilities restrict you to it, and even then you end up with a maximum of +1 AC relative to light armor.

The reason I was investigation armors is the selection of ranger levels for TWF, which requires me to wear light or no armor, and someone suggested I should buy a mithral breastplate. The increased price for that single +1 AC really makes me wonder about that suggestion.

 

[anest1s]

Maybe if you had to take the armor proficiency line, you would use medium armor too for 2-3 levels.

Or maybe if you had too low strength for carrying heavy armor...?

Other than that, I have to admit that I always prefer mithral chainshirts than breastplates...

 

[Aus_Snow]

Yep, it's a very poorly thought out category. Well, set of categories, looking at the three.

Of course, there are supplements that add a heck of a lot of new armour types, and/or replace the "core" ones. That can help.

Otherwise, ditch it. Medium Armour, that is. Not too much work to excise entirely.

 

[Dandu]

Practically speaking, I've found that light armor means a chain shirt, medium armor means a breastplate, and heavy armor means full plate. All other armors may as well not exist unless you are a druid.

 

[gwyllgi]

my DM was very open, so when i created a prestige class combining the warmage and dread necromancer (but with fire) and was allowed to use medium armors without fear of not being able to cast spell i quickly discovered that the medium armors aren't that useful unless the DM allows you to do special things with them.

For instance up until i crafted a new kind of Heavy armor based on a scale mail riveted chain mail fusion, i wore lamellar instead, the fun thing was that he allowed me to wear chahar-aina and dastana with it, this ended when he told me i could wear aina and dastana with my dragon scale mithril mail which was far cooler.

I.E. it's for flavor and nothing else.

 

[Celebrim]

Practically speaking, I've found that light armor means a chain shirt, medium armor means a breastplate, and heavy armor means full plate. All other armors may as well not exist unless you are a druid.

This is true.

What annoys me further is that 'chain shirt' and 'breastplate' are not actually full sets of armor. The use of a partial set of armor like that begs for a called shot system that D&D doesn't really want.

I'm currently using the following progression:

Light Armors
Padded 10 sp +1 +8 0 5% 10 lb
Leather 20 sp +2 +7 0 10% 15 lb
Ring 40 sp +3 +6 -1 20% 20 lb
Medium Armors
Hide 25 sp +3 +4 -3 15% 25 lb
Scale 60 sp +4 +3 -4 25% 30 lb
Mail 80 sp +5 +4 -3 30% 40 lb
Heavy Armors
Splint 70 sp +6 +3 -7 40% 40 lb
Brigandine 100 sp +6 +3 -5 35% 40 lb
Banded 150 sp +6 +2 -6 35% 45 lb
Plate 20 gp +7 +1 -7 40% 50 lb
Full Plate 100 gp +8 +2 -6 35% 50 lb

I'm not fully happy with it, but at least the armors feel like realistic categories given the assumptions of the system and actual historical usage. (I should note that I use a silver peice based economic system). I would not introduce partial armor sets without a called shot system.

I tend to see a lot of ring and mail in use, with some leather when starting out before masterwork ring becomes available. I currently have one character in hide for esoteric reasons of his build, and I expect some move toward Brigandine or Full Plate by the people who can wear heavy armor at some point. I rarely see heavy armor on PC's before mithril becomes available though because the armor check penalties make it very problimatic in an adventuring environment.

Any improvements I could make to the system would be welcome. Anything is on the table.

Descriptions of armor as I categorize them currently are:

Banded: This armor is made of overlapping strips of metal sewn to a backing of leather and mail. The strips cover vulnerable areas, while the mail and leather protect the joints and provide freedom of movement. Straps and buckles distribute the weight evenly. This class of armor includes any armor made of overlapping plates, such as lorica segmentata.
Brigandine: This armor consists of small plates of metal or laquered wood of various sizes which are sewn together and then to a cloth backing and covering, resulting in a flexible garment that provides excellent protection against piercing and slashing attacks.
Full Plate: This armor consists of shaped and fitted metal plates riveted and interlocked to cover the entire body in such a way that the resulting armor is fully articulated and flexible. Buckles and straps distribute the weight over the body, so full plate hampers movement less than splint mail even though splint is lighter.
Hide: This armor is prepared from multiple layers of leather and animal hides. It is stiff and hard to move in. Armors made of bone, wicker, or other natural materials are included in this class of armor.
Leather: The peices of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by boiling in oil. The resulting armor is much like plate only made of leather rather than steel. Padded or soft leather armor provides flexibility for the joints.
Padded: Padded armor features quilted layers of cloth and batting. Armor made of relatively thick but soft leather is included in this category.
Ring: Ring armor is padded armor which has had a layer of metal rings sewn onto the outside to provide superior protection from slashing attacks.
Mail: This armor is made of interlocking metal rings. It includes a layer of quilted fabric underneath it to prevent chafing and to cushion the impact of blows. Most of the armor's weight hangs from the shoulders, making mail uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. However, mail is still among the most commonly seen forms of armor.
Plate: This armor is a combination of mail with metal plates (breastplate, epaulettes, elbow guards, gauntlets, tasses, and greaves) covering vital areas. Buckles and straps hold the whole suit together and distribute the weight, but the armor still fits less well and hampers movement more than full plate. It includes gauntlets.
Scale: This is a coat and leggings of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish. Scale is a largely obsolete form of armor in most areas, but it is comparatively lightweight and relatively easy to produce. Masterwork examples are fairly common, perhaps because the resulting armor is so attractive.
Splint: This armor is made of narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a backing of leather that is worn over cloth padding. Mail protects the joints. It is relatively easy and cheap to make, but heavy compared to the level of protection it provides and not often seen except when cost is the primary consideration.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Practically speaking, I've found that light armor means a chain shirt, medium armor means a breastplate, and heavy armor means full plate. All other armors may as well not exist unless you are a druid.

Also unless you have a very high dex. Then light armor could also be studded leather, padded, leafweave (iirc, that's what the Elf armor's called), or gnome twist cloth.

 

[Tharkon]

Brigandine 100 sp +6 +3 -5 35% 40 lb
Banded 150 sp +6 +2 -6 35% 45 lb

Why would anyone pay the extra 50sp?


Also, I like to think the partial armor sets are somehow an explanation of lower AC despite being just the same type of material, when comparing breastplate to fullplate for example. You can assume that when you hit someone you would not have hit when wearing fullplate you probably hit in a place that breastplate does not cover, but fullplate does. This is just the thought I keep behind it, I don't go as far as actually determining penalties for getting hit in certain places.


As far as medium armor is concerned, yes it is lacking in popularity and it will always remain so, cause there are 2 types of armor wearers. Those that want maximum protection (fighters, paladins, etc.), and those that want maximum flexibility (rangers, rogues, etc.). The former will go for the heaviest they can afford, while the latter will stick to leather, MW studded leather and mithril chainshirts. If you want players to wear medium armour, have a monster drop it. I guess the only exception is the Druid which usually doesn't go for the lighter types and can't wear the heavier types unless made out of wood or dragonscales. Especially when wildshape comes into play armor check penalties vanish when sneaking around as a snake.

 

[anest1s]

Light Armors
Padded 10 sp +1 +8 0 5% 10 lb
Leather 20 sp +2 +7 0 10% 15 lb
Ring 40 sp +3 +6 -1 20% 20 lb

I feel that there is something ''wrong''...some classes, like rogues have abilities, like evasion that work only in light armor. At the same time, most rogues will have a +4 DEX most of the time. This means that they are ''punished'' by this change, since there is no +4 +4 light armor here...

Also, someone has the option between +6 +7 pr +8 max dexterity...but I feel that when he will have a +6 dex he will already have a good magical armor, and he won't change it 3 times to benefit from +7 and +8 when his dex will go up too. So I really think I wouldn't like light armor as a rogue

Medium Armors
Hide 25 sp +3 +4 -3 15% 25 lb
Scale 60 sp +4 +3 -4 25% 30 lb
Mail 80 sp +5 +4 -3 30% 40 lb

Here Mail is the best, like breastplate was in the original system, only with +1 armor and with 10lb more. So yeah, medium armor is better than the original...but that just means that you now absolutely need a Mithral Mail, while before you could survive without one.

Heavy Armors
Splint 70 sp +6 +3 -7 40% 40 lb
Brigandine 100 sp +6 +3 -5 35% 40 lb
Banded 150 sp +6 +2 -6 35% 45 lb
Plate 20 gp +7 +1 -7 40% 50 lb
Full Plate 100 gp +8 +2 -6 35% 50 lb

Brigandine>>Splint for just 30sp...
Brigandine>>Banded for just -50sp

Then Plate and Full plate are even better, but it feels like they have a huge max dex..because it makes it even more unfair for classes that can't wear heavy armor (a rogue with +4 dex having a Mithral Mail, will have a total of +9 AC while someone with +0-2 dex can have a Full plate, and waste that 4000gp for some other defensive item.)


I would propose an alternative, but for a slacker like me that would be overkill.

edit: I wanted to say though, that I like that there aren't 4 kinds of armor for every type, since heavier armor is harder to get there should be more options.

On the other hand, if most ppl in the world use light armor, it would make sense they would have created more light armor types... so I don't know

 

[Celebrim]

Why would anyone pay the extra 50sp?

Good catch. I'll rethink the prices there.

You can assume that when you hit someone you would not have hit when wearing fullplate you probably hit in a place that breastplate does not cover, but fullplate does. This is just the thought I keep behind it, I don't go as far as actually determining penalties for getting hit in certain places.

You can always assume something, but D&D's general explanation for the lack of called shots is that unless the rules declare otherwise hitting a particular target is always less effective than exploiting a hole in the defenses because the entire target is roughly equally well protected. In 1e this was even explicitly pointed out, by noting that if the character refused to wear a helmet (or for some reason had to take it off) then attacks to the head could be made as if the character was unarmored. If however only the torso is armored, why can't I attack the unarmored limbs? If only the torso is armored, why do you have a bonus to AC at all versus for example a wolf or a medium sized viper that's probably attacking your lower limbs anyway? If what you've in game described is, "I have +5 plate on my chest but at most very light armor or no armor anywhere else.", then called shots would have to be very difficult indeed before it would be worth it to not attack the exposed limbs.