Scale Mail
Scale mail uses overlapping metal or hardened-leather scales sewn, riveted or laced to a backing. A strong garment can cover the torso and arms without being a rigid cuirass. In the two fifth editions it gives a 14 + Dexterity (maximum 2) AC calculation; Pathfinder 1e has a +5 armour bonus and D&D 3.5e has +4. These are different rules, not interchangeable scores.
Scale Mail at a Glance
- Construction: small overlapping scales attached to a leather or cloth backing.
- Coverage: vital torso and sometimes limbs, depending on cut and fastenings.
- Wearer: a warrior who can afford the material and maintenance.
- Practical drawback: weight, broken fastenings and limited stealth; the exact penalty depends on the rules system.
- Edition warning: AC calculation in fifth edition, but distinct +5 Pathfinder and +4 D&D 3.5e bonuses.
Four-edition rules · Using scale mail · Original Pathfinder stats
Scale Mail Rules by Edition
Choose your game. Statistics below follow each edition’s native equipment table field order.
Scale Mail — D&D 2024
Category: Medium Armor.
| Armor | Armor Class (AC) | Strength | Stealth | Weight | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale Mail | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | Disadvantage | 45 lb. | 50 GP |
Edition rules: Medium Armour Training; non-training restricts Strength and Dexterity D20 Tests and spellcasting. Don in 5 minutes, doff in 1 minute. Stealth Disadvantage applies while worn.
Source: D&D 2024 equipment.
Scale Mail — D&D 2014
Category: Medium armor.
| Armor Name | Cost | Armor Class (AC) | Strength | Stealth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale mail | 50 gp | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | Disadvantage | 45 lb. |
Edition rules: Medium armour proficiency, not the 2024 training system. Nonproficiency causes that edition’s check, save, attack and spellcasting restrictions. Don in 5 minutes, doff in 1 minute.
Source: D&D 2014 equipment.
Scale Mail — Pathfinder 1e
Category: Medium armor.
| Armor | Cost | Armor/Shield Bonus | Maximum Dex Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure Chance | Speed (30 ft.) | Speed (20 ft.) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale mail | 50 gp | +5 armor bonus | +3 | −4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lb. |
Edition rules: The +5 is an additive armour bonus, not a fixed AC. Medium-armour proficiency and Pathfinder skill restrictions apply. Don in 4 minutes or 1 minute hastily; help can shorten the normal time.
Source: Pathfinder 1e equipment.
Scale Mail — D&D 3.5e
Category: Medium armor.
| Armor | Cost | Armor/Shield Bonus | Maximum Dex Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure Chance | Speed (30 ft.) | Speed (20 ft.) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale mail | 50 gp | +4 armor bonus | +3 | −4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lb. |
Edition rules: The 3.5e armour bonus is +4, not Pathfinder’s +5. Medium-armour proficiency, edition-native affected skills and arcane spell failure apply; normal donning takes 4 minutes.
Source: D&D 3.5e equipment.
Scale Mail in Play
The marsh causeway. A patrol attempts to cross a wooden bridge before the watchmen notice. In D&D 2014 and 2024, scale mail imposes Disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. In Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e, the relevant skill check uses the armour-check penalty of −4 instead. Do not combine penalties from two editions.
When scales break: split links, lifted scales and torn stitching leave gaps. An armourer can replace plates and repair the backing. The condition of a captured suit can matter to characters even when their system does not automatically subtract AC for every damaged scale.
A Long History of Scale Armour
Scales commonly overlapped like roof tiles, attached to a garment with rivets, stitching or thong. This differs from lamellar armour, whose plates are often laced together without a continuous backing. Metal scales were widespread historically, but the earlier Met piece shown above was made of leather; it cannot be used as an exact model of late-medieval steel scale mail. Older equipment descriptions assume gauntlets are included.
Original Carolingian illustration, retained for context
The page originally pictured an armoured Carolingian foot soldier. It is an illustration rather than a verified technical reconstruction of the scale construction described here.
Scale Armour Demonstration
The earlier article’s original video remains available as a supporting demonstration below the rules and historical explanation; playback has not been independently tested.
Original Pathfinder 1e Reference
The original Pathfinder medium-armour table is preserved with readable, properly labelled columns. Its +5 value is an additive armour bonus, not an AC formula or the +4 used in D&D 3.5e.
Show preserved Pathfinder 1e table
| Armor | Cost | Armor/Shield Bonus | Maximum Dex Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure Chance | Speed (30 ft.) | Speed (20 ft.) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scale mail | 50 gp | +5 armor bonus | +3 | −4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lb. |
Original description: overlapping scales intended to remain flexible, and gauntlets included. See the Pathfinder 1e Core Rulebook equipment.
Related Equipment and Sources
Armour & Shields · Chain Shirt · Chainmail · Breastplate. Source editions: D&D 2024, D&D 2014, Pathfinder 1e, D&D 3.5e.
Rules Credits
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; author Jason Bulmahn, based on Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook and Skip Williams. System Reference Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Open Game License v1.0a, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. OGL v1.0a. D&D fifth-edition SRD credits Wizards of the Coast LLC, CC BY 4.0. The Met image is public domain. A full license-chain audit has not yet been completed.
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