Medium Armour Proficiency — Four-Edition Feat Guide
Medium Armour · Feats · Character Training
Armour training differs by rules edition. Use the medium-armour entry below to choose the correct feat, check prerequisites and apply the equipment rules of your campaign.
Medium armour balances speed and durability, but the feat that grants its training is not identical across the four rules editions. A suit that suits one character’s training may restrict another’s movement or spellcasting.
At a Glance
| D&D 2024 | Moderately Armored — level 4+ General Feat; requires Light Armor Training; +1 Strength or Dexterity; Medium Armor Training |
|---|---|
| D&D 2014 | Moderately Armored — Feat; requires light armour proficiency; +1 Strength or Dexterity; medium armour and shield proficiency |
| Pathfinder 1e | Armor Proficiency, Medium — Combat Feat; prerequisite Light Armor Proficiency |
| D&D 3.5e | Armor Proficiency (Medium) — General Feat; prerequisite Armor Proficiency (Light) |
Medium Armour Rules by Edition
Moderately Armored — D&D 2024
General Feat; prerequisites: Character level 4 or higher and Light Armor Training. Increase Strength or Dexterity by 1, to a maximum of 20. Gain Medium Armor Training.
This feat does not grant Shield Training. Check separately whether your class or another feature gives Shield Training before adding a shield’s +2 AC.
Example: A light-armoured adventurer with Dexterity 15 uses the feat to reach Dexterity 16 and becomes trained in medium armour. While wearing a Breastplate, the AC calculation still caps the armour’s Dexterity contribution at +2.
Moderately Armored — D&D 2014
Feat; prerequisite: Proficiency with light armour. Increase Strength or Dexterity by 1, to a maximum of 20. Gain proficiency with medium armour and shields.
Unlike 2024, this published feat explicitly grants shield proficiency. A character can therefore gain both proficiencies through the same choice even if their existing class did not grant shields.
Armor Proficiency, Medium — Pathfinder 1e
Combat Feat; prerequisite: Light Armor Proficiency. You become proficient in medium armour and avoid the additional penalties for wearing it without proficiency. The armour’s normal check penalty, maximum Dexterity bonus, speed reduction and arcane spell failure chance remain in force.
Barbarians, clerics, druids, fighters, paladins and rangers normally have medium armour proficiency as part of their Pathfinder 1e class rules. A standard Pathfinder Bard does not automatically receive Medium Armor Proficiency.
Armor Proficiency (Medium) — D&D 3.5e
General Feat; prerequisite: Armor Proficiency (light). You may wear medium armour without suffering the nonproficiency penalty to attack rolls and physical skill checks. The armour itself can still slow movement, limit Dexterity and hinder some skills.
Check the applicable class’s proficiency list before taking the feat. Proficiency alone does not make arcane spellcasting ignore the armour’s listed spell failure chance.
Using Medium Armour
Medium armour is a practical option for characters who expect to stand near danger but still value Dexterity. Check the exact armour’s AC formula, maximum Dexterity contribution, weight, movement and Stealth restrictions before equipping it. Shield training or proficiency is a separate matter except where the edition’s chosen feat expressly grants it.
Related rules: Light Armour Proficiency · Heavy Armour Proficiency · Armour and Shields.
Rules Sources
The legacy Pathfinder and D&D 3.5e entries use their respective published proficiency rules. The D&D 2024 and D&D 2014 entries summarise the two separately published Moderately Armored feats; their shield-training differences are intentional.
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