Armor
Choose Your Armour and Shield
Light armour lets a scout move freely; medium armour balances protection and mobility; heavy armour helps a warrior hold the front line. A shield protects its bearer and, in skilled hands, can stop a charge, cover a retreat or strike an opponent. Pick the equipment below, then open its rules for your edition.
Find equipment: Light armour · Medium armour · Heavy armour · Shields and fittings · Unusual creatures · Putting on armour.
Understanding Armour Statistics
D&D 2024 and D&D 2014: An armour entry supplies an Armor Class calculation or a fixed AC, together with its training, Strength and Stealth requirements. Full Plate grants AC 18 in both editions; shields normally add +2 AC. Distinctive campaign equipment has its own rules within the relevant edition tab.
Pathfinder 1e: armour provides a bonus to AC; full plate grants +9, maximum Dexterity bonus +1, armour check penalty −6 and 35% arcane spell-failure chance. Shields add their own shield bonuses, and specialist equipment can have particular benefits.
D&D 3.5e: full plate provides a +8 armour bonus. Armour check penalties, arcane spell failure, speed and skill interactions follow that edition’s own rules.
Rules references: D&D 2024 · D&D 2014 · Pathfinder 1e · D&D 3.5e.
Armour is not simply a higher number on a character sheet. A helmet, mail shirt and shield change how a fighter holds a doorway, climbs a wall or enters a marsh; a heavy harness needs fitting, help with straps, and somewhere safe to leave it. This guide lets you browse actual full plate, mail, leather armour and shields, but the numbers must come from the rules edition your group plays. A guard wearing plate in D&D 2024 is not using the Pathfinder +9 armour bonus printed in the legacy table below.
To wear heavier Armor effectively, a character can select the Armor Proficiency feats, but most classes are automatically proficient with the armors that work best for them.
Armor and shields can take damage from some types of attacks.
Here is the format for armor entries (given as column headings on Table: Armor and Shields, below).
Cost: The cost of the armor for Small or Medium humanoid creatures. See Armor for Unusual Creatures, below, for armor prices for other creatures.
Armor/Shield Bonus: Each armor grants an armor bonus to AC, while shields grant a shield bonus to AC. The armor bonus from a suit of armor doesn’t stack with other effects or items that grant an armor bonus. Similarly, the shield bonus from a shield doesn’t stack with other effects that grant a shield bonus.
Maximum Dexterity Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to AC that this type of armor allows. Heavier armors limit mobility, reducing the wearer’s ability to Dodge blows. This restriction doesn’t affect any other Dexterity-related abilities.
Even if a character’s Dexterity bonus to AC drops to 0 because of armor, this situation does not count as losing a Dexterity bonus to AC. Your character’s encumbrance (the amount of gear he or she carries) may also restrict the maximum Dexterity bonus that can be applied to his or her Armor Class.
Shields: Shields do not affect a character’s maximum Dexterity bonus.
Armor Check Penalty (D&D 3.5e skill names): Under these legacy rules, armour heavier than leather affects certain skills. An armor check penalty number is the penalty that applies to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks by a character wearing a certain kind of armor. Double the normal armor check penalty is applied to Swim checks. A character’s encumbrance (the amount of gear carried, including armor) may also apply an armor check penalty.
Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, both armor check penalties apply.
Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he or she is not proficient takes the armor’s (and/or shield’s) armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for nonproficiency with shields.
Sleeping in Armor: A character who sleeps in medium or heavy armor is automatically fatigued the next day. He or she takes a -2 penalty on Strength and Dexterity and can’t charge or run. Sleeping in light armor does not cause fatigue.
Arcane Spell Failure (Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e): Under these legacy rules, armor interferes with the gestures that a spellcaster must make to cast an arcane spell that has a somatic component. Arcane spellcasters face the possibility of arcane spell failure if they’re wearing armor. Bards can wear light armor without incurring any arcane spell failure chance for their bard spells.
Casting an Arcane Spell in Armor: A character who casts an arcane spell while wearing armor must usually make an arcane spell failure roll. The number in the Arcane Spell Failure Chance column on Table: Armor and Shields is the chance that the spell fails and is ruined. If the spell lacks a somatic component, however, it can be cast with no chance of arcane spell failure.
Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, add the two numbers together to get a single arcane spell failure chance.
Speed: Medium or heavy armor slows the wearer down. The number on Table: Armor and Shields is the character’s speed while wearing the armor. Humans, elves, half-elves, and half-orcs have an unencumbered speed of 30 feet.
They use the first column. Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings have an unencumbered speed of 20 feet. They use the second column.
In Pathfinder 1e, a dwarf’s base land speed remains 20 feet even in medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load. Do not apply this Pathfinder rule automatically to the 2014 or 2024 dwarf.
Shields: Shields do not affect a character’s speed.
Weight: This column gives the weight of the armor sized for a Medium wearer. Armor fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armor for Large characters weighs twice as much.
Masterwork Armour
Armour for Unusual Creatures
Armor and shields for unusually big creatures, unusually little creatures, and nonhumanoid creatures have different costs and weights from those given on Table: Armor and Shields.
Refer to the appropriate line on the table below and apply the multipliers to cost and weight for the armor type in question.
Getting into and out of Armour
The time required to don armor depends on its type.
Don: This column tells how long it takes a character to put the armor on. (One minute is 10 rounds.) Readying (strapping on) a shield is only a move action.
Don Hastily: This column tells how long it takes to put the armor on in a hurry. The armor check penalty and armor bonus for hastily donned armor are each 1 point worse than normal.
Remove: This column tells how long it takes to get the armor off. Loosing a shield (removing it from the arm and dropping it) is only a move action.
Light armor
| Light armour | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor | Cost | Armor/Shield Bonus | Maximum Dexterity Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure Chance | Speed (30 ft.) | Speed (20 ft.) | Weight |
| Armored Kilt* | 20 gp | +1 | +6 | 0 | 0% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 10 lbs. |
| Padded | 5 gp | +1 | +8 | 0 | 5% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 10 lb.s |
| Quilted Cloth | 100 gp | +1 | +8 | 0 | 10% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 15 lbs. |
| Leather | 10 gp | +2 | +6 | 0 | 10% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 15 lbs. |
| Rosewood armor | 50 gp | +2 | +6 | 0 | 10% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 15 lbs. |
| Gladiator armour | 125 gp | +3 | +6 | 0 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 15 lbs. |
| Leaf armor | 500 gp | +3 | +5 | 0 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 20 lbs. |
| Parade armor | 25 gp | +3 | +5 | -1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 20 lbs. |
| Studded leather | 25 gp | +3 | +5 | –1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 20 lbs. |
| Wooden | 20 gp | +3 | +3 | -1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Chain shirt | 100 gp | +4 | +4 | -2 | 20% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Hide shirt | 90 gp | +4 | +4 | -3 | 20% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Light hoplite armour* | 200 gp | +4 | +4 | -1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 20 lbs. |
Medium armor
| Medium armour | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor | Cost | Armor/Shield Bonus | Maximum Dexterity Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure Chance | Speed (30 ft.) | Speed (20 ft.) | Weight |
| Armored Coat | 50 gp | +4 | +3 | -2 | 20% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 20 lbs. |
| Hide | 15 gp | +4 | +4 | –3 | 20% | 20 ft. | 15ft. | 25 lbs. |
| Heavy hoplite armour* | 300 gp | +5 | +3 | -3 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lb. |
| Scale mail | 50 gp | +5 | +3 | –4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lbs. |
| Brigandine | ||||||||
| Chainmail | 150 gp | +6 | +2 | –5 | 30% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 40 lbs. |
| Breastplate | 200 gp | +6 | +3 | –4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lbs. |
| Breastplate (agile) | 400 gp | +6 | +3 | -4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 25 lbs. |
Heavy armor
| Heavy armour | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor | Cost | Armor/Shield Bonus | Maximum Dexterity Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure Chance | Speed (30 ft.) | Speed (20 ft.) | Weight |
| Andabatae armour* | 600 gp | +7 | +0 | -7 | 40% | 20 ft.* | 15 ft.2 | 50 lbs. |
| Splint mail | 200 gp | +7 | +0 | –7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 45 lbs. |
| Banded mail | 250 gp | +7 | +1 | –6 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 35 lbs. |
| Half-plate | 600 gp | +8 | +0 | –7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 50 lbs. |
| Half-plate (agile) | 850 gp | +8 | +0 | -7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 55 lbs. |
| Full plate | 1,500 gp | +9 | +1 | -6 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 50 lbs. |
Shields
| Shield | Cost | Armor/Shield Bonus | Maximum Dexterity Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure Chance | Speed (30 ft.) | Speed (20 ft.) | Weight |
| Buckler | 5 gp | +1 | — | –1 | 5% | — | — | 5 lbs. |
| Madu, leather | 30 gp | +1 | — | -2 | 5% | — | — | 5 lbs. |
| Madu, steel | 40 gp | +1 | — | -2 | 5% | — | — | 6 lbs. |
| Shield, light wooden | 3 gp | +1 | — | -1 | 5% | — | — | 5 lbs. |
| Shield, light steel | 9 gp | +1 | — | -1 | 5% | — | — | 6 lbs. |
| Shield, heavy wooden | 7 gp | +2 | — | -2 | 15% | — | — | 10 lbs. |
| Shield, heavy steel | 20 gp | +2 | — | -2 | 15% | — | — | 15 lbs. |
| Shield, Jousting | ||||||||
| Shield, tower | 30 gp | +4 (note 3) | +2 | -10 | 50% | — | — | 45 lbs. |
| Shield and armor fittings | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra | Cost | Armor/Shield Bonus | Maximum Dexterity Bonus | Armor Check Penalty | Arcane Spell Failure Chance | Speed (30 ft.) | Speed (20 ft.) | Weight. 1 |
| Armor spikes | +50 gp | — | — | — | — | — | — | +10 lbs. |
| Gauntlet, locked | 8 gp | — | — | Special | n/a 4 | — | — | +5 lbs. |
| Shield spikes | +10 gp | — | — | — | — | — | — | +5 lbs. |
Legacy Pathfinder table notes:
1. Weights are for Medium-size wearers. Small armour weighs half as much; Large armour weighs twice as much.
2. In heavy armour, running uses three times normal speed, not four times.
3. A tower shield can provide cover under its specific rules; the base shield bonus is +4, not +4.3.
4. A hand wearing a locked gauntlet cannot be used to cast a spell with somatic components while occupied; consult the gauntlet’s description and the other hand’s availability.
* Certain unusual armours use additional rules. These notes apply to the legacy table, not automatically to modern D&D.
| Creature size | Humanoid | Nonhumanoid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Cost | Weight | Cost | Weight |
| Tiny orsmaller1 | x1/2 | x1/10 | x1 | x1/10 |
| Small | x1 | x1/2 | x2 | x1/2 |
| Medium | x1 | x1 | x2 | x1 |
| Large | x2 | x2 | x4 | x2 |
| Huge | x4 | x5 | x8 | x5 |
| Gargantuan | x8 | x8 | x16 | x8 |
| Colossal | x16 | x12 | x32 | x12 |
| 1 Divide armor bonus by 2. | ||||
Donning Armor
| Donning Armor | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Type | Don | Don Hastily | Remove |
| Shield (any) | 1 move action | n/a | 1 move action |
| Light armor | 1 minute | 5 rounds 1 | minute1 |
| Medium armor | 4 minutes1 | 1 minute1 | minute1 |
| Heavy armor | 4 minutes2 | 4 minutes1 | 1d4+1 minutes1 |
- 1 If the character has some help, cut this time in half. A single character doing nothing else can help one or two adjacent characters. Two characters can’t help each other don armor at the same time.
- 2 The wearer must have help to don this armor. Without help, it can be donned only hastily.
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