Armor Spikes

Armor spikes turn an ordinary suit of armour into a close-quarters weapon. Spikes mounted on the shoulders, torso or forearms can harm an opponent during a grapple. The actual game rules differ: Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e treat spikes as an add-on weapon, while D&D 2014 publishes a special Battlerager suit.

Armor Spikes at a Glance

Physical form: a fitted array of blunt-based metal spikes with sharpened points, securely riveted or bolted to armour.
Main purpose: a piercing attack or grapple-related damage, under the chosen rules edition.
Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e: +50 gp, +10 lb. for a Medium suit; no extra armour bonus; 1d6 piercing damage for Medium users.
D&D 2014: the Spiked Armor in Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide is a complete 75 gp medium-armour suit, whose special attacks belong to the Battlerager subclass.
D&D 2024: fit spikes to a suit for +50 GP and +10 lb.; they deal Piercing damage in close combat and when you secure a grapple.

Edition rules and tables · In play · Fitting and maintenance

Historical illustration of a warrior from Central India, retained from the earlier equipment page — Historical illustration labelled “A warrior from Central India”, retained from the original article for equipment context. It is not presented as evidence of a historical spiked armour fitting.

Armor Spikes Rules by Edition

Open the rules you actually use. Fifth-edition Spiked Armor, Pathfinder armour spikes and 3.5e armour spikes must not share damage, cost or grappling procedures.

D&D 2024 — Armor Spikes

Armour spikes (campaign equipment): A set of iron spikes fitted to an existing suit of armour. Cost: +50 GP. Weight: +10 lb. Damage: 1d4 Piercing. Weapon: Martial Melee.

Spike attack. When you take the Attack action, you can make one of your attacks with the spikes. Use Strength for the attack and damage rolls; on a hit, deal 1d4 + your Strength modifier Piercing damage. Proficiency with Martial weapons applies.

Grappling. Once on each of your turns, when a creature fails its saving throw against your Unarmed Strike’s Grapple option, you can drive the spikes into it, dealing 1d4 Piercing damage. The grapple still requires a free hand and follows the normal Grapple rules. This damage uses no additional action.

The spikes grant no bonus to Armor Class and no extra attack. Their weight is added to the armour already worn.

D&D 2014 — Spiked Armor (supplement)

Spiked Armor (complete suit)

Armor Name	Cost	Armor Class (AC)	Strength	Stealth	Weight
Spiked armor	75 gp	14 + Dex modifier (max 2)	—	Disadvantage	45 lb.

Supplement-specific equipment: This Spiked Armor is a separate medium-armour suit associated with the Path of the Battlerager in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, not the Pathfinder +50 gp attachment. The standard 2014 Basic Rules do not list it.

Who attacks with it? The 2014 Battlerager subclass permits a raging wearer to make a bonus-action spike attack against a creature within 5 feet, dealing 1d4 piercing damage plus Strength modifier on a hit. A successful grapple using the Attack action also deals 3 piercing damage as described by the Battlerager feature. These are subclass rules, not an automatic offensive ability belonging to every wearer of this armour.

The item uses medium-armour proficiency; nonproficient wearers suffer the 2014 armour penalties and cannot cast spells. Donning medium armour takes 5 minutes, doffing 1 minute. Do not apply a Pathfinder martial-weapon −4 grapple penalty or Pathfinder’s 1d6 piercing-damage table here.

Pathfinder 1e — Armor Spikes

Armour addition

Armor	Cost	Armor/Shield Bonus	Maximum Dex Bonus	Armor Check Penalty	Arcane Spell Failure Chance	Speed (30 ft.)	Speed (20 ft.)	Weight
Armor spikes	+50 gp	—	—	—	—	—	—	+10 lb.

Martial weapon statistics

Weapon	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)	Critical	Range Increment	Weight	Type
Spiked armor	Special	1d4	1d6	×2	—	Special	Piercing

Attaching spikes: Pay +50 gp and add +10 lb. for a suit sized for a Medium creature. The spikes grant no additional armor bonus and change none of the suit’s printed maximum Dexterity, armor check penalty, spell failure or speed statistics. Use the underlying armour’s values.

Fighting with spikes: A character can use spikes to deal additional piercing damage on a successful grapple attack under the Pathfinder Core Rulebook rules, or make a regular melee or off-hand attack with the spikes as a light martial weapon. A nonproficient user takes −4 on grapple checks when attempting to use them. You cannot use spikes as one off-hand weapon and also attack with a different off-hand weapon in the same permitted sequence.

An enhancement bonus to the armour does not make its spikes magically stronger; they may be enchanted as a separate weapon. Small armour spikes deal 1d4 piercing damage, Medium 1d6, with ×2 critical.

D&D 3.5e — Armor Spikes

Armour addition

Armor	Cost	Armor/Shield Bonus	Maximum Dex Bonus	Armor Check Penalty	Arcane Spell Failure Chance	Speed (30 ft.)	Speed (20 ft.)	Weight
Armor spikes	+50 gp	—	—	—	—	—	—	+10 lb.

Martial weapon statistics

Weapon	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)	Critical	Range Increment	Weight	Type
Spiked armor	Special	1d4	1d6	×2	—	Special	Piercing

Attachment, not a replacement suit: Add +50 gp and +10 lb. to the base armour for a Medium wearer. Its armour bonus, maximum Dexterity, check penalty, spell failure and speed stay those of the base suit. This is a 3.5e weapon-and-armour extra, not a fixed 2014 spiked-medium-armour AC.

The D&D 3.5e SRD permits extra piercing damage in a successful grapple attack, or a regular melee/off-hand attack with the spikes as a martial light weapon. Without appropriate weapon proficiency, the wearer takes −4 to grapple checks when using them. A suit’s magic enhancement bonus does not improve the spikes as a weapon; weapon enhancement must be applied to the spikes separately.

Spikes inflict 1d4 piercing damage for Small characters and 1d6 for Medium, with ×2 critical. Follow the 3.5e grappling and off-hand attack rules, rather than the Pathfinder combat manoeuvre terminology.

Using Armor Spikes in Play

The doorway grapple. A guard in spiked mail blocks a narrow stair. In Pathfinder 1e or D&D 3.5e, a creature that tries to control the guard in a grapple must reckon with the guard’s ability to use armour spikes through that edition’s grapple-attack procedure. The spikes do not grant an automatic extra attack on every contact: apply the actual action, proficiency and attack rules before dealing damage.

The Battlerager’s charge. A 2014 Battlerager charges into a knot of opponents in a purpose-built spiked medium suit. While raging, the subclass can make its specified bonus-action spike attack. A fighter merely wearing the same armour does not acquire that subclass feature.

Equipment costs matter. Adding spikes to a 25 lb. chain shirt in Pathfinder 1e raises its weight to 35 lb. and cost from 100 to 150 gp. The metal fittings can snag during travel, catch in narrow passages, and need sensible covers around allies and pack animals. Those are descriptive practical concerns, not extra rules penalties unless your GM assigns them.

Fitting, Repairing and Enchanting Spikes

Proper spikes need solid attachment points. A rivet that pulls free in a grapple is dangerous to the wearer as well as the enemy, and loose points can snag straps, clothing and travelling packs. An armourer can replace broken spikes and secure their bases without rebuilding the entire underlying harness.

In Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5e, a suit’s magical protection and the spikes’ qualities as a weapon are distinct. Improving the armour’s defensive enhancement alone does not improve the spikes’ attack or damage. If the spikes themselves are made magical, handle them as their own weapon for the relevant edition.

Original Video Reference

The original video is preserved as an optional equipment reference; it is not necessary for interpreting the printed rules.

Open the preserved armor-spikes video

Related Equipment and Rulebooks

See the Armour & Shields catalogue, Chain Shirt, Leather Armor and Rosewood Armor, whose living rose vines work as armour spikes under Pathfinder rules.

Rules sources: 2024 D&D Basic Rules equipment; 2014 D&D Spiked Armor equipment entry and Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide; Pathfinder 1e Core Rulebook equipment; D&D 3.5e SRD armour extras and D&D 3.5e SRD weapons. The source tables and original video were retained, with the rules reorganised into separate edition panels.

Legacy source credits: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Paizo Publishing, 2009, author Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook and Skip Williams; D&D System Reference Documents, Wizards of the Coast. The 2014 Battlerager material belongs to Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.