Talk:Partial Armor (5e Variant Rule)

I love this mess. It looks like blatantly overpowered screwery until you actually start trying to make it overpowered, at which point it just becomes an hilarious exercise in trying to figure out whether you're making a profit or a loss.
I take it that the intended effect is, if you stack up partial armor but have a high Dex, "you count as wearing medium armor" means your maximum bonus from Dex drops to 2? Knowlessman (talk) 23:57, 21 August 2017 (MDT)

That's correct. I think in the best case you get an extra +1 AC compared to what you could normally have (or +2 but with Stealth disadvantage).

A rogue, monk, wizard etc. can only wear one piece, or else they suffer the penalties for not having medium/heavy armor proficiency.

At the other end, a fighter or paladin wearing light armor would have to wear partial armor totaling +6 AC to get the equivalent of plate armor. This shouldn't be possible with medium partial armor alone. Maybe partial armors should be explicit in what body part they cover, and we limit the number of body slots: e.g. head, arm, torso. Marasmusine (talk) 02:54, 22 August 2017 (MDT)

Wait, why should the shoulder guard conflict with the gauntlets? Should we bump the limit to 4, or just say "only up to 3 pieces" and not make it an issue of slots? I think we can trust DM's to not let people wear two helmets and to use their own judgment on whether to allow two shoulder guards on the same character/leather belt with spongia/so on. Knowlessman (talk) 10:26, 22 August 2017 (MDT)

the rule variant prevents itself from working.

long story short, if wearing 2 items, you can not gain benefits from either according to the fact you count as wearing medium or heavy then, and in doing so, would lose the benefit of both items.

Arcane Armor Artificer

How does this variant rule function with the arcane armor feature granted by the armorer artificer? Do all pieces of partial armor worn count as a single piece of arcane armor? --ZarHakkar (talk) 22:25, 19 January 2022 (MST)

Sample Armor Complect

One listed in "Questionable Balance". "halfplate with "mercenary armor", sabatons, chain cloak, and a great helmet for an AC of 24". So, "Mercenary Armor" gives +3. So, it's 2 or 3 items. What armor pieces did you mean by that? 95.71.91.148 05:53, 1 October 2024 (MDT)

My attempt of No Armor: Gambeson = 2 + Dex Modifier (Whatever your AC is when naked?). 95.71.119.203 07:48, 22 October 2024 (MDT)

My attempt of Light armor: Studded Leather, Gambeneson = 14 + Dex modifier. 95.71.91.148 06:11, 1 October 2024 (MDT)

My attempt of Stealthy Medium armor: Breastplate, Gambeson, Leather Belt, Wolf Jaw = 18 AC + Dex modifier (max 2). 95.71.91.148 07:19, 1 October 2024 (MDT)

My attempt of Medium armor: Half Plate, Gambenezon, Winged Hussar Helmet, Leather Belt = 20 AC + Dex modifier (max +2). 95.71.91.148 06:10, 1 October 2024 (MDT)

One of the few cases where Medium armor somehow ends up stronger than Heavy Armor. Is that even normal? 95.71.91.148 07:23, 1 October 2024 (MDT)

My attempt of Heavy armor: Full Plate, Great Helmet, Chain Cloak, Plate Shoulder Guard = 24 AC. 95.71.91.148 06:10, 1 October 2024 (MDT)

Hang on a sec, your heavy armor attempt is illegal. Per the first sentence of the variant rule, you can't gain an AC bonus from partial armor while wearing heavy armor such as full plate. 2601:285:4100:14B0:D8:3804:379A:560F 06:13, 1 October 2024 (MDT)

Then: Half Plate, Great Helmet, Chain Cloak, Plate Shoulder Guard = 21 AC. Great Helmet can be replaced with something else to remove disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks; you can choose either another Plate Shoulder Guard, Winged Hussar Helmet (+ advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks), or Gambeson (+ cold adaptation). 95.71.91.148 06:22, 1 October 2024 (MDT)