Armor

ARMOR
Item Cost Armor Class (AC) Strength Stealth Weight
Light Armor
Padded 5 gp 11 + Dex modifier — Disadvantage 8 lb.
Leather 10 gp 11 + Dex modifier — — 10 lb.
Leather scale 25 gp 12 + Dex modifier — Disadvantage 15 lb.
Studded leather 45 gp 12 + Dex modifier — — 13 lb.

Medium Armor
Layered furs 5 gp 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 15 lb.
Hide 10 gp 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) — — 12 lb.
Brigandine 35 gp 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 35 lb.
Chain shirt 50 gp 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) — — 20 lb.
Scale mail 50 gp 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 45 lb.
Coin armor 100+ gp 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 50 lb.
Breastplate 400 gp 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) — — 20 lb.
Half plate (field plate) 750 gp 15 + Dex modifier (max 2) — Disadvantage 40 lb.

Heavy Armor
Ring mail 30 gp 14 — Disadvantage 40 lb.
Banded mail 55 gp 15 — Disadvantage 45 lb.
Chain mail 75 gp 16 Str 13 Disadvantage 55 lb.
Splint (plate mail) 200 gp 17 Str 15 Disadvantage 60 lb.
Plate (full plate) 1,500 gp 18 Str 15 Disadvantage 65 lb.

Shields
Buckler 15 gp +1 — — 2 lb.
Pavise (archer shield) 20 gp +1 — — 9 lb.
Shield 10 gp +2 — — 6 lb.
Tower shield 45 gp +2 Str 15 Disadvantage 30 lb.

Additions
Armor spikes +25 gp — — — —
Great helm +10 gp — — — 3 lb.
Locking gauntlet +10 gp — — — —
Reinforced gorget +4 gp — — — 1 lb.
Shield sconce +5 gp — — — —
Shield spikes +15 gp — — — —
Subtle armor x2 — — — —

GETTING INTO & OUT OF ARMOR
Donning and doffing armor takes place in a matter of some minutes, depending on the armor’s category. Shields can be made ready or stowed in much shorter time.
Don. This is the time it takes to put on armor. It is also the time needed to make ready a shield, bringing it to a ready, usable position. You benefit from the equipment only if you take the full time to don the suit of armor or make ready the shield.
Doff. This is the time it takes to remove armor. It is also the time needed to stow a shield, freeing up that hand for other uses. If you have help doffing a suit of armor, reduce the time by half. You cannot be assisted in stowing a shield.
VARIANT: THE RESTLESS REPOSE
Someone who sleeps in armor does not rest easily. Normal sleep is possible, but a worn-out adventurer will find her sleep less restorative while enclosed in the stifling confines of her armor.
A character that wears armor for an entire long rest cannot remove a level of exhaustion and does not recover previously-expended hit dice. A character can safely wear armor for up to two hours of a long rest, perhaps while standing watch, without invoking this penalty.
VARIANT: THE SAILOR’S CURSE
There is a reason that sailors avoid wearing armor at sea. Surrounded by water and sinking, a suit of armor can weigh down the sailor as surely as a tangle of leaden chains.
Any armor that provides Disadvantage to Dexterity (Stealth) checks is too cumbersome for use in water. Such armor imposes Disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made for swimming.
Such armor also reduces the wearer’s movement speed in water; each foot of movement costs 2 extra feet (instead of the normal 1 extra foot). Even if the wearer has a swimming speed, such armor means that the wearer must use 2 feet of movement for each actual foot moved.

DESCRIPTIONS
Armor suits, shields, and attachments are described below.
Armor Spikes. These short, sharp spikes can be added to any suit of armor. When you use the attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes 1d3 piercing damage if your grapple check succeeds. Armor so modified is “spiked armor” for purposes of the Battlerager Armor class feature but this damage is not additive with that feature.
Banded Mail. This resembles leather armor with form-fitted metal bands sewn over important areas. It represents an improvement in protection over ring mail but gaps in the bands provide less protection than the integrated links of chain mail.
Buckler. This small, lightweight shield straps to the forearm for ease of use. It takes only a bonus action to don or doff a buckler, gripping the interior handle or flicking it back to the forearm to put that hand to some other use. This allows you to switch quickly between combat styles.
Breastplate. A solid plate covering the chest and another on the back, linked with leather straps. This leaves the less-vital portions of the body unarmored, but allows the wearer to retain her full range of motion and move about with little encumbrance from the armor.
Brigandine. A doublet of cloth or canvas, to which are riveted a series of oblong, overlapping plates. Although variations exist, this type of brigandine uses a great deal of plates with extensive overlap for maximum protection.
Chain Mail. A hauberk and short pants made of heavy, riveted links. A suit of this type includes some sort of forearm protection and a chainmail coif. It also includes a padded layer of cloth underneath.
Chain Shirt. A suit of light chainmail that covers just the torso. This armor is often worn between layers of cloth or leather.
Coin Armor. This armor constitutes an ostentatious display of wealth. It is crafted as scale armor but uses coins instead of scales. Each coin is punched with holes used to tie the coin scales together and each coin is backed with steel to offset the weakness of the metals used in the coins. A suit of coin armor requires 2,000 coins; this additional expense (variable based on the coins’ types) is added to the cost of the armor but does not affect crafting times.
Great Helm. This heavy helmet is more protective than the head covering that normally comes with a suit of armor. It fully encases the head and neck, while a visor fully protects the face. Great helms often bear decorative plumes, crests, or elaborate figurines on top. Wearing a great helm provides a +1 bonus to saving throws against area spells and effects, like a dragon’s breath weapon or a fireball spell. It also grants immunity to the special mechanics of saps and garrotes. Wearing a great helm imposes disadvantage on the wearer’s Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Half Plate. Sometimes called “field plate,” this is a lighter version of full plate armor. Most of the wearer’s body is covered in connected metal plates. It tends to provide less protection at the joints and the extremities of the limbs than full plate armor.
Hide. The treated hide of an animal, fashioned into a protective suit of armor. Hide armor is often used in primitive societies.
Layered Furs. Thin or poorly-cured hides, when used in layers, provide significant protection to the wearer. Layered furs are used for protection in primitive societies or as ceremonial armor.
Leather. The breastplate and shoulders of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by boiling in oil. The rest of the armor is made of softer and more flexible materials.
Leather Scale. A torso and shoulder covering made of stiff, overlapping scales of treated leather.
Locking Gauntlet. Built into a suit of metal armor, the fingers of this armored gauntlet are equipped with locking braces designed to keep the wearer from being disarmed. While holding a weapon in the gauntlet, the wearer can use an action to lock the braces with her free hand. Thereafter, the gauntlet wearer automatically resists disarming attempts. (See page 271 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.) When a weapon is locked in place, the gauntlet wearer cannot put it down or use the hand for anything else. Unlocking the gauntlet also requires another action with a free hand. A locking gauntlet functions as an armor gauntlet if used with unarmed strikes.
Padded. Padded armor consists of quilted layers of cloth and batting.
Pavise. Also called an “archer shield,” a pavise is a convex shield with a prominent central ridge. This shape, and a spike attached to the bottom, allows the pavise to stand on its own and provide cover to someone who crouches behind it. Placing a pavis (or picking it up from a placed position) requires an action. Once placed, the user no longer gets a shield bonus but can claim half cover while prone behind it. This cover only applies to the direction the pavise is placed against. When using a battle mat, mark one entire side of the square you are in when you place the pavise. If a straight line drawn from either unmarked corner of your square to any corner of the attacker’s square touches or passes through the marked side, the pavise provides you with half cover.
Plate. Sometimes called “full plate,” this armor’s shaped, interlocking metal plates cover the wearer completely. Even the extremities are covered in interlocking plates, down to the individual joints covering the backs of each finger. Plate armor is typically worn over an arming doublet, buckled to various parts of the doublet to better distribute the carried weight across the wearer’s body.
Reinforced Gorget. A reinforced gorget is a metal collar that protects the wearer’s neck and clavicle region. This protective device grants immunity to the special mechanics of garrotes.
Ring Mail. Heavy rings sewn onto a leather covering, this armor is not as protective (or expensive) as a suit with interlocking rings, such as chainmail.
Scale Mail. This armor consists of a leather hauberk and leggings covered by overlapping metal scales.
Shield. A one-handed protective device, this flat or curved plane covers a portion of the body and is actively wielded for blocking attacks. A shield can be made of wood or metal. It provides the protection described in the Armor chart. You can only benefit from one shield at a time.
Shield Sconce. This heat-resistant plate and set of brackets mounts on the front of a shield. This device can attach to any kind of shield except a buckler. It is built to lock in a lit torch or sunrod, allowing the shield-bearer to carry a light source in the same hand as the shield. A shield modified with a sconce cannot also bear an emblem holy symbol or shield spikes.
Shield Spikes. These sharp studs cover the face of a shield, making it into a convincing weapon. They can be applied to a shield, but not a buckler, pavise, or tower shield. When the affected shield is used as an improvised weapon, it inflicts (1d4) piercing damage instead of bludgeoning damage. Additionally, when you use the Attack action to shove a creature, you can inflict the spikes’ piercing damage if your check  succeeds. (Do not add your ability modifier to damage when using the spikes in a shove.) A shield modified with spikes cannot also bear a sconce or an emblem holy symbol. Lizardfolk are particularly skilled with spiked shields and can use them to exceptional effect (Monster Manual, page 204).
Splint. Narrow vertical strips of interlocking metal, riveted together and backed by leather and cloth padding. Significant overlap of the plates provides exceptional protection (and weight). Chainmail segments cover some of the wearer’s joints. The “plate mail” version of this armor uses large, harder plates over the certain sections of the body.
Studded Leather. Made from tough but flexible leather, studded leather is reinforced with close-set rivets or spikes.
Subtle Armor. Using various techniques, affected armor takes on the appearance of normal—though sometimes bulky—clothing. Leather padding can be sewn inside canvas tunics and baggy trousers. Chain can be disguised with quilting. Even narrow plates and splinting can be incorporated into the lining of heavy coats. This modification can apply to most armors suits, excluding half plate and plate. Heavy or medium armor with this addition can be identified with a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check by anyone within 30 feet. Physically handling any kind of subtle armor reveals its nature without a check. A suit of subtle armor costs twice its normal price.
Tower Shield. A tower shield is much larger and heavier than a standard shield, standing nearly as tall as the person who wields it. In addition to the normal benefit to your Armor Class, while carrying a tower shield, you gain a +2 bonus to Dexterity saving throws. This benefit is not compatible with bonuses granted by cover. You can also perform a special version of the Dodge action by hunkering down behind a tower shield. The benefit of this Dodge is not lost if you are incapacitated because of the stunned condition or if your speed is otherwise reduced to 0.