To wear heavier armour effectively, a character can select the Armour Proficiency feats, but most classes are automatically proficient with the armours that work best for them.
Armour and shields can take damage from some types of attacks.
Here is the format for armour entries (given as column headings on Table: Armour and Shields, below).
Cost: The cost of the armour for Small or Medium humanoid creatures. See Armour for Unusual Creatures, below, for armour prices for other creatures. The second cost listed is the cost for the Masterwork version of that item.
This cost is the same for a Small or Medium version of the Armour or Shield. A Large version costs twice the listed base price. For a Large Masterwork version, the standard Masterwork costs are added to the increased base price, and the Masterwork costs are not, themselves, doubled.
Armour/Shield Bonus: Each armour grants an armour bonus to AC, while shields grant a shield bonus to AC. The armour bonus from a suit of armour doesn’t stack with other effects or items that grant an armour bonus. Similarly, the shield bonus from a shield doesn’t stack with other effects that grant a shield bonus.
Maximum Dex Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to AC that this type of armour allows. Heavier armours 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 armour, 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 Armour Class.
Shields: Shields, other than tower shields, do not affect a character’s maximum Dexterity bonus.
Armour Check Penalty: Any armour heavier than leather hurts a character’s ability to use some skills. An armour 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 armour. Double the normal armour check penalty is applied to Swim checks. A character’s encumbrance (the amount of gear carried, including armour) may also apply an armour check penalty.
Shields: If a character is wearing armour and using a shield, both armour check penalties apply.
Non-proficient with Armour Worn: A character who wears armour and/or uses a shield with which he or she is not proficient takes the armour’s (and/or shield’s) armour check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for non-proficiency with armour stacks with the penalty for non-proficiency with shields.
Sleeping in Armour: A character who sleeps in medium or heavy armour 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 armour does not cause fatigue.
Arcane Spell Failure: Armour 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 armour. Bards can wear light armour without incurring any arcane spell failure chance for their bard spells.
Casting an Arcane Spell in Armour: A character who casts an arcane spell while wearing armour must usually make an arcane spell failure roll. The number in the Arcane Spell Failure Chance column on Table: Armour 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 armour and using a shield, add the two numbers together to get a single arcane spell failure chance.
Speed: Medium or heavy armour slows the wearer down. The number on Table: Armour and Shields is the character’s speed while wearing the armour. 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. Remember, however, that a dwarf’s land speed remains 20 feet even in medium or heavy armour or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Shields: Shields do not affect a character’s speed.
Weight: This column gives the weight of the armour sized for a Medium wearer. Armour fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armour for Large characters weighs twice as much.
Any special benefits or accessories to the types of armour found on Table: Armour and Shields are described below.
| Armour | Cost | Armour/Shield Bonus |
Max Dex Bonus |
Armour Check Penalty |
Arcane Spell Failure Chance |
Speed | Weight1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (30 ft.) | (20 ft.) | |||||||
| Light armour | ||||||||
| Padded | 5 gp/155 gp | +1 | +8 | 0 | 5% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 10 lb. |
| Leather | 10 gp/160 gp | +2 | +6 | 0 | 10% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 15 lb. |
| Studded Leather | 25 gp/175 gp | +3 | +5 | -1 | 15% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 20 lb. |
| Chain Shirt | 100 gp/250 gp | +4 | +4 | -2 | 20% | 30 ft. | 20 ft. | 25 lb. |
| Medium armour | ||||||||
| Hide | 15 gp/165 gp | +3 | +4 | -3 | 20% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 25 lb. |
| Scale Mail | 50 gp/200 gp | +4 | +3 | -4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lb. |
| Chainmail | 150 gp/300 gp | +5 | +2 | -5 | 30% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 40 lb. |
| Breastplate | 200 gp/350 gp | +5 | +3 | -4 | 25% | 20 ft. | 15 ft. | 30 lb. |
| Heavy armour | ||||||||
| Splint Mail | 200 gp/350 gp | +6 | +0 | -7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 45 lb. |
| Banded Mail | 250 gp/400 gp | +6 | +1 | -6 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 35 lb. |
| Half-Plate | 600 gp/750 gp | +7 | +0 | -7 | 40% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 50 lb. |
| Full Plate | 1,500 gp/1,650 gp | +8 | +1 | -6 | 35% | 20 ft.2 | 15 ft.2 | 50 lb. |
| Shields | ||||||||
| Buckler | 15 gp/165 gp | +1 | — | -1 | 5% | — | — | 5 lb. |
| Shield, Light Wooden | 3 gp/153 gp | +1 | — | -1 | 5% | — | — | 5 lb. |
| Shield, Light Steel | 9 gp/159 gp | +1 | — | -1 | 5% | — | — | 6 lb. |
| Shield, Heavy Wooden | 7 gp/157 gp | +2 | — | -2 | 15% | — | — | 10 lb. |
| Shield, Heavy Steel | 20 gp/170 gp | +2 | — | -2 | 15% | — | — | 15 lb. |
| Shield, Tower | 30 gp/180 gp | +43 | +2 | -10 | 50% | — | — | 45 lb. |
| Extras | ||||||||
| Armour Spikes | +50 gp | — | — | — | — | — | — | +10 lb. |
| Gauntlet, Locked | 8 gp/158 gp | — | — | Special | —4 | — | — | +5 lb. |
| Shield Spikes | +10 gp | — | — | — | — | — | — | +5 lb. |
1 Weight figures are for armour sized to fit Medium characters. Armour fitted for Small characters weighs half as much, and armour fitted for Large characters weighs twice as much.
2 When running in heavy armour, you move only triple your speed, not quadruple.
3 A tower shield can instead grant you cover.
4 Hand not free to cast spells.
Armour Spikes: You can have spikes added to your armour, which allow you to deal extra piercing damage (see Table: Weapons) on a successful grapple attack. The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you take a -4 penalty on grapple checks when you try to use them. You can also make a regular melee attack (or off-hand attack) with the spikes, and they count as a light weapon in this case. (You can’t also make an attack with armour spikes if you have already made an attack with another off-hand weapon and vice versa.)
An enhancement bonus to a suit of armour does not improve the spikes’ effectiveness, but the spikes can be made into magic weapons in their own right.
Banded Mail: This armour is made of overlapping strips of metal sewn to a backing of leather and chainmail. The strips cover vulnerable areas, while the chain and leather protect the joints and provide freedom of movement. Straps and buckles distribute the weight evenly. The suit includes gauntlets.
Breastplate: A breastplate covers your front and your back. It comes with a helmet and greaves (plates to cover your lower legs). A light suit or skirt of studded leather beneath the breastplate protects your limbs without restricting movement much.
Buckler: This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off-hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a -1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so because of the extra weight on your arm. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off-hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off-hand, you don’t get the buckler’s AC bonus for the rest of the round.
You can’t bash someone with a buckler.
Chain Shirt: A chain shirt protects your torso while leaving your limbs free and mobile. It includes a layer of quilted fabric worn underneath to prevent chafing and to cushion the impact of blows. A chain shirt comes with a steel cap.
Chainmail: This armour is made of interlocking metal rings. It includes a layer of quilted fabric worn underneath to prevent chafing and to cushion the impact of blows. Several layers of mail are hung over vital areas. Most of the armour’s weight hangs from the shoulders, making chainmail uncomfortable to wear for long periods
of time. The suit includes gauntlets.
Full Plate: This armour consists of shaped and fitted metal plates riveted and interlocked to cover the entire body. The suit includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet and a thick layer of padding that is worn underneath the armour. Buckles and straps distribute the weight over the body, so full plate hampers movement less than splint mail even though splint is lighter. Each suit of full plate must be individually fitted to its owner by a master armoursmith, although a captured suit can be resized to fit a new owner at a cost of 200 to 800 (2d4×100) gold pieces.
Full plate armour is also known as field plate.
Gauntlet, Locked: This armoured gauntlet has small chains and braces that allow the wearer to attach a weapon to the gauntlet so that it cannot be dropped easily. It provides a +10 bonus on any roll made to keep from being disarmed in combat. Removing a weapon from a locked gauntlet or attaching a weapon to a locked gauntlet is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
The price given is for a single locked gauntlet. The weight given applies only if you’re wearing a breastplate, light armour, or no armour. Otherwise, the locked gauntlet replaces a gauntlet you already have as part of the armour.
While the gauntlet is locked, you can’t use the hand wearing it for casting spells or employing skills. (You can still cast spells with somatic components, provided that your other hand is free.)
Like a normal gauntlet, a locked gauntlet lets you deal lethal damage rather than non-lethal damage with an unarmed strike.
Half-Plate: This armour is a combination of chainmail with metal plates (breastplate, epaulettes, elbow guards, gauntlets, tasses and greaves) covering vital areas. Buckles and straps hold the whole suit together and distribute the weight, but the armour still hangs more loosely than full plate. The suit includes gauntlets.
Hide: This armour is prepared from multiple layers of leather and animal hides. It is stiff and hard to move in. Druids, who wear only non-metallic armour, favour hide.
Leather: The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armour are made of leather that has been stiffened by boiling in oil. The rest of the armour is made of softer and more flexible leather.
Padded: Padded armour features quilted layers of cloth and batting. It gets hot quickly and can become foul with sweat, grime, lice and fleas.
Scale Mail: This armour consists of a coat and leggings (and perhaps a separate skirt) of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish. The suit includes gauntlets.
Shield, Heavy, Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A heavy shield is so heavy that you can’t use your shield hand for anything else.
Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to special attacks (such as warp wood and heat metal).
Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a heavy shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
Shield, Light, Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A light shield’s weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it.
Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to special attacks (such as warp wood and heat metal).
Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a light shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a light shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
Shield, Tower: This massive wooden shield is nearly as tall as you are. In most situations, it provides the indicated shield bonus to your AC. However, you can instead use it as total cover, though you must give up your attacks to do so. The shield does not, however, provide cover against targeted spells; a spellcaster can cast a spell on you by targeting the shield you are holding. You cannot bash with a tower shield, nor can you use your shield hand for anything else.
When employing a tower shield in combat, you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls because of the shield’s encumbrance.
Shield Spikes: When added to your shield, these spikes turn it into a martial piercing weapon that increases the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger than you. You can’t put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack.
An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
Splint Mail: This armour is made of narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a backing of leather that is worn over cloth padding. Flexible chainmail protects the joints. The suit includes gauntlets.
Studded Leather: This armour is made from tough but flexible leather (not hardened leather, as with normal leather armour) reinforced with close-set metal rivets.
Just as with weapons, you can purchase or craft masterwork versions of armour or shields. Such a well-made item functions like the normal version, except that its armour check penalty is lessened by 1.
A masterwork suit of armour or shield costs an extra 150 gp over and above the normal cost for that type of armour or shield.
The masterwork quality of a suit of armour or shield never provides a bonus on attack or damage rolls, even if the armour or shield is used as a weapon.
All magic armours and shields are automatically considered to be of masterwork quality.
You can’t add the masterwork quality to armour or a shield after it is created; it must be crafted as a masterwork item.
Armour and shields for unusually big creatures, unusually little creatures, and non-humanoid creatures have different costs and weights from those given on Table: Armour and Shields. Refer to the appropriate line on the table below and apply the multipliers to cost and weight for the armour type in question.
| Humanoid | Non-Humanoid | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Cost | Weight | Cost | Weight |
| Tiny or smaller1 | ×½ | ×1/10 | ×1 | ×1/10 |
| Small | ×1 | ×½ | ×2 | ×½ |
| Medium | ×1 | ×1 | ×2 | ×1 |
| Large | ×2 | ×2 | ×4 | ×2 |
| Huge | ×4 | ×5 | ×8 | ×5 |
| Gargantuan | ×8 | ×8 | ×16 | ×8 |
| Colossal | ×16 | ×12 | ×32 | ×12 |
1 Divide armour bonus by 2.
The time required to don armour depends on its type; see Table: Donning Armour.
Don: This column tells how long it takes a character to put the armour 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 armour on in a hurry. The armour check penalty and armour bonus for hastily donned armour are each 1 point worse than normal.
Remove: This column tells how long it takes to get the armour off (it is important to know if the wearer is suddenly submerged; see drowning). Loosing a shield (removing it from the arm and dropping it) is only a move action.
| Armour Type | Don | Don Hastily | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield (any) | 1 move action | n/a | 1 move action |
| Padded, leather, hide, studded leather or chain shirt |
1 minute | 5 rounds | 1 minute1 |
| Breastplate, scale mail, chainmail, banded mail or splint mail |
4 minutes1 | 1 minute | 1 minute1 |
| Half-plate or full plate | 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 armour at the same time.
2 The wearer must have help to don this armour. Without help, it can be donned only hastily.