D&D 5e Armor: Full Armor Table and How AC Works
D&D 5e has 12 armors in three groups plus the shield. Light armor gives 11 or 12 plus your full Dexterity modifier, medium armor gives 12 to 15 plus Dex up to +2, and heavy armor gives a flat 14 to 18. Plate armor is the best at AC 18; a shield adds +2.
What armor is in D&D 5e?
There are 12 suits of armor in three categories, plus the shield. The category decides how much your Dexterity counts: light armor adds all of it, medium armor caps it at +2, and heavy armor ignores it completely. Here is the full SRD 5.2 table:
| Armor | Type | Armor Class | Strength | Stealth | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breastplate | Medium Armor | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | – | – | 400 gp | 20 lb. |
| Chain Mail | Heavy Armor | 16 | Str 13 | Disadvantage | 75 gp | 55 lb. |
| Chain Shirt | Medium Armor | 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) | – | – | 50 gp | 14 lb. |
| Half-Plate Armor | Medium Armor | 15 + Dex modifier (max 2) | – | Disadvantage | 750 gp | 40 lb. |
| Hide Armor | Medium Armor | 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) | – | – | 10 gp | 12 lb. |
| Leather Armor | Light Armor | 11 + Dex modifier | – | – | 10 gp | 10 lb. |
| Padded Armor | Light Armor | 11 + Dex modifier | – | Disadvantage | 5 gp | 8 lb. |
| Plate Armor | Heavy Armor | 18 | Str 15 | Disadvantage | 1500 gp | 65 lb. |
| Ring Mail | Heavy Armor | 14 | – | Disadvantage | 30 gp | 40 lb. |
| Scale Mail | Medium Armor | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | – | Disadvantage | 50 gp | 45 lb. |
| Shield | Shields | +2 | – | – | 10 gp | 6 lb. |
| Splint Armor | Heavy Armor | 17 | Str 15 | Disadvantage | 200 gp | 60 lb. |
| Studded Leather Armor | Light Armor | 12 + Dex modifier | – | – | 45 gp | 13 lb. |
How do you calculate AC with armor?
- Light armor: base AC + your full Dexterity modifier. Studded leather with Dex +4 is 12 + 4 = 16.
- Medium armor: base AC + your Dexterity modifier, to a maximum of +2. Half plate with Dex +4 is still 15 + 2 = 17.
- Heavy armor: a flat number. Plate is 18 whether your Dex is +3 or −1.
- Shield: +2 on top of any of the above, as long as you have training with shields.
- No armor: 10 + Dex. Barbarians use 10 + Dex + Con and monks 10 + Dex + Wis instead (Unarmored Defense).
You only ever use one base calculation. A monk in chain mail loses Unarmored Defense; a barbarian with a shield keeps it. The full rules, including cover bonuses and spells, are in our Armor Class guide.
Which armor is best for my Dexterity?
This is the table to check when you shop. Find your Dex modifier and read across.
| Armor | Dex +0 | Dex +1 | Dex +2 | Dex +3 | Dex +4 | Dex +5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leather | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Studded leather | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Chain shirt | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Breastplate | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Half plate | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Chain mail | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Splint | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Plate | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Two takeaways. At Dex +2, medium armor catches up with heavy: a breastplate gives the same 16 as chain mail, with no Strength requirement and no stealth penalty. And at Dex +5, studded leather (17) ties half plate, so high-Dex characters never need medium armor at all.
How much does 1 point of AC matter?
Each point of AC removes one face of the d20 that hits you, so it cuts the enemy's chance by 5 percentage points. Against a goblin with +4 to hit:
- AC 14: it hits on a 10 or higher, 55% of the time.
- AC 16: it hits on 12+, 45%.
- AC 18: it hits on 14+, 35%.
- AC 20: it hits on 16+, 25%.
Going from AC 16 to 20 means taking roughly 44% fewer hits from that goblin (25 versus 45). That is why the shield is the best 10 GP in the game. Ducking behind a wall stacks with all of this: half cover adds +2 and three-quarters cover adds +5 (see cover in 5e).
What are the downsides of heavy armor?
- Strength: chain mail needs Str 13, splint and plate Str 15. Below that your speed drops by 10 feet. You still get the AC.
- Stealth: padded, scale, half plate and all heavy armor give disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
- Time: heavy armor takes 10 minutes to put on and 5 to take off; medium takes 5 and 1; light takes 1 and 1. A shield takes an action (the Utilize action in 2024). Get ambushed at night and you fight in whatever you slept in.
- Cost: plate is 1,500 GP, which most characters don't have until level 4 or 5. Splint at 200 GP is the usual stepping stone from chain mail.
What happens if you wear armor without training?
In the 2024 rules you have disadvantage on every d20 test that uses Strength or Dexterity (attacks, saves and checks) and you cannot cast spells. The 2014 rules work the same way. So a wizard in borrowed chain mail gains AC but can't cast Fireball and rolls Dex saves at disadvantage. That is a bad trade. Take Mage Armor (13 + Dex for 8 hours) or the Shield spell instead, or pick up armor training from a feat or a subclass.
Best armor by class
- Fighter, Paladin: chain mail at level 1, splint when you can afford 200 GP, plate at 1,500 GP. Add a shield unless you swing a two-handed weapon.
- Cleric: most have medium armor and shields; breastplate or half plate plus shield. Some divine orders and domains add heavy armor.
- Barbarian: Unarmored Defense often beats armor once Dex and Con are both +2 or better; compare it with a breastplate.
- Ranger: a breastplate or half plate with Dex +2; studded leather once Dex hits +3 or more.
- Druid: 2024 druids train only in light armor and shields, so studded leather and a shield. 2014 druids also had medium armor but traditionally avoid metal, so hide.
- Rogue, Bard, Warlock: studded leather, the best light armor.
- Monk, Wizard, Sorcerer: no armor. Use Unarmored Defense or Mage Armor.
Pair your armor with a weapon from the weapon table.
FAQ
What is the highest AC armor in 5e?
Plate armor, at a flat AC 18. With a shield that becomes 20. Magic armor such as +3 plate can push it higher, as can spells like Shield, which adds +5 until the start of your next turn.
Can wizards wear armor in 5e?
Only if they have training with it. Without training, you have disadvantage on any d20 test that uses Strength or Dexterity and you cannot cast spells. Most wizards cast Mage Armor instead for AC 13 + Dex.
What happens if you don't have the Strength for heavy armor?
You can still wear it and get the full AC, but your speed drops by 10 feet. Chain mail needs Strength 13; splint and plate need Strength 15.
Is half plate or breastplate better?
Half plate gives 1 more AC (15 + Dex, max 2) but imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks and costs 750 GP. A breastplate gives 14 + Dex with no stealth penalty for 400 GP. Sneaky characters usually prefer the breastplate.
Can you stack armor and Unarmored Defense?
No. You use only one way of calculating your base AC. A barbarian in armor uses the armor's AC, not Unarmored Defense, though a shield still adds +2 to either.
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Contains content from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.