Armour and Weapon rules Overview

Armour and Protection

Protection includes armour, shields, and helmets.

The armour table shows the cost, weight, and other properties of the common types of armour, shields and helmets used in a fantasy game.

Armour training

Anyone can put on a suit of armour. Only those trained in the armour’s use know how to wear it effectively, however classes, perks and feats may give you training with different types of armour. If you wear armour that you lack training with, you have disadvantage on any ability check and saving throw that involves Strength or Dexterity, as well as attack rolls.

If you wield a shield or a helmet you are not proficient with, you do not get its armour bonus only its penalties.

Armour Class (AC)

Armor (as well as shield and helmets) protects its wearer from attacks. The armour you wear determines your base Armor Class.

Light armour

If you wear light armour, you add your Dexterity modifier to the base number from your armour type to determine your armour class.

Medium armour

If you wear medium armour, you add your Dexterity modifier, to a maximum indicated on the armour table, to the base number from your armour type to determine your Armor Class. Swimming in medium armour increases the DC by 5.

Heavy armour

Heavy armour doesn’t let you add your Dexterity modifier to your armour class, but it also doesn’t penalize you if your Dexterity modifier is negative. Swimming in heavy armour increases the DC by 10.

Helmet

Helmets that offer additional protection to armour are full helmets often made from metal that cover the wearers face.

A character can don a helmet to gain +1 bonus to their armour class. Wearing a helmet gives the wearer disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight or hearing.

 A character can use an action to don or doff a helmet. You can benefit from only one helmet at a time.

Only creatures with medium armour training gain the helmet’s armour bonus.

Shield Training

A shield is made from wood or metal and is carried in one hand. A creature must use an action to don or doff a shield (except the buckler - see below) The different types of shields offer different benefits to their wearer in addition to a bonus to armour class (see descriptions below the armour table). You can benefit from only one shield at a time. Only creatures with shield training gain the shield’s armour bonus and the ability to benefit from the shield’s properties.

Strength Requirement

Heavier armour interferes with the wearer’s ability to move quickly, stealthily, and freely. If the Armor table shows a numeric value (such as “13”) in the Strength column for an armour type, the armour reduces the wearer’s speed by 10 feet unless the wearer has a Strength score equal to or higher than the listed score.

Athletics

If the Armor table shows "Disadvantage" in the Athletics column, the wearer has disadvantage on Strength (athletics) checks to climb and swim.

Stealth

If the Armour table shows "Disadvantage" in the stealth column, the wearer has disadvantage on Dexterity (stealth) checks.

Spell Failure

Wearing armour can interfere with the casting of spells certain spells.

Spells with somatic components that are cast with a spell slot cannot be cast while wearing armour unless the wearer has a feature that allows them to do so (usually called ‘armoured casting’).

Weapons

The Weapons tables shows the most common weapons used in fantasy games, their price and weight, the damage they deal when they hit, the properties of the weapon’s size, and any special properties they possess. Every weapon is classified as either melee or ranged. A melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet of you, whereas a ranged weapon is used to attack a target at a distance.

Weapon Proficiency

Weapons come in three categories; simple, martial and firearms. Having proficiency allows a character to gain the full benefit of a weapon. If you make an attack roll using a weapon with which you lack proficiency, you do not add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll and you do not gain the benefits of the weapon’s special properties.

Size Properties

Different weapons have different size that dictates how they are used - some weapons are large and bulky and require two hands to use, while other weapons are small and easy to conceal.

Light. A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons. You can attack with two weapons (see the two-fighting rules above) if at least one of the weapons have this feature.

Heavy. You must have at least 13 strength to use a heavy weapon effectively. A character with a strength score lower than 13 have disadvantage on attack rolls using heavy weapons. You can ignore the heavy property of ranged weapons with the trigger property if the weapon is mounted or resting on something (like a wall or if the character is lying prone on the ground).

Small. This weapon is particularly small, making it easier to conceal. You roll with advantage when trying to hide or conceal this weapon. You can draw a small weapon you are carrying at any time during your turn or another creature’s turn (see normal rules for changing weapons above).

Two-handed. You must use two hands to wield this weapon. Small and smaller characters cannot use two-handed melee weapons.

Special Weapon Properties

Many weapons have special properties related to their use, as shown in the Weapons table. These properties represent the different designs awards different weapons different use in combat. Character only get the benefits on attacks from the weapon they are attacking with, even if they are wielding another weapon (e.g. you do not gain the Brutal benefit when attacking with a dagger even if you have a sickle in your other hand; you must attack with the sickle to get this benefit).

Ammunition. You can use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from the weapon. Each time you attack with the weapon, you expend one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case, or other container is part of the attack (loading a weapon requires two hands, one to handle the weapon and one to manipulate the ammunition). At the end of the battle, you can recover half your expended ammunition by taking a minute to search the battlefield.

If you use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a melee attack, you treat the weapon as an improvised weapon. A sling must be loaded to deal any damage when used in this way.

Brutal. You deal an additional 1d4 damage on the first attack made with advantage each turn. This damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.

Crushing. When you score a critical with this weapon, the target’s speed is halved, and the target has disadvantage on the next d20 roll it makes. Both effect end at the end of the targets next turn.

Finesse. When making an attack with a finesse weapon, you can use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls. You must use the same modifier for both rolls.

Loading. Because of the time required to load this weapon, you can fire the weapon only once per turn, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

Long. When you wield this weapon, you get a +1 bonus to AC against any melee attacks made by a creature that moved into your reach the same turn that creature makes the attack.

Mass. You deal +2 damage on melee attacks made with this weapon on your turn.

Overdraw. When you make ranged attacks with this weapon, you can use Strength modifier instead of Dexterity, for the damage rolls.

Parry. You can use your reaction to parry when you are hit by a melee attack. Parrying gives you a +1 bonus to AC against the triggering attack, potentially turning it into a miss.

Piercing. You can re-roll one d20 of the first attack made with advantage each turn. You must use the new roll.

Powder. This weapon is packed with a powerful and unstable powder. You have advantage on the first ranged attack you make with a powder weapon on a turn if the attack is made within the weapon’s normal range. In addition, when you roll a 1 on any of the weapons damage dice (even if that damage die is subsequently re-rolled), it malfunctions and cannot be used to make ranged attacks again before it has been fixed. To attempt to fix a Powder weapon, you use an action and roll 1d6. On a 6, the weapon is fixed and usable again.

Range. A weapon that can be used to make a ranged attack has a range shown in parentheses after the ammunition or thrown property. The range lists two numbers. The first is the weapon’s normal range in feet, and the second indicates the weapon’s long range. When attacking a target beyond normal range, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. You can’t attack a target beyond the weapon’s long range.

Reach. This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach with this weapon.

Reload. You can make a number of attacks with this weapon equal to the number in the parenthesis before it needs reloading. reloading this weapon requires an action.

Special. A weapon with the special property has unusual rules governing its use, explained in the weapon’s description (see "Special Weapons" later in this section - below the weapon tables).

Tearing. If you score a critical hit with this weapon, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

Thundering. Attacking with this weapon produce a loud noise that is audible from at least 300 feet away.

Thrown. If a weapon has this property, you can throw the weapon making a ranged attack. If the weapon is a melee weapon, you use the same ability modifier for that attack roll and damage roll that you would use for a melee attack with the weapon. For example, if you throw a handaxe, you use your Strength, but if you throw a knife, you can use either your Strength or your Dexterity, since the knife has the finesse property.

Trigger. The prone condition does not impose disadvantage on attack rolls with this weapon.

Versatile. This weapon can be used with one or two hands. If you have a hand free when you take the attack action with this weapon you can wield the weapon with two hands when you attack with it. When you wield a versatile weapon in two hands, you gain the benefit in the parenthesis when making melee attacks with the weapon. If the benefit is a dice value, the weapon’s damage dice increases to this dice. If the benefit listed is a weapon property, the weapon gains this property. Small or smaller characters must use versatile weapon with two hands.