Complete 5e Armor, Shield & Price Table
Armor Class determines the attack roll threshold an enemy must meet or exceed to deal Hit Point damage to your character. Together with your Max Hit Points, AC forms half of your combat survivability equation: raising AC by +2 reduces incoming weapon hits by roughly 10 percentage points per attack roll. Check every armor piece's base AC, DEX limit, Strength requirement, weight, and Stealth penalty below.
| Armor |
Category |
Cost |
Armor Class (AC) |
Strength |
Stealth |
Weight |
| Padded | Light | 5 gp | 11 + DEX mod | — | Disadvantage | 8 lb. |
| Leather | Light | 10 gp | 11 + DEX mod | — | — | 10 lb. |
| Studded Leather | Light | 45 gp | 12 + DEX mod | — | — | 13 lb. |
| Hide | Medium | 10 gp | 12 + DEX mod (max 2) | — | — | 12 lb. |
| Chain Shirt | Medium | 50 gp | 13 + DEX mod (max 2) | — | — | 20 lb. |
| Scale Mail | Medium | 50 gp | 14 + DEX mod (max 2) | — | Disadvantage | 45 lb. |
| Breastplate | Medium | 400 gp | 14 + DEX mod (max 2) | — | — | 20 lb. |
| Half Plate | Medium | 750 gp | 15 + DEX mod (max 2) | — | Disadvantage | 40 lb. |
| Ring Mail | Heavy | 30 gp | 14 | — | Disadvantage | 40 lb. |
| Chain Mail | Heavy | 75 gp | 16 | STR 13 | Disadvantage | 55 lb. |
| Splint | Heavy | 200 gp | 17 | STR 15 | Disadvantage | 60 lb. |
| Plate | Heavy | 1,500 gp | 18 | STR 15 | Disadvantage | 65 lb. |
| Shield | Shield | 10 gp | +2 bonus | — | — | 6 lb. |
Base AC Formulas vs. Flat Bonuses: What Actually Stacks?
The number one source of illegal AC math in 5e happens when a player mixes two base armor calculations—for example, a Draconic Sorcerer/Barbarian trying to compute 13 + DEX + CON, or a Monk casting Mage Armor expecting 13 + DEX + WIS. The official rule is simple: you can only use one base AC formula at a time.
- Base AC Formulas (Choose Only One): Standard Unarmored (10 + DEX), Mage Armor (13 + DEX), Draconic Resilience (13 + DEX), Barbarian Unarmored Defense (10 + DEX + CON), Monk Unarmored Defense (10 + DEX + WIS), Tortle Natural Armor (17), or physical Armor.
- Flat AC Bonuses (Stack Freely): A Shield (+2 AC, unless you are using Monk Unarmored Defense), Defense Fighting Style (+1 AC while wearing physical armor), Magic Item bonuses (+1/+2/+3 Armor or Shield, Ring of Protection +1, Cloak of Protection +1), Cover (+2 Half Cover, +5 Three-Quarters Cover), and spells like Shield (+5 reaction) or Shield of Faith (+2).
Choosing Between Light, Medium, Heavy, and Unarmored
Use 27-Point Buy strategically alongside your armor proficiency:
- DEX-Primary Characters (Rogues, Rangers, Monks): Studded Leather reaches 17 AC at 20 DEX (12 + 5), matching Half Plate without Stealth Disadvantage or weight. Monks match Plate (18 AC) once DEX and WIS reach 18/+4 each.
- Casters & Valor/Hex Clerics (14 DEX): Stopping Dexterity at 14 (+2) with Medium Armor (Half Plate 15 + 2 + Shield = 19 AC) is the single cheapest way in 5e to keep high Armor Class while still affording 14–16 Constitution for HP and Concentration.
- Barbarians: Because you want 16+ CON anyway for Hit Points and Rage tanking, Barbarians often match or beat Medium Armor once DEX + CON totals +6, while also gaining full advantage of wielding a Shield with Unarmored Defense when Sword-and-Board tanking.
- Heavy Armor Tanks: Plate + Shield + Defense Fighting Style hits 21 AC before any magic items, letting you dump Dexterity down to 8 or 10 and put every remaining Point Buy point into Strength, Constitution, and mental saves.
