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Learn all about chainmail & how to equip the best armor for your character
Wondering if chainmail is the right armor choice for your character in Dungeons & Dragons 5e? We've got you covered! Chainmail is a form of heavy armor, requiring proficiency to wear and imposing disadvantage on Stealth checks. However, it offers superior protection compared to lighter armor types. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of chainmail armor and compare it to other armor types in the game.
What exactly is chainmail in 5e?
Chainmail consists of interwoven metal rings attached to quilted fabric for enhanced defense. As heavy armor, it provides an armor class of 16, weighs 55 lbs., and costs 75 gold pieces. To equip it, your character must have a Strength score of 13 or higher.
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Chainmail Armor: Overview & Key Statistics
Chainmail is a type of heavy armor made from linked metal rings. In D&D 5e, characters can equip different armor types based on light, medium, or heavy categories. Chainmail is crafted from interlocking metal rings, with a quilted fabric layer beneath for added comfort and protection. As heavy armor, it imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks.
- Armor Class (AC): 16
- Weight: 55 lbs.
- Cost: 75 gold pieces
- Minimum Strength score required to wear it: 13
Which classes are able to wear chainmail?
Any class proficient with heavy armor can equip chainmail. Proficiency dictates which abilities and equipment a character is trained to use. Without proficiency in heavy armor (or any type of armor), your character will have disadvantage on any Strength or Dexterity-based checks, saving throws, or attack rolls, and won’t be able to cast spells.
- Fighters and paladins, by default, have proficiency with heavy armor, so they can equip chainmail.
- Some cleric subclasses grant heavy armor proficiency starting at level 1: Forge, Life, Nature, Order, Tempest, Twilight, and War domains.
Is chainmail a strong choice of armor?
Chainmail: A Reliable Starting Armor for Low-Level Characters In fact, chainmail is commonly given as starting armor to fighters, paladins, and clerics with heavy armor proficiency, making it a natural choice for these classes. However, as you level up, chainmail becomes less desirable compared to other armor types like splint or plate armor, unless you find magical variants.
- At lower levels, chainmail is much more affordable than splint or plate armor (which cost 200 and 1,500 gold pieces, respectively).
- Chainmail is lighter than both splint and plate (weighing 55 lb. compared to splint’s 60 lb. and plate’s 65 lb.), making it easier to carry and less likely to cause encumbrance.
- While ring mail costs less than chainmail (30 gold pieces), it provides far less protection, making chainmail the better option.
Top Chain Mail Options in D&D 5e
Magical chainmail suits provide extra bonuses. While standard chainmail is an excellent starting option, magical versions can offer added benefits and protections. Magical armor generally provides superior defense over non-magical types in 5e. Watch out for these special magical armor variants:
- Chain Mail +1, +2, or +3: These magical armors grant a bonus to your AC based on the number in their name (for example, Chain Mail +2 adds a +2 bonus to your AC).
- Adamantine Chain Mail: This variant prevents critical hits from dealing extra damage, converting them into regular hits and helping reduce potential harm.
- Mithral Chain Mail: Mithral armor gives you the protection of heavy armor without imposing disadvantage on Stealth checks.
- Armor of Resistance: Various types of resistance armor (e.g., fire or acid resistance) grant the wearer resistance to a specific damage type.
- Efreeti Chain: A legendary chainmail that grants +3 to your AC and immunity to fire damage, making it one of the most powerful armors in the game.
Complete List of D&D 5e Armor Types
Light armor Light armor is typically made from flexible, lightweight materials, offering protection while allowing the wearer to retain agility. According to Legends of Avantris, all armor in 5e increases the wearer’s base armor class (AC) from a starting value of 10, and light armor adds the wearer’s Dexterity (DEX) modifier to that base number. Here are some common types of light armor:
- Padded: Crafted from quilted fabric and padding, this armor sets your AC to 11 + your DEX modifier, weighs 8 lbs., and imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks.
- Leather: Made from stiffened leather with some softer materials, this armor gives an AC of 11 + your DEX modifier and weighs 10 lbs.
- Studded Leather: Reinforced leather armor, studded with metal spikes, provides AC 12 + your DEX modifier and weighs 13 lbs.
Medium Armor Medium armor strikes a balance between the flexibility of light armor and the full protection of heavy armor. It provides more defense than light armor, but still allows for some maneuverability, albeit with a bit more restriction. When wearing medium armor, you can add your character’s Dexterity modifier to the base AC, but this bonus is capped at +2. Common medium armor options include:
- Hide: Made from thick furs and pelts, hide armor gives AC 12 + your DEX modifier (max +2), and weighs 12 lbs.
- Chain Shirt: Crafted from interlocking metal rings worn beneath clothing, it provides AC 13 + your DEX modifier (max +2) and weighs 20 lbs.
- Scale Mail: This armor consists of a leather base covered with overlapping metal scales. It offers AC 14 + your DEX modifier (max +2), weighs 45 lbs., and imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks.
- Breastplate: A fitted metal chestplate with durable leather. It provides AC 14 + your DEX modifier (max +2) and weighs 20 lbs.
- Half Plate: Featuring metal plates that cover most of the body, half plate gives AC 15 + your DEX modifier (max +2), weighs 40 lbs., and imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks.
Heavy Armor Heavy armor is the most robust and protective armor type in D&D, covering the entire body and designed to offer maximum defense. Unlike lighter armors, heavy armor does not benefit from your character’s Dexterity modifier, instead setting your AC to a fixed value. Heavy armor also doesn't penalize you for a negative Dexterity modifier. The following are examples of heavy armor:
- Ring Mail: Consisting of leather armor reinforced with metal rings, this armor sets your AC to 14, weighs 40 lbs., and imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks.
- Chain Mail: Made from interlocking rings, chain mail provides AC 16, weighs 55 lbs., imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks, and requires 13 Strength to wear.
- Splint: Featuring strips of metal attached to a leather backing, splint offers AC 17, weighs 60 lbs., imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks, and requires 15 Strength to wear.
- Plate: Plate armor is made of interlocking metal plates that cover the entire body. It provides AC 18, weighs 65 lbs., imposes disadvantage on Stealth checks, and requires 15 Strength to wear.
Shields In D&D 5e, shields are a form of armor, providing protection against both physical attacks and magical spells. Any character proficient in shields can use one to gain a +2 bonus to their AC during combat. A basic shield weighs 6 lbs., but there are also magical shields that offer additional properties you may encounter in your adventures.
How to Choose the Right Armor for Your Character
Opt for light armor if your character has a high DEX modifier. Light armor allows you to add your full Dexterity modifier to the base AC value, making it the best choice for characters with a high DEX modifier. Typically, this means having a DEX modifier of +3 or higher, as medium armor is capped at +2.
- For example, with a DEX modifier of +5, a character wearing studded leather armor (AC 12 + DEX modifier) would have an AC of 17.
- Among the light armor options, studded leather offers the highest base AC, making it the most protective. If you can’t afford studded leather early on, leather armor is a solid alternative.
- Light armor is most commonly worn by classes such as rogues, bards, artificers, druids, and warlocks.
Medium Armor is best for characters with a +1 or +2 DEX modifier. Medium armor allows you to add your character’s Dexterity modifier to the base AC, but only up to a maximum of +2. So, if your character has a high DEX modifier, say +4, you'll still only get a +2 bonus to the AC with medium armor. Medium armor is ideal for those with proficiency and a Dexterity modifier of +1 or +2.
- For example, if your character has a DEX modifier of +2 and wears a breastplate, their armor class (AC) would be 16—14 (base for breastplate) + 2 (DEX modifier).
- If you value Stealth, consider choosing a breastplate, as it doesn’t impose disadvantage on Stealth checks. On the other hand, Half Plate gives slightly more protection but causes disadvantage on Stealth checks.
- Typical classes that benefit from medium armor include barbarians, clerics, rangers, artificers, and some paladins and fighters.
Choose heavy armor if you have a +0 or negative DEX modifier. Heavy armor doesn’t rely on Dexterity to increase your AC, so if your character has a low or negative Dexterity modifier, heavy armor might be the way to go. This type of armor provides solid protection without any reliance on DEX.
- For instance, if your character has a DEX modifier of -1 and wears plate armor, their AC will still be 18 (the base value for plate armor).
- Plate armor is the most protective heavy armor, but it can be expensive and cumbersome early on. Chain mail or splint armor might be more suitable at lower levels.
- Classes that typically wear heavy armor include fighters, paladins, and specific cleric subclasses.
How to Acquire Armor Proficiency
Feats can grant you armor proficiencies you lack. If your character wants to wear armor types like chain mail but doesn’t yet have proficiency, you can choose an armor proficiency feat when leveling up. Feats such as Lightly Armored (for light armor), Moderately Armored (for medium armor), and Heavily Armored (for heavy armor) can grant proficiency.
- Note that to select the Moderately or Heavily Armored feats, you must already be proficient in light or medium armor, respectively.
Multiclassing can also provide additional armor proficiencies. By taking levels in another class that offers the desired armor proficiency, you can gain access to different types of armor. For heavy armor, multiclass into fighter, paladin, or one of the cleric subclasses mentioned earlier. For light or medium armor, simply multiclass into a class that offers proficiency in those types.
- Before multiclassing, ensure your character has at least a 13 in the core ability score of the new class (e.g., 13 Strength to multiclass into fighter or 13 Wisdom to multiclass into cleric).
