Splint Armor
Heavy armor: AC 17 flat. [[compendium:skill:Stealth]] disadvantage. Requires STR 15. Second-best heavy armor at a fraction of plate's cost.
Splint Armor (Heavy)
Splint armor is made of narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a backing of leather, worn over cloth padding.
Stats:
Don/doff time: 10 minutes to don, 5 minutes to doff.
STR penalty: If you wear splint without meeting the STR 15 requirement, your speed is reduced by 10 feet.
Assessment: Splint is the second-best heavy armor, providing AC 17 at a fraction of plate's cost. For many campaigns, splint is the practical endgame armor because plate (1,500 gp) may not be affordable until higher levels. The STR 15 requirement is more demanding than chain mail's STR 13, typically requiring at least one ASI investment in Strength or a race with +2 STR.
Budget choice: At 200 gp, splint offers excellent value. The jump from AC 17 (splint) to AC 18 (plate) costs 1,300 gp for a single point of AC — making splint the cost-effective choice.