Half Plate
Medium armor: AC 15 + DEX (max +2). [[compendium:skill:Stealth]] disadvantage. Highest medium AC (17). Medium Armor Master feat can push it to AC 18 with no penalty.
Half Plate (Medium)
Half plate consists of shaped metal plates covering the torso and limbs, combined with lighter materials for flexibility.
Stats:
- AC: 15 + Dexterity modifier (max +2)
- Stealth: Disadvantage
- Weight: 40 lb
- Cost: 750 gp
- Category: Medium armor
Don/doff time: 5 minutes to don, 1 minute to doff.
Assessment: Half plate provides the highest AC of any medium armor — AC 17 with DEX 14 (+2). However, it imposes stealth disadvantage, which matters significantly for many medium armor users. Characters who don't care about stealth (front-line Clerics, some Druids) may prefer half plate over heavy armor because it has no Strength requirement.
Medium Armor Master feat: This feat removes the stealth disadvantage from medium armor and increases the DEX cap from +2 to +3. With this feat and 16 DEX, half plate provides AC 18 with no stealth penalty — matching plate armor without the STR 15 requirement. This makes the feat extremely attractive for medium armor users.
Comparison to heavy armor: Half plate (AC 17) matches splint armor without a STR requirement. With Medium Armor Master, it matches plate (AC 18). The trade-off is using a feat slot.