The Armor in leather armor


Homebrew and House Rules


I needed something in my games to explian why the bad guy wizard allway's had that bad@$$ looking armor.

I submit for your consideration

Leather clothing

Cost 5 gp
Armor/Shield Bonus +1
Maximum Dex Bonus +8
Armor Check Penalty 0
Arcane Spell Failure Chance 0%
Speed 30 ft. 20 ft.
Weight 8 lbs.


As I don't kow your game nor the mental image you are holding of the Wizard in question.

I will point out that any Wizard can take Light Armor Proficiency and Arcane Armor Training to wear actual leather armor without issue... well save spending a Swift action every round.

Another option would be to have Glamered clothing, see armor speical property that is generally used to make armor look like cloths.... Which could be used to make cloths look like armor.

Your current item is far to low cost as it mashes the toes of Padded Armor rather badly.


thanks just the feedback i was looking for

Dark Archive

make magic clothing, which is just a reslotted bracers of defense for the same price


window-dressing leather straps and awesome looking spikes that don't provide armor bonus or interfere with casting are perfectly possible without making up rules, use your dm's wand of "he looks awesome"


I personally think that leather straps and spikes look silly, rather than bad-ass.
But if you want flavor, why not just have it be enchanted 'clothes' or robes?


1) Houserule:

I allow arcane armor training to be used without spending a swift action, though at the same time I increase the penalty for non-profieciency with armor to increase spellfailure chance and armor check penalty by 10% / 2 for anyone not proficient. This allows a wizard to effectively wear mithral breastplate, though it would require 4 feats for a typical wizard, hardly unbalancing. I am also considering giving any class able to cast in light armor, arcane armor training for free, so it is possible for a bard to wear mithral breastplate and cast freely with two feats investment.

2) Magic/special equipment:

As a standalone armor upgrade, I'd have it cost +18,000 gold and decrease spellfailure by 10%, in 3.5 this ability was named 'twilight' I think, though you might want to rename it since the movies came out.

An improved version would be possible, for decreasing spellfailure chance by 20%, consider a cost of +50,000 gold or so.

You can also introduce a new material, 'enchanted leather' that decreases spellfailure by 10%, at roughly the same cost as upgrading to mithral armor. Basic 'enchanted' leather armor would cost about 1,200 gold maybe and would be considered masterwork leather.

With these additions it will be fairly common to come across arcane casters wearing some kind of armor.


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It could just be the visual aspect of Mage Armor


It could just be his choice of clothing...It doesn't say you have to have armor to have some metal plates that are all spikey. IMHO I don't see gladiator armor having ANY AC bonus at all...all it was was a metal plate on the upper-arm.


Wizards can wear leather armor just fine. They just have to accept the penalties associated with it. My original 1e wizard who played into 2e wore leather armor all the time. Yes, his spells sometimes failed, but they mostly worked. A failed spell isn't much different from a successful save anyway. I have NPC wizards wearing leather armor all the time. They just take the risk of suffering the penalties. For leather armor, it's not a terrible risk.

Liberty's Edge

Also, there's really no need to be proficient in leather armor to use it - all that does is add the ACP to your attacks as a penalty...

Leather armor has no ACP!

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