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There is no particular mechanic that stops a Wizard wearing Heavy Armor, beyond a lack of proficiency making it unappealing. If they were to take Feats that gave them proficiency in Heavy Armour, it would work the same as for any other class that's proficient in it- it doesn't hinder their spell casting in any way.
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Apologies if the answer should be staring me in the face.
I have a mage who is pretending to be a warrior.What are the effects of wearing heavy armor as a mage?
Thank you in advance
Nothing special: Your AC will suck for the most part (since you aren't proficient and the dex cap is 0), your speed will be reduced, you'll take a penalty on a lot of checks (assuming you don't have an 18 strength), and you are quite possibly encumbered by the 4 bulk.
Oh, and it will probably be obvious to everyone that you aren't actually proficient.
Beyond that, I believe you can still cast normally...
The immediate thing I can think of is if they're not trained in heavy armor, then they don't add their proficiency bonus.
So Full Plate is AC 6, No Dex, and no proficiency.
Edit: and -10 Move, and -3 to checks
There might be other stuff, but that's what sticks out to me.
There are a few effects, but nothing different from what a low-strength monk would get from wearing heavy armor. Pathfinder 2e did away with the whole arcane-spell failure thing that made it terrible for only arcane casters to wear armor.
If your character doesn't have proficiency with the type of armor they wear, they won't add their level to their AC, eventually putting them in very real danger. Also, you'd have to check the bulk (to make sure the character can still walk around), and if you don't have enough strength for the type of armor, you have the armor's stated penalties to speed and to dex-based and strength-based skills.
If you want your wizard to wear Heavy Armor, you'll want to get some archetypes that allow it. The Champion archetype is one, and the Sentinel is another (though you'll also need to get some armor proficiency feats for Sentinel).
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The immediate thing I can think of is if they're not trained in heavy armor, then they don't add their proficiency bonus.
So Full Plate is AC 6, No Dex, and no proficiency.
Edit: and -10 Move, and -3 to checksThere might be other stuff, but that's what sticks out to me.
Yes if your mage doesn't have much dexterity it can actually makes sense for a level or two. But beyond that you need to take armour proficiency.
The Armor Class rules are that
Armor Class (AC) = 10 + Dexterity modifier (up to your armor’s Dex Cap) + proficiency bonus + armor’s item bonus to AC + other bonuses + penalties
and the proficiency bonus used depends on the type of armor worn.
No class is named mage, so I mean the question is about a primary spellcaster such as sorcerer or wizard. Those classes are untrained in heavy armor, so the proficiency bonus would be +0. Suppose a 1st-level sorcerer has the ability scores Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 18. Sorcerers are trained in unarmored defense, so his AC without armor would be AC = 10 + 2(Dex) + 3(prof) = 15. The same sorcerer in full plate armor would have AC = 10 + 0(Dex cap) + 0(prof) + 6(armor) = 16. So his AC would improve. On the other hand, at 4th level, his AC without armor would be 18 but his AC in full plate would be still be 16, because untrained proficiency does not increase with level.
No proficiency is required to simply wear the armor and benefit from its item bonus to AC. But the sorcerer would have a much better AC if he had proficiency with the armor.
Armor also has a Check Penalty and a Speed Penalty. For full plate, the Check Penalty is a -3 to all Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks, except for those that have the attack trait, unless the wearer has Strength 18 or more. The Speed Penalty is -10 feet to speed unless the wearer has Strength 18 or more. A primary spellcaster is unlikely to have Strength 18 or more, so their physical skills and movement would be impaired. And full plate armor has bulk 4, getting close to the sorcerer's maximum unencumbered load of 6 bulk.
A fake warrior wearing armor that obviously impairs his speed would have a hard time bluffing (Deception check) that he is a skilled warrior. A better ruse would be to don armor that he could wear (explorer's clothing for sorcerer or witch or wizard, light armor for a magus) with a Glamered armor rune on it that gives the illusion of being heavy armor. If the Glamered rune or a Hat of Disguise are not available, then the sorcerer could wear light armor that has no Speed Penalty, such as Studded Leather Armor, and claim that he is a high-Dexterity warrior who prefers light armor to heavy armor.
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No class is named mage, so I mean the question is about a primary spellcaster such as sorcerer or wizard.
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It occurs to me that the OP might have meant Magus when they used the term 'mage.' It seems like the sort of alteration that autocorrect might produce.
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I suspect they were simply asking about arcane spell failure from 1e. I don't think the class matters.
There is no arcane spell failure chance for wearing armor in 2e.
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It occurs to me that the OP might have meant Magus when they used the term 'mage.' It seems like the sort of alteration that autocorrect might produce....
No class is named mage, so I mean the question is about a primary spellcaster such as sorcerer or wizard.
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My magus is quite happy with his plate mail (Sentinel archetype). And I've seen plenty of plate wearing wizard/champions in PFS.
Its quite viable. It also uses enough resources that it isn't at all overpowered.
This is making me want to play an elf wizard with champion of findeladlara or yuelral archetype using the ancient heritage ...
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This is making me want to play an elf wizard with champion of findeladlara or yuelral archetype using the ancient heritage ...Keep in mind, the Champion archetype requires a 14 in both strength and charisma.
The secret is dump dexterity and be the clumsiest elf who ever elfed.
This is making me want to play an elf wizard with champion of findeladlara or yuelral archetype using the ancient heritage ...Keep in mind, the Champion archetype requires a 14 in both strength and charisma.
Not if you're a half-elf taking it at 9th level!
Admittedly, that's a different build than the one you're respondign to, but now that I think about it, it's a pretty solid use case. The only real issue is surviving to lvl 9 with tanked dex. Huh.
This is making me want to play an elf wizard with champion of findeladlara or yuelral archetype using the ancient heritage ...Keep in mind, the Champion archetype requires a 14 in both strength and charisma.Not if you're a half-elf taking it at 9th level!
Admittedly, that's a different build than the one you're respondign to, but now that I think about it, it's a pretty solid use case. The only real issue is surviving to lvl 9 with tanked dex. Huh.
You're also spending another feat to keep your armor proficiency scaling, aren't you? Seems better to just use a general feat and class feat for sentinel. You can get that up and running by 2nd level, 3rd level at the latest.
You can get 14 12 10 18 10 14 at start with an elf.
Leaves you PRETTY exposed on the HP department... but you get great AC and eventually a nice reaction if you splooge!
Wizards don't have the best feats so they're good to archetype with :)
False life would be a very good spell to have in your spellbook ! :P
You're also spending another feat to keep your armor proficiency scaling, aren't you? Seems better to just use a general feat and class feat for sentinel. You can get that up and running by 2nd level, 3rd level at the latest.This is making me want to play an elf wizard with champion of findeladlara or yuelral archetype using the ancient heritage ...Keep in mind, the Champion archetype requires a 14 in both strength and charisma.Not if you're a half-elf taking it at 9th level!
Admittedly, that's a different build than the one you're respondign to, but now that I think about it, it's a pretty solid use case. The only real issue is surviving to lvl 9 with tanked dex. Huh.
It would take at least two General feats, right? One for light armor, one for medium. Then taking Sentinel will grant scaling heavy, if I recall.
It would take at least two General feats, right? One for light armor, one for medium. Then taking Sentinel will grant scaling heavy, if I recall.You're also spending another feat to keep your armor proficiency scaling, aren't you? Seems better to just use a general feat and class feat for sentinel. You can get that up and running by 2nd level, 3rd level at the latest.This is making me want to play an elf wizard with champion of findeladlara or yuelral archetype using the ancient heritage ...Keep in mind, the Champion archetype requires a 14 in both strength and charisma.Not if you're a half-elf taking it at 9th level!
Admittedly, that's a different build than the one you're respondign to, but now that I think about it, it's a pretty solid use case. The only real issue is surviving to lvl 9 with tanked dex. Huh.
Which means you need to be a Versatile Human to get Heavy Armor at 2nd level via the Sentinel Archetype. If you're an Ancient Elf, you can get heavy armor at 1st level via the Champion Archetype.
Not sure which works out to be the better option, TBH.