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Armor Class (AC) is one of the most important stats for your character in Dungeons and Dragons 5e. In this article, I want to briefly explain how Armor Class works, how you calculate it, and what you should pay attention to.
How does AC work in D&D?
Every player character, enemy, and even object has an armor value that tells you how hard it is to hit them. When making an attack, you must roll at least as high as the target’s Armor Class to hit it. To hit a zombie with AC 8, I need to roll at least 8 total with my d20 and my bonuses.
“Meets it, beats it!” is a good saying to remember that you don’t need to exceed the AC, just reach it.
Calculating Armor Class
Armor Class is calculated based on the armor your character wears and your Dexterity. A nimble Fighter can therefore be harder to hit even without armor than a heavily armored Cleric. The base for Armor Class is 10. Your Dexterity modifier is then added to this, or subtracted if it’s negative. If you wear medium armor, there’s a maximum bonus you can get from Dexterity. Heavy armor only provides an armor value. The following table explains the exact calculation.
D&D Armor
| Armor | Armor Class (AC) | Strength Requirement | Stealth |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Armor | 10 + Dex modifier | — | — |
| Light Armor | |||
| Padded | 11 + Dex modifier | — | Disadvantage |
| Leather | 11 + Dex modifier | — | — |
| Studded leather | 12 + Dex modifier | — | — |
| Medium Armor | |||
| Hide | 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — |
| Chain shirt | 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — |
| Scale mail | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | Disadvantage |
| Breastplate | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — |
| Half plate | 15 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | Disadvantage |
| Heavy Armor | |||
| Ring mail | 14 | — | Disadvantage |
| Chain mail | 16 | STR 13 | Disadvantage |
| Splint | 17 | STR 15 | Disadvantage |
| Plate | 18 | STR 15 | Disadvantage |
| Shield | |||
| Shield | +2 | — | — |
Additional Armor Class Rules
Unarmored Defense: Monks, Barbarians and possibly some of your enemies can add other ability scores to their Armor Class in addition to physical armor and Dexterity. So don’t underestimate how hard someone is to hit just because they’re not wearing armor!
Cover: When the target is partially in cover, it’s harder to hit them with ranged weapons. The Armor Class can be increased by +2 or +5, depending on how much of the target is still visible.
Armor without Proficiency: Anyone can wear any armor, but if you’re not proficient with the armor, you have disadvantage on every Strength and Dexterity ability check and saving throw and you can’t cast spells. It’s often better to wear no armor than to take these penalties.
You can find all rules about armor in the Player’s Handbook 🛒 on page 145 if you want to look something up again.
