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17:31
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A: Does a Lizardfolk benefit from wearing +1 leather armor?

guildsbountyIt...appears so, but probably shouldn't. I suspect this is not intended and is yet-another artifact of things sometimes being worded unclearly in D&D 5E...but, well. Here we are. The simple facts are that +1 Leather would put you at AC 12 + Dex, which is less than the AC 13 + Dex that your natura...

Anagkai
Anagkai
Rules as Written also says that you don't benefit from the natural armor when you wear non-natural armor.
guildsbounty
guildsbounty
@Anagkai Read the rest of the rule. "When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. The second phrase applies a conditional override on the first phrase. If it didn't, then why is that second phrase there?
Dave
Dave
What makes you say "This is pretty clearly cheesy rules lawyering". The game effect is no better than if the character had obtained a Ring or Cloak +1, neither of which is a major benefit (relative to, say, feats) to any character. Using vs. eschewing a shield is a bigger change to the Lizardfolk's AC.
NautArch
NautArch
@Dave Because it's pretty clearly not the intent for +1 armor to work if you aren't using the armor.
Dave
Dave
@NautArch so the character is wearing the armor (as per the species description) but not using it?
guildsbounty
guildsbounty
17:31
@Dave it's not strictly the benefit attained, it's the method by which it is gotten. Exact-wording your way into additional benefit.
Dave
Dave
@guildsbounty vs exact wording it to deny the benefit...
guildsbounty
guildsbounty
@Dave The way I interpret it is that the Lizardfolk is wearing and using the armor...but +1 Armor is Better Armor. But the better armor still isn't as good as the Lizardfolk's skin. It's not that the Better Armor somehow makes their skin better.
Dave
Dave
@guildsbounty that's fine. That doesn't make the other interpretation cheesy rules lawyering. Magic armor is magic; maybe it does provide a boon on top of natural defenses. As pointed out in your answer, the "bonus" language directly supports that interpretation.
guildsbounty
guildsbounty
@Dave Fair enough, I'll adjust the phrasing.
@Dave There, just hacked that phrase out--it was honestly unnecessary to the answer anyway.
NautArch
NautArch
@Dave If that's the way magic armor works for everyone, I'd agree. But this seems to be due to the wording of the Lizardfolk.
guildsbounty
guildsbounty
17:31
@NautArch And only the Lizardfolk, as it happens. Because the other two races with similar Natural Armor features (Loxodon and Locathah) have their floor at 12+Dex, which is matched or surpassed by any magic armor.
Dave
Dave
@NautArch if there are other cases (other species maybe) where it is more clearly stated that the bonuses from magic are do not stack with natural AC that would be a useful addition to this answer.
NautArch
NautArch
@Dave It's not the bonuses from magic don't stack with natural AC, it's that bonuses from magical armor that you aren't using don't stack. That's a pretty big difference.
Dave
Dave
@guildsbounty does the language for these other species differ from Lizardfolk in a way that bolsters your interpretation?
guildsbounty
guildsbounty
@Dave It's the same wording. But their AC floor is 12+Dex which, as mentioned a few comments up, is less than or equal to the value of any +x armor. +1 Padded gives you AC 12+Dex. So, essentially...except for the Lizardfolk--this just never comes up which is likely why there are no rules around it.

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