Chultian (?) native PCs

[ZorroGames]

So if I understand the exhastion rules for medium and heavy armor correctly there are significant penalties that can incur when wearing medium/heavy armor while adventuring.

So if you play a native human warrior (Fighter, Ranger specifically) there is incentive to use light or no armor classes?

I see real problems with AC in battles if the high strength/low dexterity heroes have to choose between being adequately armored and risking exhaustion and being - low AC, and at risk of hp loss/fatality.

Studded, high Dex, +1 wooden shield gives a PC a AC of around what - 18 at start? Leather, dex of 14, regular wooden shield starts at 15?

Or am I missing a key point here?

[Nifft]

First, you should determine what the game you are playing (which is not necessarily representative of other D&D games) is going to stress:

- Melee combat?
- Wilderness survival?
- Stealthy tactics including ranged combat from cover, hit-and-run, and so forth?
- Mounted knights with retinues and land?
- Coastal raiders?
- Urban larceny?


Melee combat, or combat at very close range, is going to reward heavier armors.

Wilderness survival is going to reward light to no armor.

Stealth games are going to reward light armor.

Mounted knight games are going to reward the heaviest armors.

Coastal raiders will reward lighter armor & a shield, or naked + shield + being a Barbarian.

Urban larceny will reward light or no armor.

[ZorroGames]

Sorry if I was unclear. The setting is Chult in Tomb of Annihilation and the session 0 included noting the environmental risks of exhaustion when wearing medium or heavy armor.

[Nifft]

Sorry if I was unclear. The setting is Chult in Tomb of Annihilation and the session 0 included noting the environmental risks of exhaustion when waering medium or heavy armor.

Gotcha.

Sounds like you want to wear light armor until you get to the tomb, at which point you put on the heavier armor.

Pack mules win games.

[ZorroGames]

Gotcha.

Sounds like you want to wear light armor until you get to the tomb, at which point you put on the heavier armor.

Pack mules win games.

I like this. Muchas gracias!

Mules can outrun zombie dionsaurs and all the other weird Chult monsters I hear rumored OOC I hope. Will check out the MM...

Oh, wait maybe canoes for the sluggish rivers, swamps, but not the overgrown jungle trails?

[Nifft]

Ooo good idea. Canoes are brilliant. They're fairly easy to carry across land, too.

With sufficient magic, maybe you can even use them as part of a portable shelter? I dunno.

Also check backgrounds like Noble which has a variant feature "Retainers", as that provides people who can carry your stuff in place of a mule. They can also carry canoes, of course, and generally maintain a base-camp outside the dangerous dungeon proper.

[Sigreid]

Ooo good idea. Canoes are brilliant. They're fairly easy to carry across land, too.

With sufficient magic, maybe you can even use them as part of a portable shelter? I dunno.

Also check backgrounds like Noble which has a variant feature "Retainers", as that provides people who can carry your stuff in place of a mule. They can also carry canoes, of course, and generally maintain a base-camp outside the dangerous dungeon proper.
Make an explorer and take the noble background feature to be your loyal native bearers?

[Nifft]

Make an explorer and take the noble background feature to be your loyal native bearers?

"Jeeves! Fetch me my dragon gun!"

[Razuchee]

Asking for a friend: Where are those rules for armoir and exhaustion?

[rbstr]

It's toward the beginning someplace. The idea is that you have to drink water and people wearing heavier armor need more water.
You basically need someone with ritual casting and purify food and drink. That trivializes the problem for the most part.

If you don't have your water filter guy, yeah it encourages you to not be a strength character. The concept of lugging around heavy armor to use when it's not hot makes no sense the way the adventure is constructed. You'd be a liability as a low-dex character in light armor for like half the campaign.

Dono why you're going on about wooden shields though. There's only a shield that gives +2AC, regardless of what you say it's made of.

[Sigreid]

It's toward the beginning someplace. The idea is that you have to drink water and people wearing heavier armor need more water.
You basically need someone with ritual casting and purify food and drink. That trivializes the problem for the most part.

If you don't have your water filter guy, yeah it encourages you to not be a strength character. The concept of lugging around heavy armor to use when it's not hot makes no sense the way the adventure is constructed. You'd be a liability as a low-dex character in light armor for like half the campaign.

Dono why you're going on about wooden shields though. There's only a shield that gives +2AC, regardless of what you say it's made of.

So, by RAW from the PHB on survival one of the races or classes with fire resistance also trivializes the heat. Just like cold resistance trivializes cold weather.

[ZorroGames]

It's toward the beginning someplace. The idea is that you have to drink water and people wearing heavier armor need more water.
You basically need someone with ritual casting and purify food and drink. That trivializes the problem for the most part.

If you don't have your water filter guy, yeah it encourages you to not be a strength character. The concept of lugging around heavy armor to use when it's not hot makes no sense the way the adventure is constructed. You'd be a liability as a low-dex character in light armor for like half the campaign.

Dono why you're going on about wooden shields though. There's only a shield that gives +2AC, regardless of what you say it's made of.

Spoiler!

You can buy +1 shield in the main city. Merchant prince who has the weapons monopoly sells them.

That said, it is probably dinosaur skin (AFB) instead of wood.

If I live to get back to Port N_________ I am buying one even though I am a longbow Ranger with scale armor and Medium Armor Master. Have not gone down yet but we cliffhanger froze the game with very loud roaring heard upon leaving the cover of the jungle this week.