What sub-class can make the best use of Serpent Scale Armor?

[Yakmala]

I recently played through an official published adventure where the following magic item dropped:

Serpent Scale Armor: Scale Male: Uncommon: This suit of magic armor is made from shimmering scales. While wearing it, you can apply your full Dexterity modifier (instead of a maximum of +2) when determining your Armor Class. In addition, this armor does not impose disadvantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Pretty cool. It wasn't an appropriate item for the character I was playing at the time, but it got me thinking about what sub-class could use it best.

We're looking for a sub-class that typically maxes its Dexterity to 20 early in their leveling, can wear medium armor and use a shield at the very least. A light armor user picking up Moderately Armored would also work.

My first thought was a dex-based Artificer. Serpent Scale armor (AC 14) + 20 dexterity + shield + Enhanced Defense infusion at Level 10 = 23 AC before any magic item bonuses. If it's one of the Artificer sub-classes that can use the Shield spell, then you can boost that to AC 28 when needed. No feats or multi-classing needed.

For those that don't mind spoilers, the item in question came from the Candlekeep Mysteries adventure Book of Cylinders, which is designed for an average party level of 6.

Any other thoughts on who this armor would be best suited for?

[Man_Over_Game]

Artificer seems....odd. Other than AC, they don't have a reason to max out their Dexterity Score. Even the ones that make weapon attacks all have a way of using Intelligence for those attacks.

The answer that seems to stand out to me is either a melee Ranger or Dexterity Fighter, maybe a Swashbuckler.

[Keravath]

Honestly, it works well for any druid since it is non-metallic medium armor and dex is often their secondary or tertiary stat.

Other than that, rogue multiclass with medium armor proficiency, rangers, dex fighters or dex paladins could all make good use of it.

[quindraco]

I recently played through an official published adventure where the following magic item dropped:

Serpent Scale Armor: Scale Male: Uncommon: This suit of magic armor is made from shimmering scales. While wearing it, you can apply your full Dexterity modifier (instead of a maximum of +2) when determining your Armor Class. In addition, this armor does not impose disadvantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Pretty cool. It wasn't an appropriate item for the character I was playing at the time, but it got me thinking about what sub-class could use it best.

We're looking for a sub-class that typically maxes its Dexterity to 20 early in their leveling, can wear medium armor and use a shield at the very least. A light armor user picking up Moderately Armored would also work.

My first thought was a dex-based Artificer. Serpent Scale armor (AC 14) + 20 dexterity + shield + Enhanced Defense infusion at Level 10 = 23 AC before any magic item bonuses. If it's one of the Artificer sub-classes that can use the Shield spell, then you can boost that to AC 28 when needed. No feats or multi-classing needed.

For those that don't mind spoilers, the item in question came from the Candlekeep Mysteries adventure Book of Cylinders, which is designed for an average party level of 6.

Any other thoughts on who this armor would be best suited for?

It's perfectly suited for my current built, but I didn't know about the armor when my DM offered me any two uncommon magic items, which is why I have a broom of flying and a decanter of endless water (although I thought long and hard about a cloak of elvenkind). I'm an Arcane Trickster 8 / Peace Cleric 1, so I have high dex and medium armor proficiency (I'm currently dex 18 because I'm trying out the skulker feat, but normally I'd be dex 20 by now).

[Valmark]

My first thought was a dex-based Artificer. Serpent Scale armor (AC 14) + 20 dexterity + shield + Enhanced Defense infusion at Level 10 = 23 AC before any magic item bonuses. If it's one of the Artificer sub-classes that can use the Shield spell, then you can boost that to AC 28 when needed. No feats or multi-classing needed.


Note that it's a magical armor so it tecnically isn't 'before any magic item bonuses'.

That said... Any dex-based character (as in, one that boosts their Dex to 20) besides monks and bladensingers can make
great use of it. Probably better on somebody that will actually make frequent use of that AC, so any melee dex-based character will do for max mileage (aside from monks and Bladensingers of course).

[. Shadowblade .]

Dex Battle Master/Swashbuckler

[x3n0n]

So it's basically +2 Studded for anyone who has medium armor proficiency. That smells like Dex martials, as others have said. (If your table tracks encumbrance, the additional weight could be a downside vs studded.)

[Yakmala]

So it's basically +2 Studded for anyone who has medium armor proficiency. That smells like Dex martials, as others have said. (If your table tracks encumbrance, the additional weight could be a downside vs studded.)

Pretty much, but with the added advantage that this is an uncommon magic item, whereas +2 studded leather is very rare and found on Magic Item Table I.

[TrueAlphaGamer]

Dexblade Warlock. Pretty good with Warcaster/Booming Blade for allowing yourself to stay in combat and peel easily, maybe also add in AoA to mitigate damage when you actually do get hit. It at least saves an Invocation slot.

Though, it's interesting to consider how marginal the benefit really is.

[. Shadowblade .]

Dexblade Warlock. Pretty good with Warcaster/Booming Blade for allowing yourself to stay in combat and peel easily, maybe also add in AoA to mitigate damage when you actually do get hit. It at least saves an Invocation slot.

Though, it's interesting to consider how marginal the benefit really is.

Dexblade Warlock is OK with Dex 14, doesnt need to max Dex. Maxing Charisma is more important here.(Hexblade).

[x3n0n]

Pretty much, but with the added advantage that this is an uncommon magic item, whereas +2 studded leather is very rare and found on Magic Item Table I.

Oh, definitely! It seems like a great uncommon; same AC and stealth as mithral half plate with +3 Dex, and better with +4.

[Rukelnikov]

Consider it this way:


Regular Scale Mail = 14 + 2 = 16
Serpent Scale Mail = 14 + Dex = 19 (it could be less but we are building towards this, it could be more but its DM dependant)
Scale Mail +3 = 17 + 2 = 19


So to really make use of this we need a class that can buff the armor's bonus, Artificer sounds like a good pick due to the infusion. The only other sub that comes to mind is Forge, but they are better off with Plate.

[RogueJK]

A DEX-based Eldritch Knight could make good use of it, such as LudicSavant's Soul Knife: https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24681222&postcount=523 Then further boost their high AC with Shield and other defensive spells.


Also potentially handy for a DEX-based Paladin. (Vengeance Paladins and Ancients Paladins make solid Switch-Hitter Dexadins, since while you can't Smite with ranged attacks, they can use some of their Oath spells like Ensnaring Strike and Hunter's Mark with bows, and then save the smites for when they close to melee range with a Rapier or Whip.)

[Valmark]

Consider it this way:


Regular Scale Mail = 14 + 2 = 16
Serpent Scale Mail = 14 + Dex = 19 (it could be less but we are building towards this, it could be more but its DM dependant)
Scale Mail +3 = 17 + 2 = 19


So to really make use of this we need a class that can buff the armor's bonus, Artificer sounds like a good pick due to the infusion. The only other sub that comes to mind is Forge, but they are better off with Plate.

Artificer can't infuse the armor since it's a magical item- maybe in the Armorer's case though it works?

[Quietus]

Artificer can't infuse the armor since it's a magical item- maybe in the Armorer's case though it works?

Armorer is just as unable to infuse magic armor as any other artificer. In fact, it's a larger limitation for them, since their level 9 ability doesn't actually give them the ability to infuse magic armor, it just allows them to break their armor into 4 pieces for the purpose of infusions - and arguably, each still remains part of "magic armor", and therefore not valid for an infusion. You can get around that by infusing boots and helmet separately, but is it worth giving up infusing your special weapon, to more of a secondary stat to your AC than you would otherwise?

[stoutstien]

Just give it to whoever is already using medium armor. It bypassing disadvantage on stealth is worth it. It's basically the medium armor master feat with a slight boost if they have +4-5 dex but outside of dex fighters or maybe a dex barbarian it's nothing to write home about.

[Rukelnikov]

Artificer can't infuse the armor since it's a magical item- maybe in the Armorer's case though it works?


Armorer is just as unable to infuse magic armor as any other artificer. In fact, it's a larger limitation for them, since their level 9 ability doesn't actually give them the ability to infuse magic armor, it just allows them to break their armor into 4 pieces for the purpose of infusions - and arguably, each still remains part of "magic armor", and therefore not valid for an infusion. You can get around that by infusing boots and helmet separately, but is it worth giving up infusing your special weapon, to more of a secondary stat to your AC than you would otherwise?

Oh crap, well, is there any other way to give the armor a magical +X bonus?

[Eriol]

Oh crap, well, is there any other way to give the armor a magical +X bonus?
You already explained it above as being pretty amazing. It's "more or less" scale mail +3, or scale mail +2 and a feat (Medium Armor Master). And because it's magical it's immune to those ooze/slime/whatever abilities that degrade non-magical armor. Why wouldn't a dex fighter/ranger/paladin love it? The "+" is built-in in some ways.

I'm definitely going to "hunt this down" on my dex-based Samurai (Adventure League). If it's in a legal book (I think it was said above it is) then it looks amazing.

[Rukelnikov]

You already explained it above as being pretty amazing. It's "more or less" scale mail +3, or scale mail +2 and a feat (Medium Armor Master). And because it's magical it's immune to those ooze/slime/whatever abilities that degrade non-magical armor. Why wouldn't a dex fighter/ranger/paladin love it? The "+" is built-in in some ways.

I'm definitely going to "hunt this down" on my dex-based Samurai (Adventure League). If it's in a legal book (I think it was said above it is) then it looks amazing.

Oh, of course, Scale +3 is nothing to scoff at, but as the title was who could make the most of it, I tried to think of a way to... make more of it :P

[5eNeedsDarksun]

Alternate armor brings up some really good opportunities I think. I've had 2 different druids in 2 different campaigns run across armor that I thought could be used fairly thematically. One was in Ghosts of Saltmarsh when some of the baddies had Coral Armor, so the Druid had it modified to fit, and another I'm currently DMing is Descent into Avernus where the Hellwasps have a really good AC, so I determined that the carapace could be made into Plate equivalent.