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Do You Add Proficiency to Armour in D&D 5e?

The short answer is: No, you do not add your proficiency bonus directly to your Armor Class (AC) in D&D 5th Edition (5e). Proficiency with armor is about enabling its use without penalties, not about directly boosting your defenses. It’s crucial to understand that proficiency is the baseline for effective armor usage, while AC is calculated separately. Let’s dive deeper into how armor proficiency works and why it doesn’t contribute numerically to your AC.

Understanding Armor Proficiency

In D&D 5e, your class dictates which types of armor you’re proficient with. Classes like Fighters and Paladins often have proficiency with all types of armor (light, medium, and heavy), while classes like Wizards and Sorcerers typically have no armor proficiency at all. When you wear armor that you lack proficiency with, you suffer significant penalties:

You have disadvantage on any ability check, saving throw, or attack roll that involves Strength or Dexterity.
You can’t cast spells.

These penalties make using unproficient armor incredibly disadvantageous. Proficiency, therefore, doesn’t add to your AC; it removes penalties so you can effectively use the armor.

How is Armor Class Calculated?

Your Armor Class (AC) reflects how difficult you are to hit in combat. It’s determined differently based on your situation:

Unarmored: If you’re not wearing armor, your base AC is 10 + your Dexterity modifier.
Armored: If you are wearing armor, your AC is determined by the specific armor you wear, as found in the Player’s Handbook (PHB). For instance, Leather armor provides an AC of 11 + your Dexterity modifier, while Chain Mail gives a flat AC of 16.
Shields: Shields add to your AC as per their description, but like armor, you must be proficient with them.

Proficiency has no bearing on these AC calculations. It’s about the ability to wear the armor without penalty, not enhancing its protective value.

The Role of Proficiency Bonus

Your proficiency bonus is a number that increases as your character gains levels. It’s crucial to understand where this bonus applies. You add it to:

Attack rolls (when using a weapon you are proficient with or casting a spell).
Saving throws (for saves you are proficient in).
Skill checks (for skills you are proficient in).
Spell attack rolls and spell save DCs.

However, your proficiency bonus is not added to your Armor Class (AC). Your AC is determined by your choice of armor (or lack thereof), your Dexterity modifier in some cases, and magic items that might enhance it.

Gaining Armor Proficiency

While your class typically gives you your initial armor proficiencies, you can gain new proficiencies through a few methods:

Feats: Taking a feat like “Lightly Armored,” “Moderately Armored,” or “Heavily Armored” grants proficiency in light, medium, or heavy armor, respectively.
Multiclassing: Taking a level in a class such as Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Paladin, or Ranger will usually grant you proficiency in medium armor and shields. However, multiclassing only gives a subset of the full proficiencies you’d get starting as that class. Some specific class subclasses also grant armor proficiencies.

FAQs: Armour Proficiency and AC

To further clarify the intricacies of armor proficiency and how it relates to AC, here are some frequently asked questions:

1. If I’m Proficient in Heavy Armor, Does That Improve its AC?

No. Proficiency lets you wear heavy armor without penalties like disadvantage on attack rolls or inability to cast spells. The armor’s AC value remains the same. A suit of plate armor provides an AC of 18 whether you are proficient or not, only a lack of proficiency will make it harder to use.

2. Can I Add My Proficiency Bonus to My AC If I Have Proficiency With the Armor I’m Wearing?

Absolutely not. Your proficiency bonus is not added to your AC. Armor proficiency is about removing penalties for wearing armor, not enhancing the armor’s effectiveness directly.

3. Does Dexterity Affect My AC When Wearing Heavy Armor?

Typically no, with the exception of specific magic items or feats. Most heavy armors have a fixed AC, and the Dexterity modifier does not get added to your AC when using Heavy Armor.

4. Can I Use a Shield if I’m Not Proficient With It?

You can wear a shield if you aren’t proficient with it, but doing so imposes the same penalties as wearing non-proficient armor: disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks involving Strength or Dexterity, and you cannot cast spells while wielding the non-proficient shield.

5. What Happens If I’m Not Proficient in Light Armor?

Most classes automatically have light armor proficiency. If you’re somehow lacking it, you’ll suffer the standard penalties: disadvantage on ability checks, saving throws, or attack rolls using Strength or Dexterity and you cannot cast spells.

6. Does Armor Class Increase With Level?

Generally, no. AC typically does not increase simply with level. It’s primarily determined by the armor you wear, your Dexterity modifier (with some exceptions), and magic items. However, your proficiency bonus does increase with your level, which will help you hit more often and resist harmful spells.

7. What’s a “Good” Armor Class in 5e?

“Good” AC is relative to character level and can be considered level + 20 for excellent AC and level +23 or higher for extremely good AC in a general sense. Remember that bounded accuracy means that even the highest AC characters can be hit by lower-level creatures.

8. Does My Proficiency Bonus Go Into Calculating Attack Rolls With Weapons and Spells?

Yes, absolutely! Your proficiency bonus is added to attack rolls with weapons you are proficient with and when casting spells.

9. If I gain a level in Fighter at character level 5, do I gain full armor proficiencies at the new level?

When you multiclass you do not gain the full proficiencies of the new class, instead, you gain only the proficiencies specified in the multiclassing rules of the Player’s Handbook. Gaining a level in fighter will give you light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons.

10. If I have proficiency in a skill, is my proficiency bonus added to every check?

No, your proficiency bonus only applies when the skill is explicitly called for as part of an ability check. For instance, being proficient in acrobatics means your proficiency bonus is added to any dexterity (acrobatics) check, but not if your proficiency is in another skill.

11. Is Proficiency Tied to Class or Character Level?

Your proficiency bonus is tied to your overall character level, not to the level of a particular class. If you’re a Fighter 3/Rogue 2, you’ll have a +3 proficiency bonus, as a 5th level character.

12. How Does Multiclassing Affect Armor Proficiency?

Multiclassing grants you some of the new class’s proficiencies but not all. Generally, you’ll gain medium armor and shield proficiency from classes like Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Cleric or Druid. Check the Multiclassing section in the PHB for the exact rules.

13. If I’m Wearing Light Armor, Does My Dexterity Increase My AC?

Yes. Light and medium armor adds your Dexterity modifier to your AC, up to a maximum of +2 for medium armor. This is a key difference compared to heavy armor which does not add your Dex modifier to your AC.

14. What if I’m Using a Spell Attack, do I add proficiency then?

Yes, you add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls when you cast a spell that requires an attack roll.

15. What if I am proficient in a skill and it is also used in a saving throw?

Your proficiency bonus is added to saving throws in which you are proficient. If you are proficient in a skill, that does not mean you are also proficient in the save relating to it. There are feats that do this however.

Conclusion

In summary, proficiency with armor is a key mechanic for using armor effectively in D&D 5e, but it doesn’t directly increase your Armor Class (AC). Instead, it removes penalties for wearing armor so you can make the most out of it. Remember that AC is primarily calculated based on the type of armor worn and your Dexterity modifier (for light and medium armors) . Understanding these mechanics is essential for building effective and resilient characters.

Do you add proficiency to Armour?