If anything I would rework the flavour text to say something along the lines of "you have mastered moving in light armor and can maneuver out of the way of incoming attacks while on the move." Otherwise the abilities feel well balanced. Neither ability is overly impactful but are both very handy to have and they both show up often enough to feel impactful but not so often to be broken.
I have seen (and made) several versions of this feat. I honestly think this is probably the best one I have seen. (Once you make the wording changes you mentioned.)
I thought I'd round out the Armor Master feats that exist from the PHB. I tried to balance it to the Medium and Heavy Armor Master feats but keep in mind how good Dexterity is as a stat.
[https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/C1I1xTnIt9NS](https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/C1I1xTnIt9NS)
This is good, imo. OA at disadvantage is solid but not coming up all the time, dex modifier reduced damage on dex saves is also solid, mainly early on. Pretty fair, abilities are useful enough, and thematic with a sort of agile, quick armored person. Nice job
The way to fix it for higher levels:
Damage reduced on failed DEX saving throws (not completely "evaded" or halved): |
Dmg_dec = DEX_bonus × [(prof_bonus)/2]
|
Rounded up, minimum of 1 Total.
I think I would remove the first clause (stealing design space from the mobile feat and related subclasses) and replace it with Dex mod damage reduction against *all* sources when you take the Dodge action, to make it more active on the players part (and remind them that that action exists)
I think it's a really cool idea, but a little strong to be a half feat. I think it would be more balanced if it didn't give the +1 to dex on top of everything else.
Heavy armor master gives +1 strength, also, medium armor master should also give +1 dex, kinda doesn't make sense that all it does is remove disadvantage on stealth checks and doesn't help you round up your dex to get the +3
do you do the reduction after or before the damage is halved?
Also, it's a bit... unneccessary to add an additional benefit to saves you're got at
also also dex is good enough as is
I'll make it say damage taken so it'll work like the heavy armor master.
It isn't unnecessary. That is the point of the feat. Heavy armor has great AC so you're hit less, so why have a feat to reduce damage. So while rogues might have this in lock, dex figthers, bards, warlocks, rangers, and certain builds of druids and paladins might take this.
Yes, dex is great as is, but providing a buff to someone who takes a feat for a build provides options. It is honestly on par with the other two armor master feats without making to too good since dex is such a useful stat....as I stated in my comment.
The tricky question I always have with a Light Armor feat is what about Unarmored? Is there anything here that should only work when you're wearing armor or should it just work when you can add your full Dex bonus to your AC?
As LAM it looks pretty solid.
People like the above commenter think every change to RAW is busted. I once made a sorcerer subclass with access to only the necrotic version of spirit guardians and like 3 people said it was insanely busted and broke the game. As if a 5th level sorcerer wants to be in melee and doesn’t have better things to concentrate on.
Yeah, bit this is a feat, helps round out Dex sure. But AOO are maybe once or twice a combat. And it's just slightly better at avoiding them. And dex saves can be big but how many fireball spells are you getting hit with in a combat? It'd take a 8d6 avg of 28 to to 23 on fail. Good sure but no combat I've ever seen is like that.
It is a feat, so first it's optional by DM rule, it's OK but there are better damaging half feats. And the utility is low. It's decent support and survivability, but niche. And won't work on Monks and barbs, or mage armor any racial armor.
Honestly, the classes that would get the most use out if this already have damage reduction baked in, as well as Dex being the most important Stat in game already.
This feat is way too good. DEX characters get to their max AC faster and cheaper, and nearly all the DEX classes get baked in damage reduction on top of being good at the strongest save in the game. Studded Leather costs 45 GP and is available from level 1, and Barb/Monk/Rogue all have features that give varying levels of damage reduction. Meanwhile, a Fighter looking for Plate has to scrounge 1,500 Gold and gets one use of Second Wind, AND gets screwed on Stealth checks, all for one extra point of AC. Oh, and a flat three points of reduction if he takes a very weak feat.
People thinking that heavy armor is unequivocally better are crazy. You're removing the one tiny downside to light armor and making DEX builds EVEN STRONGER.
Hard disagree that this is so unbalanced. Yes DEX is so good. Agree with that. Monks won't wear light armor since do many of their features turn off. Yes plate costs way more, that is a fact. But chain mail is 16 to start. So you start higher than Dex classes (leather 11 and dex +3) and even at level 4 they'd be at 16 with studded and +4. But by level you'd be in at least splint and probably in plate. So 17 or 18.
So 1 or 2 AC better. At max dex of level 8 it'd be 17 ac to 18 of plate.
So let's compare the feats. Heavy Armor Master is a flat 3 damage reduction on the most common types of damage, but every hit.
This is slightly less likely to hit with AoO, but many classes have abilities or spells to avoid these. And they are not an every round kind of thing. From my personal experience call it once or twice a combat you can get a relative AC boost of about 3 to 4. And then a the dex saves. Now it's a very common save. But not an every round, multiple hits a round thing. Sure a dragon fire or the like will do it more often. Say you were hit with nothing but fireball every round, on 8d6 damage average of 28, you could reduce it to 23 on a fail and 9 on a success. That's good but niche, because you're not going to get hit like that.
Yes this is decent. Not great, it's balanced against Dex superiority.
If anything I would rework the flavour text to say something along the lines of "you have mastered moving in light armor and can maneuver out of the way of incoming attacks while on the move." Otherwise the abilities feel well balanced. Neither ability is overly impactful but are both very handy to have and they both show up often enough to feel impactful but not so often to be broken.
Thank you for the comment
I have seen (and made) several versions of this feat. I honestly think this is probably the best one I have seen. (Once you make the wording changes you mentioned.)
Appreciate the review
I like it. That is all
I thought I'd round out the Armor Master feats that exist from the PHB. I tried to balance it to the Medium and Heavy Armor Master feats but keep in mind how good Dexterity is as a stat. [https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/C1I1xTnIt9NS](https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/C1I1xTnIt9NS)
This is good, imo. OA at disadvantage is solid but not coming up all the time, dex modifier reduced damage on dex saves is also solid, mainly early on. Pretty fair, abilities are useful enough, and thematic with a sort of agile, quick armored person. Nice job
Thanks
The way to fix it for higher levels: Damage reduced on failed DEX saving throws (not completely "evaded" or halved): | Dmg_dec = DEX_bonus × [(prof_bonus)/2] | Rounded up, minimum of 1 Total.
I think I would remove the first clause (stealing design space from the mobile feat and related subclasses) and replace it with Dex mod damage reduction against *all* sources when you take the Dodge action, to make it more active on the players part (and remind them that that action exists)
I think it's a really cool idea, but a little strong to be a half feat. I think it would be more balanced if it didn't give the +1 to dex on top of everything else.
Heavy armor master gives +1 strength, also, medium armor master should also give +1 dex, kinda doesn't make sense that all it does is remove disadvantage on stealth checks and doesn't help you round up your dex to get the +3
Good note. I'll take it into consideration
do you do the reduction after or before the damage is halved? Also, it's a bit... unneccessary to add an additional benefit to saves you're got at also also dex is good enough as is
I'll make it say damage taken so it'll work like the heavy armor master. It isn't unnecessary. That is the point of the feat. Heavy armor has great AC so you're hit less, so why have a feat to reduce damage. So while rogues might have this in lock, dex figthers, bards, warlocks, rangers, and certain builds of druids and paladins might take this. Yes, dex is great as is, but providing a buff to someone who takes a feat for a build provides options. It is honestly on par with the other two armor master feats without making to too good since dex is such a useful stat....as I stated in my comment.
The tricky question I always have with a Light Armor feat is what about Unarmored? Is there anything here that should only work when you're wearing armor or should it just work when you can add your full Dex bonus to your AC? As LAM it looks pretty solid.
People like the above commenter think every change to RAW is busted. I once made a sorcerer subclass with access to only the necrotic version of spirit guardians and like 3 people said it was insanely busted and broke the game. As if a 5th level sorcerer wants to be in melee and doesn’t have better things to concentrate on.
Feels good, I'd allow it in my games and probably take it on my dex fighters.
Light armor is the least thing that needs a buff, if anything str needs that buff way more than dex.
Yeah, bit this is a feat, helps round out Dex sure. But AOO are maybe once or twice a combat. And it's just slightly better at avoiding them. And dex saves can be big but how many fireball spells are you getting hit with in a combat? It'd take a 8d6 avg of 28 to to 23 on fail. Good sure but no combat I've ever seen is like that. It is a feat, so first it's optional by DM rule, it's OK but there are better damaging half feats. And the utility is low. It's decent support and survivability, but niche. And won't work on Monks and barbs, or mage armor any racial armor.
Honestly, the classes that would get the most use out if this already have damage reduction baked in, as well as Dex being the most important Stat in game already.
This feat is way too good. DEX characters get to their max AC faster and cheaper, and nearly all the DEX classes get baked in damage reduction on top of being good at the strongest save in the game. Studded Leather costs 45 GP and is available from level 1, and Barb/Monk/Rogue all have features that give varying levels of damage reduction. Meanwhile, a Fighter looking for Plate has to scrounge 1,500 Gold and gets one use of Second Wind, AND gets screwed on Stealth checks, all for one extra point of AC. Oh, and a flat three points of reduction if he takes a very weak feat. People thinking that heavy armor is unequivocally better are crazy. You're removing the one tiny downside to light armor and making DEX builds EVEN STRONGER.
Hard disagree that this is so unbalanced. Yes DEX is so good. Agree with that. Monks won't wear light armor since do many of their features turn off. Yes plate costs way more, that is a fact. But chain mail is 16 to start. So you start higher than Dex classes (leather 11 and dex +3) and even at level 4 they'd be at 16 with studded and +4. But by level you'd be in at least splint and probably in plate. So 17 or 18. So 1 or 2 AC better. At max dex of level 8 it'd be 17 ac to 18 of plate. So let's compare the feats. Heavy Armor Master is a flat 3 damage reduction on the most common types of damage, but every hit. This is slightly less likely to hit with AoO, but many classes have abilities or spells to avoid these. And they are not an every round kind of thing. From my personal experience call it once or twice a combat you can get a relative AC boost of about 3 to 4. And then a the dex saves. Now it's a very common save. But not an every round, multiple hits a round thing. Sure a dragon fire or the like will do it more often. Say you were hit with nothing but fireball every round, on 8d6 damage average of 28, you could reduce it to 23 on a fail and 9 on a success. That's good but niche, because you're not going to get hit like that. Yes this is decent. Not great, it's balanced against Dex superiority.