Worldbuilding and Character Development for 5E D&D Inspired by Game of Thrones — Leather Armor

I’m rewatching Game of Thrones all the way through for a second time and the series engages me in different ways this time around. It’s fun knowing the fate of characters and seeing how each step of their journey influences their outcomes for one thing and I simply missed a lot of the nuance the first time around for another. Like for so many fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons nerds the show appeals to me as a source of gaming inspiration too. One particular standout from the show is the armor worn by warriors across Westeros and Essos. A wealth of worldbuilding and character development potential for 5E D&D awaits through armor and I’m excited to explore them. Let’s get into it.

Armor offers more than protection in 5E D&D

There’s A Song of Ice and Fire from Green Ronin custom designed to reflect the realities of Westeros with play centered around noble houses and the characters from them, which I played once at PAX Unplugged. But I’m more interested in a very particular aspect of Game of Thrones I’ve always found really neat — the distinctive armor worn by people of various regions.

In 5E D&D there’s 12 kinds of armor in three different categories — light, medium and heavy — plus shields. Generally a warrior wishes to wear the best possible armor for protection in battle. I wonder if there’s not perhaps equally useful reasons for donning different armor types including worldbuilding from either side of the Dungeon Master screen.

It’s worth noting when it comes to 5E D&D mechanics I am not a believer in the necessity of squeezing every possible incremental bonus from every source. If you’re in the camp plate armor or bust you’ll have to continue reading with a grain of salt. In fact part of my curiosity in exploring this idea is wondering how armor can inform other character choices.

Light armor in 5E D&D

There’s three types of light armor in the 5E D&D Player’s Handbook plus another one found in Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount. Light armor takes one minute to both don and doff.

“Made from supple and thin materials, light armor favors agile adventurers since it offers some protection without sacrificing mobility. If you wear light armor, you add your Dexterity modifier to the base number from your armor type to determine your Armor Class.”

Light. Leather, Padded, Pride Silk Outfit, Studded Leather

Medium armor in 5E D&D

There’s six types of medium armor in the PHB. Medium armor takes five minute to don and one minute to doff.

“Medium armor offers more protection than light armor, but it also impairs movement more. If you wear medium armor, you add your Dexterity modifier, to a maximum of +2, to the base number from your armor type to determine your Armor Class.”

Medium. Breastplate, Chain Shirt, Half Plate, Hide, Scale Mail, Spiked Armor

Heavy armor in 5E D&D

There’s only four varieties of heavy armor in 5E D&D. Heavy armor takes ten minutes to don and five minutes to doff.

“Of all the armor categories, heavy armor offers the best protection. These suits of armor cover the entire body and are designed to stop a wide range of attacks. Only proficient warriors can manage their weight and bulk. Heavy armor doesn’t let you add your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class, but it also doesn’t penalize you if your Dexterity modifier is negative.”

Heavy. Chain Mail, Plate, Ring Mail, Splint

Making the most of leather armor in 5E D&D

According to the 5E D&D PHB the breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather stiffened by being boiled in oil while the rest of the armor is made of softer and more flexible materials. It costs 10 gold pieces and provides an Armor Class of 11 plus Dexterity modifier. It weighs 10 pounds and does not cause disadvantage on Stealth checks, which puts it a step ahead of padded armor.

There’s some monsters who wear leather armor. Bandits spring to mind as well as cult fanatics and cultists, goblins, satyrs, scouts, sprites and thugs from the Basic Rules. Leather armor appears to be the purview of woodland creatures along with low level humanoid threats. This makes sense and translates more broadly to creatures for whom modest protection without drawing attention is paramount. Staying beneath notice plays into this as well not only because of the lack of disadvantage on Stealth but also simply not drawing attention. Walking through the city to the next cult meeting with jingling chain mail or moving about the wilderness is plate armor can certainly look out of place.

In the context of 5E D&D I imagine leather armor in ubiquitous for warriors along the same lines as padded armor. At this point I’m already imagining a warrior owning several suits of armor for various purposes, especially an adventurer or any individual with wealth and status. If the padded armor gambeson is for casual times where combat isn’t expected but always a possibility then leather armor suggests combat is very much likely but not a guarantee. Why else do rogues and other sorts like it so much? Preeminent troublemakers might land themselves in a tight spot at any moment.

Cultures relying on leather armor are those for whom better armor might not necessarily be out of reach economically but practically. The best illustration of this from Game of Thrones is the Night’s Watch. The black garbed watchers on the wall perform their duty in the frozen North and remain prepared at any time to honor their oath to defend the realms of Men. Because of this the brothers of the Night’s Watch stay prepared for battle at all times. It’s far too cold on the Wall to wear chainmail or other metal armor all the time — especially when Winter is Coming.

A criminal illustrates another type of person from a subculture who might find leather armor ideal. Regardless of the specialty of crime getting caught is the antithesis of the goal. Wearing protective garb so easily concealed and relatively unnoticeable is a priority. There’s another similarity with those who wear the black as well — versatility. Whether stationed in the wilderness or slinking through the streets both scenarios call for folks to adapt quickly from one situation to the next. Staying nimble while keeping some measure of protection is key.

Like padded armor, if leather armor features prominently in a character’s background the warriors of the culture would train to make the most of speed and accuracy through Dexterity. These warriors can make better use of Stealth though but keeping in mind a variety of combat action options still makes a big difference. The Unsullied make a terrific example. They’re some of the most feared and respected warriors in the world and wear leather armor to a man. But they understand tactics and how to adapt whether this means using spear and shield or shortsword.

• Weapons with Lower Cost. Handaxe, mace, *pike, *shortsword, *trident, *war pick (*martial weapons)
  • These weapons’ cost lies between the price of padded armor and leather armor. I hadn’t thought ahead when I started this series with padded armor so when I got to this point I decided to curate each armor’s list of weapons this way. I’m curious how it’ll all pan out.
• Battle Master Builds. Duelist, Strategist
• Actions in Combat. Mark, Tumble
• Feats. Alert, Athlete, Dual Wielder, Durable, Fighting Initiate (Defense, Dueling, Interception, Superior Technique, Thrown Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting), Inspiring Leader, Martial Adept (Ambush, Bait and Switch, Brace, Commander’s Strike, Commanding Presence, Distracting Strike, Evasive Footwork, Maneuvering Attack, Menacing Attack, Parry, Pushing Attack, Rally, Riposte, Tactical Assessment), Mobile, Piercer, Tough

Who are these leather armor clad warriors? The lands they call home don’t boast much wealth but their better armor and weapons suggests at least decent economy and skilled labor. Protecting their lands and loved is a luxury they can afford to invest in unlike their padded armor neighbors.

This investment in defense is borne of necessity. I imagine this culture exists on the frontier of civilization and they hold onto their lands because their toughness and ingenuity demand so of them. They know the land just as well as the monsters who lurk beyond their borders.

An interesting result of the way I’m curating each armor’s list of weapons leaves the leather armor warriors without any appreciable ranged weapon except for the trident and the handaxe but they also have the pike, which gives them an option with reach. In combat these warriors would utilize guerilla tactics and skirmish with enemies, perhaps luring them in towards pike wielders while others use Stealth to ambush foes from either side. With their reliance on Dexterity and access to a couple of light weapons a handful of dual wielding warriors descending on opponents from concealment seals the deal.

Probably due primarily to the trident I picture this as a coastal culture. Their lands border the sea but there’s plenty of wilderness beyond the shore and these warriors know how to operate in both environments. Harpies make a terrific natural predator. These monstrosities come from coastal areas and while they might not be much of a challenge for adventurers they’re dangerous enough to make life difficult for the folk who call the lands home. Because of their presence life in the region is harsh and consequently those who live here must be equally tough people.

On a side note another creature often found in coastal environments is the manticore. When I was thinking about what sort of beasts the people from these lands might ranch and use for their leather armor I thought a manticore whose territory includes these lands would make a great addition. This evil predator would be a fantastic threat to the giant lizard ranchers who are so important to the region’s economy. (Giant lizards are also coastal beasts and all of a sudden our leather armor got a lot cooler and more distinctive, right?)

And that’s leather armor. I wasn’t sure how this series about 5E D&D armor would pan out and so far I’m very happy with the results. Playing a character whose origin lies in a culture like this sounds like a ton of fun and there’s so much to draw on. Roleplaying opportunities with other warriors, the character’s perspective on their homeland and how they’ll develop as a character both mechanically and narratively seem quite rewarding to me as a player. From a Dungeon Master perspective this sounds like a great chunk of worldbuilding too.

Next up on the list of armor is studded leather. In the meantime I’d love to see what other ideas folks come up with when it comes to leather armor. This sort of stuff flies in the face of achieving numerical superiority in 5E D&D but in my experience this is the most forgiving edition of the game. Every other armor is mechanically better but I think there’s a lot to be gained by setting aside the quest for the highest numbers on a character sheet and taking up the quest for more rich and immersive game experiences.

*Featured image — A warrior of the coast lands defends her home against harpies. This warrior’s culture makes the most of their surroundings and crafts both weapons and armor from materials found in their home region. The amazing resources at Hero Forge let me put this image together in super fast with full color. One of the cool options I came across there was the trident made from coral, which added a ton of coolness to this character. Also one of the color themes is this seafoam palette and I decided to go all in by giving her a short cape with tentacle like visuals along with blue-green skin because I like my 5E D&D very fantastical. There’s so much you can do with Hero Forge! Check it out for yourself here.

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