The 15 Best Magic Armor Items In D&D (2024)

Magical armor can be some of the least flashy magic items in Fifth Edition. Nonetheless, it isn't all about exotic effects and strange abilities. For many D&D characters, armor is the difference between life and death. It makes it harder for D&D's many monsters to hit a character. If it has other abilities on top, all the better.

Dungeons & Dragons has plenty of types of mundane armor. These have their strengths and weaknesses. However, magical armor tends to outdo every kind of mundane armor. The many different types of enchantment increase D&D 5e's armor variety many times over, making some magic armors even better than others.

Updated on July 20th, 2024 by Louis Kemner: Powerful magical weapons like the Holy Avenger and Oathbow are the coolest and most fun for a D&D adventurer to pick up, magic armor is essential too, boosting a character's AC or even staving off critical hits or granting bonuses to saving throws. No party will survive to face the endgame boss without suiting up in fancy armor first. This list of the best D&D magic armor has been updated with five more entries so D&D players can figure out all the best options for what their characters will wear into battle.

15 Adamantine Armor Is A Solid Choice For Mid-Level Characters

Critical Hits Can Be Lethal Otherwise

Adamantine is one of the lowest-rarity magical armors in D&D. Nonetheless, its unique ability is very useful. Adamantine Armor turns any critical hit against its wearer into a regular attack. Enemies can deal impressive damage in D&D 5e, which becomes that much more severe with a critical hit.

A Natural 20 may seem rare in D&D. However, many enemies get multiple attacks in 5e, particularly as their Challenge Rating increases. It's not uncommon for a frontline character to take at least one critical hit in a packed fight. Adamantine Armor makes any character who regularly closes with the enemy that bit more survivable. For the most part, that want adamantine armor, since they're exposed to the most enemy attacks and thus face the greatest odds of suffering a critical hit.

14 Elven Chain Is Useful For Spellcasters

It's Armor For Classes That Don't Like Armor

Elven Chain isn't very useful for most characters who routinely wear armor, so it's redundant for fighters paladins, and even clerics. However, it isn't made for them. Instead, Elven Chain is designed to let spellcasters get some protection. It's a +1 chain shirt that can be worn by anybody, even characters without proficiency in medium armor.

This lets wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, and more wear it without compromising their spellcasting ability. With the Armor Class of a +1 chain shirt, their Dexterity bonus, and protective spells like Shield, Elven Chain can make a spellcaster much more survivable. Most of all, Elven Chain is an excellent magic item for wizards, who need all the protection they can get until they obtain fancier items like Barrier Tattoos or a Cloak of Displacement.

13 Armor Of Resistance Can Be Incredibly Useful In The Right Situation

Common Elements Like Cold, Fire, and Poison Are Recommended

D&D 5e has a wide range of damage types. Most basic attacks inflict bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing damage, such as from enemy swords, arrows, and claws. However, Dungeons & Dragons monsters have many more fantastical attacks. Dragon breath, powerful spells, elemental beings, psychic assaults, and more can deal overwhelming damage of various types.

Armor of Resistance has a simple effect. It to one single damage type. Just by wearing the armor, a character can halve the damage they receive of that type. Armor of Resistance can make a character much more sturdy if they seek out the right sort of enemy. Otherwise, common Resistances like fire are always useful to have. Spellcasters have the benefit of spells like Absorb Elements, so martial characters need the Armor of Resistance to stave off damage types like fire, poison, and psychic.

12 Demon Armor Is Cursed In A Good Way

It's Good Armor With a Bonus Attack

A cursed suit of armor might not seem like the best option available. However, Demon Armor makes up for its downsides with some pretty hefty positives. The suit of plate offers a standard +1 to AC, but it's the extra effects that make it much more interesting.

For one, the wearer of the armor can understand and speak the Abyssal language. The claws of the armor turn into magical weapons that give players +1 to attack rolls and use a damage die of 1d8. Demon Armor gives a character both in-combat prowess and out-of-combat utility. However, it makes any fight against much harder, with a series of negative effects against them.

11 Dwarven Plate Makes A Character As Tough As The Mountains

It's Durable and Limits Forced Movement

Dwarven Plate stands above many other armor types for its sheer toughness. It gives a magical +2 bonus on top of the normal Armor Class of plate armor. A character wearing a Dwarven Plate has an AC of 20 without a shield or any other bonuses.

This already makes any character much more survivable. On top of that, it has another useful benefit. A character can use their reaction to reduce any forced movement by ten feet. This is situational, but invaluable when it's necessary. Dwarven Plate can stop its wearer from falling to their death under the right circ*mstances.

10 Efreeti Chain Brings Some Powerful Elemental Enchantments

It's Great For Navigating Realms Like the Elemental Plane of Fire

Efreeti Chain comes with the best possible enchantment bonus in D&D 5e. It grants a +3 bonus to Armor Class. The natural AC of chain mail makes it as protective as magical Plate Mail. It provides a few benefits on top of sheer protection, though players should be aware the Efreeti Chain imposes a disadvantage on Stealth checks like most other chain mail suits.

Efreeti Chain lets a character speak Primordial. It also lets a character walk on lava as if it were solid ground. These benefits aren't of use in every . However, they can prove invaluable in many circ*mstances — not least of which when the party is on the Plane of Fire.

9 Dragon Scale Mail Will Help Against Draconic Foe

It Provides Elemental Resistance and Works Wonders Against Dragon Enemies

Dragon Scale Mail provides some light general benefits. On top of the natural AC of scale mail, it grants a +1 bonus. This already makes it as useful as a half plate at protecting a character. On top of that, Dragon Scale Mail grants several powerful abilities when fighting dragons. It also gives Resistance to a single damage type, based on the slain dragon's color.

When a character wears Dragon Scale Mail, they can use an action to find the nearest dragon within 30 feet. In addition, they have advantage on saving throws against the dragon's Breath Weapon and Frightful Presence. This may seem situational, but dragons are a commonplace foe in D&D, particularly as major bosses.

8 +3 Armor Is Very Simple And Very Practical

By the Numbers, This is Some of D&D's Best Armor

One of 5e's most straightforward types of magical armor is also one of its most powerful. +3 Armor's effect is in the very name. It grants an additional +3 to Armor Class on top of a piece of armor's normal bonus. This can apply to any piece of armor. +3 Studded Leather, Half Plate, or Plate Mail will protect a character better than anything else.

+3 Armor has no other abilities. It doesn't give a character any out-of-combat utility, any new tricks, or any other defenses. It simply does what armor is meant to do, but even better. A +3 bonus to Armor Class will make a significant number of attacks miss, particularly when coupled with other defensive bonuses.

7 Plate Armor Of Etherealness Grants Access To A Powerful Spell

It's Essential If the Player Needs to Move Unimpeded

Plate Armor on its own is very useful. However, Plate Armor of Etherealness combines high protection with a rare utility ability. With the Plate Armor of Etherealness, a character can use the Etherealness spell on themselves for up to ten minutes.

This transports them to the Border Ethereal Plane, with several potential uses. It turns a character invisible and makes them unable to be harmed by most foes. In addition, they can move in any direction and through any obstacles. The Plate Armor of Etherealness is good for stealth, mobility, and escape. Many D&D classes that get plate armor struggle with utility, and this item can fix that.

6 Armor Of Invulnerability Makes Mundane Foes A Breeze

Best Used In a Tough Boss Battle Where Survival Seems Unlikely

Armor of Invulnerability isn't quite as powerful as its name might suggest. However, it gives permanent Resistance to all nonmagical damage. Against mundane foes, this can double a character's survivability. This can apply to enemies from the merest minion to the mighty Tarrasque.

In addition, a character wearing the Armor of Invulnerability can give themselves Immunity to the very same attacks. They can stand in the middle of an army, a firestorm, or an explosion without being hurt at all. This ability only lasts ten minutes, but that can be enough to last through two or three fights in the right adventure.

5 Mizzium Armor Nullifies Critical Hits and Negates Damage With Successful Saving Throws

It's Good Against Cold-Based Magic, In Particular

For some time now, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering have been sharing material, and that includes new monsters, new factions, and certainly new magical items for adventurers to try out. Flavor-wise, a D&D party will find Mizzium armor if they visit the city-world of Ravnica, but the DM might put it in the Forgotten Realms or Eberron, too.

This armor is adamantine armor with a nifty bonus to push it over the top. Not only does this Izzet-made armor turn critical hits into normal hits, but it also eliminates all damage when the wearer succeeds on a STR or CON saving throw to reduce damage from a magical effect. Spells such as Cone of Cold are hard-hitting staples that halve their damage on a successful save, so this can be a lifesaver. Players should note that spells like Fireball and Lightning Bolt deal with DEX saves, and Mizzium armor won't help with that.

4 Stonebreaker's Breastplate Has a Run to Make Nifty Stone Barriers

It Makes Walls That Divide the Enemy Force

This particular suit of armor is outstanding on defense, giving its wearer the stubborn toughness of any giant while also offering a terrific rune-based effect. To start with, this armor gives the wearer resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, which will work wonders in most battles. The wearer also cannot be knocked prone.

Invoking runes are common in the Bigby Presents book, and sure enough, the stonebreaker's breastplate has a rune that may be invoked once per day. As an action, the wearer may invoke that rune to cast the Wall of Stone spell, and the caster even gets advantage on concentration saving throws for that spell. A stone wall is a nifty way to splot an enemy force in half to divide and conquer, similar to the Wall of Force spell or Wall of Ice.

3 Antimagic Armor is the Best Option When Facing Enemy Spellcasters

Users Should Be Aware That Friendly Spells Will Be Nullified, Too

Antimagic armor suits have two powerful features to offer when the wearer faces enemy spellcasting. Each one can only be used once per day, so the wearer is encouraged to use their judgment for them. The first property is that the wearer of antimagic armor may use their reaction to grant themselves advantage with the saving throw of one hostile spell. Ideally, this will be used on all-or-nothing spells like Banishment or Polymorph.

The other effect is that the wearer may cast the Antimagic Field spell without needing the physical components. This is an 8th-level Abjuration spell that thoroughly nullifies magic in a 10-foot sphere around the caster, such as suppressing any magical spells inside the area and turning magical items into mundane items with no effects. Only artifacts and deities can still apply their magical effects in that area, but typical D&D characters shouldn't usually have to worry about those.

2 Clockwork Armor Provides Protection and Turns Bad Rolls Into Decent Ones

Useful if the Player Needs to Land a Few Blows Without Doing Critical Hits

D&D players may already be familiar with the common item called the clockwork amulet. That item allows a player to forgo a d20 roll and treat the result as 10, which is useful when the player can sacrifice their chances of a critical hit in exchange for getting a high enough roll to hit their target. If players want even more of that, they can don a suit of clockwork armor.

Clockwork armor provides all the usual protection of the default armor types while also having four charges that function like the clockwork amulet, except a charge is used when a d20 is rolled. It's like a blend of the clockwork amulet and the Lucky feat. This armor will replenish 1d4 charges per dawn.

1 Armor of Safeguarding Boosts Health and Comes With a Cool Rune

It's Great For Healing, Too

Like many items in the Bigby Presents book, a suit of armor of safeguarding comes with a rune that the wearer may invoke once per day. If the party gets into multiple fights per day, then the wearer is encouraged to practice discretion when using the rune. This armor's rune will cast Beacon of Hope — a 3rd-level Abjuration spell that grants the user and their nearby allies advantage on Wisdom saving throws and even death saving throws. They will also regain max HP when healed with magic, such as Cure Wounds.

Armor of safeguarding also makes the wearer tougher by increasing their maximum hit points, by an amount equal to 10 plus their character level. That's a simple yet effective way to help the wearer survive difficult battles, and if the player gets temporary HP from various effects, then all the better.

Dungeons and Dragons

A fantasy roleplaying tabletop game designed for adventure-seekers, the original incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons was created by Gary Gygax in 1974.

Franchise

Dungeons & Dragons

Original Release Date

January 26, 1974

Publisher

Wizards of the Coast , TSR Inc.

Designer

E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson

Player Count

4-8 Players Recommended

Age Recommendation

12+

Length per Game

3 hours +

Expansions

Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition , Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition