Skipping all of the 1e/ADnD talk, (let the dinosaurs talk...) I think asking "why doesn't putting on a helmet give me more AC" and all of those "logical" real world questions in 5e (I'm not talking older editions or other systems) is like asking for real life physics in action/ marvel films. It won't happen and it's not made for that. DnD 5e rules are not a simulation they're more of a mix between power fantasy, escapism and gameification. So they won't go with the "logical" reasoning if that would be less fun.
5th ed in general threw any nod to realism out the window compared to past editions. Its utterly about how they want the mechanics to be, and not what makes sense.
Hence you now can have 30ft tall storm giants roll "stealth" then waltz through town in broad daylight and literally no one can see them because they are "stealth". Wotc has no interest in tabletops, its just videogamified now.
Skipping all of the 1e/ADnD talk, (let the dinosaurs talk...) I think asking "why doesn't putting on a helmet give me more AC" and all of those "logical" real world questions in 5e (I'm not talking older editions or other systems) is like asking for real life physics in action/ marvel films. It won't happen and it's not made for that. DnD 5e rules are not a simulation they're more of a mix between power fantasy, escapism and gameification. So they won't go with the "logical" reasoning if that would be less fun.
It's more that D&D combat is (and always has been) extremely abstract. Hit Points, Armor Class: These don't really map to anything coherent. They're both "how hard are you to kill", and if you try to organize the scenarios that they get used into a logical framework, it falls apart instantly. Hit locations and called shots don't work because what it means to hit and damage somebody is ill-defined. Armor parts adding to defense don't for similar reasons.
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Skipping all of the 1e/ADnD talk, (let the dinosaurs talk...) I think asking "why doesn't putting on a helmet give me more AC" and all of those "logical" real world questions in 5e (I'm not talking older editions or other systems) is like asking for real life physics in action/ marvel films. It won't happen and it's not made for that. DnD 5e rules are not a simulation they're more of a mix between power fantasy, escapism and gameification. So they won't go with the "logical" reasoning if that would be less fun.
5th ed in general threw any nod to realism out the window compared to past editions. Its utterly about how they want the mechanics to be, and not what makes sense.
Hence you now can have 30ft tall storm giants roll "stealth" then waltz through town in broad daylight and literally no one can see them because they are "stealth". Wotc has no interest in tabletops, its just videogamified now.
It's more that D&D combat is (and always has been) extremely abstract. Hit Points, Armor Class: These don't really map to anything coherent. They're both "how hard are you to kill", and if you try to organize the scenarios that they get used into a logical framework, it falls apart instantly. Hit locations and called shots don't work because what it means to hit and damage somebody is ill-defined. Armor parts adding to defense don't for similar reasons.