What is the correct way RAW or RAI, (not DM Fiat, or Homebrew), That a negative Dex modifier should be applied to armor class for Light, Medium, and Heavy Armor. I was looking at D&D Beyond and it applies the total negative Dex modifier to AC for light and medium armor, but does not apply it at all to Heavy Armor.
The rule for calculating AC in the Player's Handbook is:
Armor Class
A creature’s Armor Class represents how well the creature avoids being wounded in combat. The AC of a character is determined at character creation (see chapter 2), whereas the AC of a monster appears in its stat block.
Calculating AC. All creatures start with the same base AC calculation:
Base AC = 10 + the creature’s Dexterity modifier
A creature’s AC can then be modified by armor, magic items, spells, and more.
Furthermore, the Armor itself limits how Dexterity can be applied to calculating AC as Light Armor (+ Dex Modifier), Medium Armor (+ Dex Modifier (max 2)), and Heavy Armor (Nothing listed - I can only presume an oversight)
I can accept that the intention of the Heavy Armor is intended to be something like +Dex Modifier (max 0). My question is why would you apply a negative Dex modifier to Light and Medium Armors, but not Heavy Armor. If we use Medium armor as an example, its says the max we can add is +2. It doesn't say anything about a minimum Dex modifier to apply. That would be consistent with how other stats work.
Is this a situation that WoTC needs to errata? I am missing something?
I don't think there's any need for errata; the rules are quite clear:
When wearing Light Armor, you add your Dexterity modifier to the AC, whether it's positive or negative.
When wearing Medium Armor, you add your Dexterity modifier to the AC, up to a maximum of +2, whether it's positive or negative.
When wearing Heavy Armor, you don't incorporate your Dexterity modifier in your AC calculation at all, whether it's positive or negative.
All of these apply whether the Dexterity modifier is positive or negative, because the rules do not say otherwise. If there's no minimum listed, then there's no minimum.
The Dexterity modifier not being applied to heavy armor at all is not an oversight; it's very intentional, and it has always been that way in 5e D&D. With Heavy Armor, you're not relying on your natural agility to protect you, so it doesn't matter how much of it you have.
The Dexterity modifier not being applied to heavy armor at all is not an oversight; it's very intentional, and it has always been that way in 5e D&D.
(Except that it doesn't say that)
Also D&D Beyond applies any negative Dex modifier to AC, not just -2
I'm not sure what you mean by "it doesn't say that". It does. The AC calculations for heavy armor in the Player's Handbook do not have the dexterity modifier added to them like the others do, so you don't add it. It's pretty clear. Are you saying you believe that that's an oversight that has gone uncorrected for the last eleven years?
Applying any negative modifier to AC for light and medium armor is correct, as I said above; there is a maximum of +2, but no minimum.
I recommend just reading the rules as they are and not assuming something is missing. 5e has been around more than 10 years, it's fully vetted out. What you are missing is that it's a rule set, not a combat simulator.
The base rule, as I posted, says to add your Dex Bonus to your ac calculation. It also says that armor may modify this calculation. I can accept you dont get to add dex to Heavy Armor due to the way that light and medium is written. Nothing in any of them says you should or shouldnt have a min modifier. Given that the armor is silent on the how much dex you can subtract, then you refer to the base rule.
That is what Rules as Written means. Not the way it was in some previous version. Not the way you think it should be done.
The base rule, as I posted, says to add your Dex Bonus to your ac calculation. It also says that armor may modify this calculation. I can accept you dont get to add dex to Heavy Armor due to the way that light and medium is written. Nothing in any of them says you should or shouldnt have a min modifier. Given that the armor is silent on the how much dex you can subtract, then you refer to the base rule.
That is what Rules as Written means. Not the way it was in some previous version. Not the way you think it should be done.
The base rule you quoted is for creatures that aren't wearing armor. As you said, armor changes the base AC calculation to something else. For heavy armor, that something else doesn't include the Dexterity modifier.
And yes, the armor doesn't say whether there is or isn't a minimum modifier, so there isn't one. That's what I said.
I'm just quoting what the rules say. I never said anything about previous versions or what I think should be done.
If there isnt a minimum for one, then there isnt a minimum for any of them. If you are saying there is no limit on light, because the max is not limited, then why would there be no limit on medium that has a max of +2? You logic fails. You need to apply the same logic to all of the armors, not however you decide makes sense to you. Its either unlimited light, -2 to +2 for medium, -0 to +0 for Heavy Or -any for all, any + for light, +2 for medium, and +0 for Heavy. Without further explanation from the authors, there is no other way to interpret it.
Also the rules for ac is for characters and monsters,
Either Medium armor should be capped at -2, or Heavy armor is capped at any minimum - you cant have it both ways
If there isnt a minimum for one, then there isnt a minimum for any of them. If you are saying there is no limit on light, because the max is not limited, then why would there be no limit on medium that has a max of +2? You logic fails.
It's not my logic; it's what's written in the book. There is no minimum to the Dexterity modifier added to either Light or Medium armor's AC, because the book doesn't say there is a minimum. There is a maximum on the Dexterity modifier added to Medium armor, because the book says there is one.
Likewise, the Dexterity modifier isn't added to Heavy armor's AC at all, because the book doesn't say that it's added to Heavy armor's AC. The whole point of Heavy armor is that it isn't dependent on Dexterity in either direction. There would be very little reason to use Heavy armor if a negative Dexterity modifier affected it.
But the base rule already said it is added. If something doesnt change that, then it is still added. Effectively, as it is specifically written, there is no change from the base rules for heavy armor.
But the base rule already said it is added. If something doesnt change that, then it is still added. Effectively, as it is specifically written, there is no change from the base rules for heavy armor.
What you are referring to as a "base rule" is the way you calculate the base AC for a creature that's not wearing armor. If you are wearing armor, the armor's base AC calculation applies instead. This is stated in the Player's Handbook section on armor, which says:
Armor Class (AC). The table’s Armor Class column tells you what your base AC is when you wear a type of armor. For example, if you wear Leather Armor, your base AC is 11 plus your Dexterity modifier, whereas your AC is 16 in Chain Mail.
You'll note that it explicitly gives an example of heavy armor (chain mail) not including the Dexterity modifier.
In D&D 2014 the following text is present in the rules
“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.”
That statement is why in 2014 your interpretation of the Armor Chart would have been correct.
That statement does not exist in 2024, so technically, RAW, Heavy Armor is modified by base rule for calculating AC, there is no limit to the plus or minus.
That is RAW. Clearly not RAI, but absolutely RAW. This needs an errata.
In D&D 2014 the following text is present in the rules
“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.”
That statement is why in 2014 your interpretation of the Armor Chart would have been correct.
That statement does not exist in 2024, so technically, RAW, Heavy Armor is modified by base rule for calculating AC, there is no limit to the plus or minus.
That is RAW. Clearly not RAI, but absolutely RAW. This needs an errata.
You're correct that it does not say those exact words in the 2024 version. It does not need to, because the things that it does say lead to the same conclusion.
As I mentioned above, what you're calling "base rule for calculating AC" is actually the rule for calculating the base AC for a creature. "Base AC" is a new term in the 2024 rules. In the Rules Glossary, it says this:
Your base AC calculation is 10 plus your Dexterity modifier. If a rule gives you another base AC calculation, you choose which calculation to use; you can’t use more than one.
That last part is important. The rules for wearing armor are an example of a rule that gives you another base AC calculation. Those rules are, as I quoted above:
Armor Class (AC). The table’s Armor Class column tells you what your base AC is when you wear a type of armor. For example, if you wear Leather Armor, your base AC is 11 plus your Dexterity modifier, whereas your AC is 16 in Chain Mail.
Note again that it says base AC. This is a replacement for the general base AC calculation of 10 + your Dexterity modifier — the general rule does not apply when wearing armor, because this more specific rule applies instead.
In the table it's referring to, all the Light Armor types have an AC calculation of "X + Dex modifier", where X is some number. So, when wearing Light Armor, you take that number X and add your Dexterity modifier (positive or negative) to it; the result is your base AC. Likewise, the Medium Armor types all say "X + Dex modifier (max 2)", so you take X and add either your Dexterity modifier or 2, whichever is lower. The Heavy Armor types all just say a number, with no reference to the Dexterity modifier, so you just take that number without adding your Dexterity modifier to it, regardless of what it is.
In D&D 2014 the following text is present in the rules
“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.”
That statement is why in 2014 your interpretation of the Armor Chart would have been correct.
That statement does not exist in 2024, so technically, RAW, Heavy Armor is modified by base rule for calculating AC, there is no limit to the plus or minus.
That is RAW. Clearly not RAI, but absolutely RAW. This needs an errata.
Let's see if we can get this in one go.
First some basics before we get into Rules Quotes.
The Combat section tells you how the default way to calculate Armor Class.
Rhythm of Play tells you that "Exceptions Supersede General Rules".
The Armor section gives the method of calculating the base AC for each piece of armor. Magic versions of these sometimes modifies these further (these are exceptions superseding the general rule).
A creature’s Armor Class represents how well the creature avoids being wounded in combat. The AC of a character is determined at character creation (see chapter 2), whereas the AC of a monster appears in its stat block.
Calculating AC. All creatures start with the same base AC calculation:
Base AC = 10 + the creature’s Dexterity modifier
A creature’s AC can then be modified by armor, magic items, spells, and more.
Only One Base AC. Some spells and class features give characters a different way to calculate their AC. A character with multiple features that give different ways to calculate AC must choose which one to use; only one base calculation can be in effect for a creature.
So we establish that a Base AC of 10 + your Dexterity Modifier is your default. It is not explicit but this option is available to you even if you have other Base AC options. It is unlikely that you have a worse option though. However, a Fighter can reach a 30 Dexterity with Epic Boons after level 20 and could therefore prefer it to an AC of 10 + 10 (20) over the base Full Plate (18) option. Only One Base AC says that if you have multiple options you can choose.
Now, let's look at Rhythm of Play for exceptions supersede general rules:
Exceptions Supersede General Rules
General rules govern each part of the game. For example, the combat rules tell you that melee attacks use Strength and ranged attacks use Dexterity. That’s a general rule, and a general rule is in effect as long as something in the game doesn’t explicitly say otherwise.
The game also includes elements—class features, feats, weapon properties, spells, magic items, monster abilities, and the like—that sometimes contradict a general rule. When an exception and a general rule disagree, the exception wins. For example, if a feature says you can make melee attacks using your Charisma, you can do so, even though that statement disagrees with the general rule.
Because of this, anything that changes your Base AC calculation, by RAW, the old formula no longer applies (or is modified by the specific rule). Arguably because of Only One Base AC, if you have multiple rules for calculating your AC, you choose which one you want to use.
Armor Class (AC). The table’s Armor Class column tells you what your base AC is when you wear a type of armor. For example, if you wear Leather Armor, your base AC is 11 plus your Dexterity modifier, whereas your AC is 16 in Chain Mail.
This specific rule has now overridden the Base AC calculation and tells us that the new Base AC formula is what we see in the table.
This means for example:
Studded Leather is 12 + your Dexterity Modifier.
A Breastplate is 14 + your Dexterity Modifier (Maximum of 2).
Full Plate is 18.
Shields are +2 that can be added onto most Base AC calculations but not all.
Note: The numbers in the AC column are a new formula and not added to your Base AC from Above. Nothing says if you are wearing Studded Leather use a 12 instead of a 10. It's not 10 + 12 + Dexterity. It's just fully a new formula to replace 10 + Dexterity. The same with Full Plate, the formula just becomes Base AC = 18.
Some examples of features that give an alternative AC calculation formula:
Mage Armor
Monk Unarmored Defense (no Shields)
Barbarian Unarmored Defense
Being an Autognome
Being a Lizardfolk
Bing a Loxodon (The natural armor is completely Constitution based)
Being a Beasthide Shifter
Being a Simic Hybrid
Being a Thri-Kreen
Being a Tortle
Being a Warforged modifies your AC but doesn't give a new formula per se.
If the formula you are choose to use does not include Dexterity, it does not apply.
My Point was that silence on behalf of the Heavy armor category does not create a new formula. You can imply that, and that makes it Rules As Intended, but it doesn't make it Rules As Written. Thus, according to RAW, the silence in the Heavy Armor category relating to Dexterity results only in a modification to the base formula as it relates to your base armor class and the portion regarding adding your dexterity is unchanged.
The lack of the clarifying statement from the 2014 version effectively modifies the way that Heavy Armor Dex calculations has been done for 50+ years.
I am not proposing that everyone start using Dex modifiers + or - in their plate armor. This is clearly not the rule as it was intended. All I was doing was calling out a deficiency in the 2024 rules relating to the rules as they are written and asking that the developers errata this error.
Except you are ignoring that the armor section of the rulebook literally tells you that it's a new "Base AC" calculation. As in, the old one no longer applies, nor is it a modification to the old one. It's a replacement. Some armors explicitly tell you that DEX is part of the new calculation, others tell you it's part of it up to a maximum, and yet others do not mention DEX because it's explicitly NOT part of the calculation.
My Point was that silence on behalf of the Heavy armor category does not create a new formula. You can imply that, and that makes it Rules As Intended, but it doesn't make it Rules As Written.
Each type of armor creates a new formula. Some of them include the Dexterity modifier; some do not. That is what the rules on Armor say, as I quoted above. It's Rules As Written because it is literally what's written in the book.
The lack of the clarifying statement from the 2014 version effectively modifies the way that Heavy Armor Dex calculations has been done for 50+ years.
This still isn't true, but you seem very intent on it to the point that you're just ignoring what everyone else says about it, so I don't think there's much more to say on it.
The actual practical effect of the removal of the statement you're talking about is to allow for the possibility of heavy armor that does include the Dexterity modifier in its AC calculation. None of the existing ones in the Player's Handbook do, but it's now possible for a future book to include new options that do, without having to override that rule.
I am absolutely amazed with the lack of understanding of the difference between Rules as Written and Rules as Intended. I have never said that the developers intention was not exactly what everyone has stated.
I ran this scenario through several AI sources and everyone of them once they reviewed the applicable issues agreed that the RAW was that Heavy Armor should include Dex modifiers. One of them even went so far to comment that it was amazing that it was written this way since for over 50 years Heavy Armor has always been written to exclude Dex modifiers of any kind and that it would be interesting to see if an errata was forthcoming or if the developers intended something different.
In short, RAW is exactly as it is written in the books. Not what it was before, not what it should be, not what the developers intended. In this case, exactly as it is written, there is no modification to the dexterity rules for heavy armor.
Sorry, that literally made me laugh out loud. LLMs will tell you Genghis Khan is the current president of the US if you argue with it long enough (and tell you how you're such an intelligent person to finally uncover the truth).
Exactly how are you parsing the following and NOT coming to the conclusion everyone else is?
Armor Class (AC).The table’s Armor Class column tells you what your base AC is when you wear a type of armor. For example, if you wear Leather Armor, your base AC is 11 plus your Dexterity modifier, whereas your AC is 16 in Chain Mail.
It literally gives you an example of heavy armor not including DEX mod alongside a light armor that does.
Let me put it a different way: Let's assume the Base AC calculation (not wearing armor) did not include DEX mod. Would you use your DEX mod on those armors that had it in the calculation (like light and medium)?
What is the correct way RAW or RAI, (not DM Fiat, or Homebrew), That a negative Dex modifier should be applied to armor class for Light, Medium, and Heavy Armor. I was looking at D&D Beyond and it applies the total negative Dex modifier to AC for light and medium armor, but does not apply it at all to Heavy Armor.
The rule for calculating AC in the Player's Handbook is:
Furthermore, the Armor itself limits how Dexterity can be applied to calculating AC as Light Armor (+ Dex Modifier), Medium Armor (+ Dex Modifier (max 2)), and Heavy Armor (Nothing listed - I can only presume an oversight)
I can accept that the intention of the Heavy Armor is intended to be something like +Dex Modifier (max 0). My question is why would you apply a negative Dex modifier to Light and Medium Armors, but not Heavy Armor. If we use Medium armor as an example, its says the max we can add is +2. It doesn't say anything about a minimum Dex modifier to apply. That would be consistent with how other stats work.
Is this a situation that WoTC needs to errata? I am missing something?
I don't think there's any need for errata; the rules are quite clear:
All of these apply whether the Dexterity modifier is positive or negative, because the rules do not say otherwise. If there's no minimum listed, then there's no minimum.
The Dexterity modifier not being applied to heavy armor at all is not an oversight; it's very intentional, and it has always been that way in 5e D&D. With Heavy Armor, you're not relying on your natural agility to protect you, so it doesn't matter how much of it you have.
pronouns: he/she/they
The Dexterity modifier not being applied to heavy armor at all is not an oversight; it's very intentional, and it has always been that way in 5e D&D.
(Except that it doesn't say that)
Also D&D Beyond applies any negative Dex modifier to AC, not just -2
I'm not sure what you mean by "it doesn't say that". It does. The AC calculations for heavy armor in the Player's Handbook do not have the dexterity modifier added to them like the others do, so you don't add it. It's pretty clear. Are you saying you believe that that's an oversight that has gone uncorrected for the last eleven years?
Applying any negative modifier to AC for light and medium armor is correct, as I said above; there is a maximum of +2, but no minimum.
pronouns: he/she/they
I recommend just reading the rules as they are and not assuming something is missing. 5e has been around more than 10 years, it's fully vetted out. What you are missing is that it's a rule set, not a combat simulator.
The base rule, as I posted, says to add your Dex Bonus to your ac calculation. It also says that armor may modify this calculation. I can accept you dont get to add dex to Heavy Armor due to the way that light and medium is written. Nothing in any of them says you should or shouldnt have a min modifier. Given that the armor is silent on the how much dex you can subtract, then you refer to the base rule.
That is what Rules as Written means. Not the way it was in some previous version. Not the way you think it should be done.
The base rule you quoted is for creatures that aren't wearing armor. As you said, armor changes the base AC calculation to something else. For heavy armor, that something else doesn't include the Dexterity modifier.
And yes, the armor doesn't say whether there is or isn't a minimum modifier, so there isn't one. That's what I said.
I'm just quoting what the rules say. I never said anything about previous versions or what I think should be done.
pronouns: he/she/they
If there isnt a minimum for one, then there isnt a minimum for any of them. If you are saying there is no limit on light, because the max is not limited, then why would there be no limit on medium that has a max of +2? You logic fails. You need to apply the same logic to all of the armors, not however you decide makes sense to you. Its either unlimited light, -2 to +2 for medium, -0 to +0 for Heavy Or -any for all, any + for light, +2 for medium, and +0 for Heavy. Without further explanation from the authors, there is no other way to interpret it.
Also the rules for ac is for characters and monsters,
Either Medium armor should be capped at -2, or Heavy armor is capped at any minimum - you cant have it both ways
It's not my logic; it's what's written in the book. There is no minimum to the Dexterity modifier added to either Light or Medium armor's AC, because the book doesn't say there is a minimum. There is a maximum on the Dexterity modifier added to Medium armor, because the book says there is one.
Likewise, the Dexterity modifier isn't added to Heavy armor's AC at all, because the book doesn't say that it's added to Heavy armor's AC. The whole point of Heavy armor is that it isn't dependent on Dexterity in either direction. There would be very little reason to use Heavy armor if a negative Dexterity modifier affected it.
I have never said otherwise.
pronouns: he/she/they
But the base rule already said it is added. If something doesnt change that, then it is still added. Effectively, as it is specifically written, there is no change from the base rules for heavy armor.
What you are referring to as a "base rule" is the way you calculate the base AC for a creature that's not wearing armor. If you are wearing armor, the armor's base AC calculation applies instead. This is stated in the Player's Handbook section on armor, which says:
You'll note that it explicitly gives an example of heavy armor (chain mail) not including the Dexterity modifier.
pronouns: he/she/they
Here is my point clearer.
In D&D 2014 the following text is present in the rules
“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.”
That statement is why in 2014 your interpretation of the Armor Chart would have been correct.
That statement does not exist in 2024, so technically, RAW, Heavy Armor is modified by base rule for calculating AC, there is no limit to the plus or minus.
That is RAW. Clearly not RAI, but absolutely RAW. This needs an errata.
You're correct that it does not say those exact words in the 2024 version. It does not need to, because the things that it does say lead to the same conclusion.
As I mentioned above, what you're calling "base rule for calculating AC" is actually the rule for calculating the base AC for a creature. "Base AC" is a new term in the 2024 rules. In the Rules Glossary, it says this:
That last part is important. The rules for wearing armor are an example of a rule that gives you another base AC calculation. Those rules are, as I quoted above:
Note again that it says base AC. This is a replacement for the general base AC calculation of 10 + your Dexterity modifier — the general rule does not apply when wearing armor, because this more specific rule applies instead.
In the table it's referring to, all the Light Armor types have an AC calculation of "X + Dex modifier", where X is some number. So, when wearing Light Armor, you take that number X and add your Dexterity modifier (positive or negative) to it; the result is your base AC. Likewise, the Medium Armor types all say "X + Dex modifier (max 2)", so you take X and add either your Dexterity modifier or 2, whichever is lower. The Heavy Armor types all just say a number, with no reference to the Dexterity modifier, so you just take that number without adding your Dexterity modifier to it, regardless of what it is.
pronouns: he/she/they
Let's see if we can get this in one go.
First some basics before we get into Rules Quotes.
First the Base Armor Class:
So we establish that a Base AC of 10 + your Dexterity Modifier is your default. It is not explicit but this option is available to you even if you have other Base AC options. It is unlikely that you have a worse option though. However, a Fighter can reach a 30 Dexterity with Epic Boons after level 20 and could therefore prefer it to an AC of 10 + 10 (20) over the base Full Plate (18) option. Only One Base AC says that if you have multiple options you can choose.
Now, let's look at Rhythm of Play for exceptions supersede general rules:
Because of this, anything that changes your Base AC calculation, by RAW, the old formula no longer applies (or is modified by the specific rule). Arguably because of Only One Base AC, if you have multiple rules for calculating your AC, you choose which one you want to use.
Now we go to the Armor Section of Equipment:
This specific rule has now overridden the Base AC calculation and tells us that the new Base AC formula is what we see in the table.
This means for example:
Note: The numbers in the AC column are a new formula and not added to your Base AC from Above. Nothing says if you are wearing Studded Leather use a 12 instead of a 10. It's not 10 + 12 + Dexterity. It's just fully a new formula to replace 10 + Dexterity. The same with Full Plate, the formula just becomes Base AC = 18.
Some examples of features that give an alternative AC calculation formula:
Being a Warforged modifies your AC but doesn't give a new formula per se.
If the formula you are choose to use does not include Dexterity, it does not apply.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
My Point was that silence on behalf of the Heavy armor category does not create a new formula. You can imply that, and that makes it Rules As Intended, but it doesn't make it Rules As Written. Thus, according to RAW, the silence in the Heavy Armor category relating to Dexterity results only in a modification to the base formula as it relates to your base armor class and the portion regarding adding your dexterity is unchanged.
The lack of the clarifying statement from the 2014 version effectively modifies the way that Heavy Armor Dex calculations has been done for 50+ years.
I am not proposing that everyone start using Dex modifiers + or - in their plate armor. This is clearly not the rule as it was intended. All I was doing was calling out a deficiency in the 2024 rules relating to the rules as they are written and asking that the developers errata this error.
Except you are ignoring that the armor section of the rulebook literally tells you that it's a new "Base AC" calculation. As in, the old one no longer applies, nor is it a modification to the old one. It's a replacement. Some armors explicitly tell you that DEX is part of the new calculation, others tell you it's part of it up to a maximum, and yet others do not mention DEX because it's explicitly NOT part of the calculation.
Each type of armor creates a new formula. Some of them include the Dexterity modifier; some do not. That is what the rules on Armor say, as I quoted above. It's Rules As Written because it is literally what's written in the book.
This still isn't true, but you seem very intent on it to the point that you're just ignoring what everyone else says about it, so I don't think there's much more to say on it.
The actual practical effect of the removal of the statement you're talking about is to allow for the possibility of heavy armor that does include the Dexterity modifier in its AC calculation. None of the existing ones in the Player's Handbook do, but it's now possible for a future book to include new options that do, without having to override that rule.
pronouns: he/she/they
I am absolutely amazed with the lack of understanding of the difference between Rules as Written and Rules as Intended. I have never said that the developers intention was not exactly what everyone has stated.
I ran this scenario through several AI sources and everyone of them once they reviewed the applicable issues agreed that the RAW was that Heavy Armor should include Dex modifiers. One of them even went so far to comment that it was amazing that it was written this way since for over 50 years Heavy Armor has always been written to exclude Dex modifiers of any kind and that it would be interesting to see if an errata was forthcoming or if the developers intended something different.
In short, RAW is exactly as it is written in the books. Not what it was before, not what it should be, not what the developers intended. In this case, exactly as it is written, there is no modification to the dexterity rules for heavy armor.
Sorry, that literally made me laugh out loud. LLMs will tell you Genghis Khan is the current president of the US if you argue with it long enough (and tell you how you're such an intelligent person to finally uncover the truth).
Exactly how are you parsing the following and NOT coming to the conclusion everyone else is?
It literally gives you an example of heavy armor not including DEX mod alongside a light armor that does.
Let me put it a different way:
Let's assume the Base AC calculation (not wearing armor) did not include DEX mod. Would you use your DEX mod on those armors that had it in the calculation (like light and medium)?
Thank you , that is exactly the citation I was looking for. Something to clarify what the other section meant.