Here's a helpful (unofficial) guide for magical item costs: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XAiXpOfz9cMWt1RTBicmpmUDg/view

According to the guide, a Cloak of Protection is 3500 gp.

Quote from Roll4Crit >>

I know this is a stupid comment, but i genuinely can't find the +2 version of this nor a way to change it in my character sheet. Do I need to create a custom item to do this? And no, I really don't know where else to ask.

 

 
There is no +2 version of the cloak. But when you have the cloak in your inventory, clicking on it should show a box labelled Costumize in which you can override certain aspects. 

<3

I can see requiring attunement for a cloak of protection. It requires extra practice and experience with a cloak to fight in one. I say this not as a SCA veteran or a real life combatant or anything, (though I think they'd probably agree with me) but I have had experience in stage combat and stuntwork.

A cloak, unless you're used to it, gets in the way. People think of them as just another piece of clothing, but it's easy in a fight to get tangled in your cloak if you're not used to wearing one  when you're fighting. If you watch swashbuckling movie, you'll see people with cloaks often take them off before the fight starts, to keep them out of the way. Shorter cloaks are less potentially restrictive, but a knee to floor length cloak can throw you off as you're trying to draw a sword or pull any weapon off your belt, and unless you've cut a hole or otherwise made preparations, say goodbye to trying to pull something out that may be strapped across your back.

Of course, you can make preparations, practice with the cloak, learn its weight and feel and how much it swirls about you, spar in it to get used to how it moves when you throw spells or swing weapons or what have you... But that's what I think of attunement as in the first place. Getting used to something new and incorporating it into your own style.

One of my favorite items to give monks.

Quote from Dlucente >>

I hate magic that requires attunement. Why does something like a Cloak of Protection require attunement?

I view attunement as the magic item needing an I/O interface with your body such as an input by increasing an attribute or if a magic item does something based on an output like the body going unconscious to trigger an effect.

So if the cloak raised your dexterity by 2 to increase your DEX Bonus, I’d be fine with it, but it doesn’t. It just limits you by using one of the 3 attunement slots. So I call BS.

It (and the ring) directly improve YOUR defenses and abilities. It's not some impenetrable cloak. It's boosting all of your defensive capabilities. You drink something you shouldn't, it helps you resist the effects. A dragon breathes fire at you, it helps you react in time to get out of the way. Vines lash out and attempt to bind you, it gives you the strength to break free. Someone shoots an arrow at your face, it helps you react in time to protect yourself or just straight up erects a forcefield that slightly redirects attacks.

It requires attunement because it's imparting a magical effect onto YOU. Without attuning to it, it's just a nice cloak. If you want to make an armored cloak, go for it, but that would absolutely require some bizarre proficiency if you ask me. If wearing some leather armor or strapping a shield to yourself can impart disadvantage on all checks, saves, and STR/DEX attacks and prevents the casting of spells without proficiency, I can't imagine how you would justify getting as much protection as leather armor with a cloak that doesn't count as armor, unless you say the wearer has trained extensively to actively block incoming attacks... And even then, no +1 to saves...

Quote from Tal >>

Why is this an uncommon item? Based on other magic items and their rarity, it seems like it should be rare:

• The Ring of Protection is mechanically identical, and is rare. The only potential advantage of the ring over the cloak is that a character can wear multiple rings but not multiple cloaks.
• Armor, +1 does less than the Cloak of Protection, giving only the +1 to AC. It is also rare.

Notably, Shield, +1, which also gives +1 to AC, is uncommon.

A +1 bonus to AC seems more powerful than a +1 bonus to attack (all +1 weapons are uncommon), and also having a +1 to saving throws makes an item like the Cloak of Protection even more powerful. I would house-rule this to be a rare item, and I might consider also making +1 shields rare.

The ring is rarer because--like you said--you can wear other rings with the ring, and it's much less obvious. You can wear a ring basically anywhere without arousing suspicion. While going to an event where weapons and the like are not allowed, it would be far more likely that they ask you to remove your cloak than a ring, and if that's a risk, pop it in your mouth or something. I think the big one, though, is that you can wear all of the magic rings you could possibly need without issue... You probably need to pick one cloak, though... And there are a lot of cool cloaks...

Armor +1 does not require attunement. Neither does the shield, true, but now we're back to the slot issue. A shield takes up a hand. Bow? Crossbow (loading)? Two handed weapon? Free hand for spells with somatic but no material components if you're holding a focus? Versatile damage? Dual wielding? Interacting with objects while holding something? Nope. Can't do it with a shield. The shield proficiency is also (a bit) less common than armor. Meanwhile, finding the armor you would normally use with a +1 enchantment is literally just a free bonus to your AC.

Quote from Roll4Crit >>

I know this is a stupid comment, but I genuinely can't find the +2 version of this nor a way to change it in my character sheet. Do I need to create a custom item to do this? And no, I really don't know where else to ask.

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

 It just doesn't exist even if it should

Very simple, very effective, very affordable. Useful to any build. S-tier item.

cool

Yeah it make no sense for this to be uncommon.  Definitely a rare item.

does a cloak count as Armor for unarmoured defence

Lol

1200 gold (cost)

Quote from plushy10 >>

does a cloak count as Armor for unarmoured defence

No, this is a Wondrous Item, Armor is a separate magic item category.

great as an add on if you really want a lot of ac and acts as a cape so it looks cool

I approach Attunement the same way... only items of great power / require mental connection require Attunement in my world