Dragon Scale Mail icon: a coat of scale mail
Icon by Lorc, CC BY 3.0

Dragon Scale Mail 5e magic item

Armor (scale mail), very rare (requires attunement) · 2024 version below

Type
Armor
Rarity
Very Rare
Attunement
Required
Price (2014)
5,001–50,000 gp (DMG value range)
Price (2024)
40,000 gp plus the base item

Dragon scale mail is made of the scales of one kind of dragon. Sometimes dragons collect their cast-off scales and gift them to humanoids. Other times, hunters carefully skin and preserve the hide of a dead dragon. In either case, dragon scale mail is highly valued.

While wearing this armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC, you have advantage on saving throws against the Frightful Presence and breath weapons of dragons, and you have resistance to one damage type that is determined by the kind of dragon that provided the scales (see the table).

Additionally, you can focus your senses as an action to magically discern the distance and direction to the closest dragon within 30 miles of you that is of the same type as the armor. This special action can't be used again until the next dawn.

DragonResistance
BlackAcid
BlueLightning
BrassFire
BronzeLightning
CopperAcid
GoldFire
GreenPoison
RedFire
SilverCold
WhiteCold

Variants

Dragon Scale Mail in the 2024 rules

The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide revised the magic items, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new text. What changed:

Same rarity and attunement; the text is reworded for the 2024 rules glossary.

Type
Armor (Scale Mail)
Rarity
Very Rare
Attunement
Required

Dragon Scale Mail is made of the scales of one kind of dragon. Sometimes dragons collect their cast-off scales and gift them. Other times, hunters carefully preserve the hide of a dead dragon. In either case, Dragon Scale Mail is highly valued.

While wearing this armor, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class, you have Advantage on saving throws against the breath weapons of Dragons, and you have Resistance to one damage type determined by the kind of dragon that provided the scales (see the accompanying table).

Additionally, you can focus your senses as a Magic action to discern the distance and direction to the closest dragon within 30 miles of yourself that is of the same type as the armor. This action can't be used again until the next dawn.

DragonResistanceDragonResistance
BlackAcidGoldFire
BlueLightningGreenPoison
BrassFireRedFire
BronzeLightningSilverCold
CopperAcidWhiteCold

Other very rare armor

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