The single most important armor mod of all time. At least when it comes to combat & protection system overhaul. True Armor will completely change the way armor behaves in Skyrim. While it can get a bit script heavy since it analyzes all actors on the battlefield, there’s a powerful MCM menu that will let you fine tune it exactly how you see fit.
The menu features a ton of different options for you to play with. Some of them include stat regeneration logic, dynamic health limiters (to counter those damage sponge enemies if it’s bothering you) and much more.
You don’t actually have to configure how every individual type of armor in the game behaves. The mod author has been kind enough to create a couple of different presets that you can simply load up and you’re good to go.
Also, if you never modded Skyrim and would like to get started, here’s my beginner modding guide and my best skyrim mods list that should bring you up to speed.