Archived thread started by Mort:
Well, the armour class stuff can get confusing. The base AC is calculated from your dex, armour and size, then you have a whole bunch of different modifiers you can add on to this. The crux is that each modifier doesn't stack with itself and only the highest modifier of each type counts. Except for dodge modifier, because hey, let's make it more complex that it really needs to be.
Here's a list of the most common modifiers:
Enhancement Bonuses: Enhancement effects make your armor better.
Deflection Bonus: Magical deflection effects ward off attacks and improve your AC.
Natural Armor: Natural armor improves your AC.
Dodge Bonuses: Some other AC bonuses represent actively avoiding blows. These bonuses are called dodge bonuses. Any situation that denies you your Dexterity bonus also denies you dodge bonuses. (Wearing armor, however, does not limit these bonuses the way it limits a Dexterity bonus to AC.) Unlike most sorts of bonuses, dodge bonuses stack with each other.
Touch Attacks: Some attacks disregard armor, including shields and natural armor. In these cases, the attacker makes a touch attack roll (either ranged or melee). When you are the target of a touch attack, your AC doesn’t include any armor bonus, shield bonus, or natural armor bonus. All other modifiers, such as your size modifier, Dexterity modifier, and deflection bonus (if any) apply normally.
See the problem I had was that I assumed that bracers of armour gave an enhancement bonus, but nope, just a bog standard pissy armour bonus on those, yes indeed.
Archived comment by Andrew:
ReplyDeleteThat's cleared up a few questions I had reguarding the rules so thanks for that. The only problem I find with having Full Plate is the time it takes to put it on. If we are ambushed while sleeping Vibius will usually have to fight without it, as is the nature of Full Plate. Is there any magic armour/items that could help with this?
Archived comment by Mort:
ReplyDeleteAlas as far as I know there is no way to speed up the donning of armour more than doing it hastily, and even then it takes four mintues, two with help, for full plate. So if we are ever jumped during night time you are, as they say, up a creek without a paddle. Of course you could always invest in a decent suit of light armour to sleep in. In true power gamer style.
I guess there might be some feat somewhere which lets you don your armour quicker...
Archived comment by me:
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's a feat for sleeping in heavy armour - I think Endurance is as far as it goes, allowing you to sleep in medium armour. If there was such a feat, I'm reasonably sure it would require Endurance as a prerequisite anyway, so would be quite expensive.
However...
The Complete Book of Eldritch Might contains Armour of Comfort, which is an enchantment that can be laid on magical armour, allowing you to wear it at all times (even sleeping) without difficulty. It has a market price equal to a +1/2 bonus.
(I should clarify that: normallyweapon and armour special features are given an equivalent + bonus as their cost. So, adding the flaming property to a +1 sword costs the equivalent of another +1 bonus, meaning the final weapon will cost as much as a +2 weapon. Naturally, under this system, you would expect the lowest possible bonus to be +1. However, the Complete Book of Eldritch Might has introduced a +1/2 bonus, which are things that are too minor to warrant a full +1 bonus. You get to choose 2 of them to use for each +1 bonus you want. Other options (for armour) are: Climbing, Hiding, Moving Silently, Poisonwarding, Poison Storing, Spellwarding, Trapwarding and Tumbling.)
The basic upshot of this is that, for a mere 3,000 gp, you could get a friendly wizard to improve your full plate to Full Plate +1 of Comfort and Spellwarding (or whatever).
Archived comment by Johannes:
ReplyDeletei guess before taking any of the feats, it is probably best to speak with the DM (i.e Stephen) and if there is still any doubt, with one of the others apart from me, seeing how much confusion the whole argument about feats, armour and sleeping in those caused so far ;)
Archived comment by me:
ReplyDeleteThe Mongoose sourcebook "Ultimate Feats" has the following feat:
Armour Vigilance
You can hastily don or remove armour.
Prerequisites: Proficient in the armour donned or removed.
Benefit: You can don, hastily don and remove armour in half the standard time.
According to that book, this feat is not available as a Fighter bonus feat; it has to be bought with your standard feat that you get every 3rd level. Which strikes me as a bit odd, and rather arbitrary, but there you go.
To be honest, I still think investing in armour of Comfort is the way to go, if the spectre of a night-time attack really bothers you.
Archived comment by Andrew:
ReplyDeleteI think you're right it would be more worthwhile buying the armour rather than using the feat since I want Vibius to be a Cavalier ASAP. I can then use one of the feats in later levels to use for Armour Vigilance if you're (Stephen) including it in this campaign.
As for being bothered, it's mostly due to the attack by those creatures a few weeks ago and we were being slapped about a bit. Also, in our current location a night-ambush by Elves would be very annoying. Not that I'm giving you ideas or anything. ;)