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I think that the the spell resistance armor special ability is too weak in relation to the cost.
Take spell resistance (19): that is a +5 bonus. It is easy to see that +4 and +5 bonus powers are supposed to be good at all levels, including high levels.
But the armor of spell resistance (19) is basically useless at the higher levels, and is not worth its money (just compare with the heavy fortification power).
Every 18th level caster (or 16th level caster with the spell penetration feat) automatically overcomes a SR 19.
Even a 14th level caster has extremely good chances (just need to throw a modest 5).
And a puny 8th level caster (or a 6th level caster with the spell penetration feat) has a 50% chance of overcoming SR 19!
So why would a high level character (say, level 17+) would ever want to invest a lot of money in such a basically useless armor power, also considering that he/she can get a heavy fortification for the same amount?
I think that the the spell resistance armor special ability is too weak in relation to the cost.
Take spell resistance (19): that is a +5 bonus. It is easy to see that +4 and +5 bonus powers are supposed to be good at all levels, including high levels.
But the armor of spell resistance (19) is basically useless at the higher levels, and is not worth its money (just compare with the heavy fortification power).Every 18th level caster (or 16th level caster with the spell penetration feat) automatically overcomes a SR 19.
Even a 14th level caster has extremely good chances (just need to throw a modest 5).
And a puny 8th level caster (or a 6th level caster with the spell penetration feat) has a 50% chance of overcoming SR 19!So why would a high level character (say, level 17+) would ever want to invest a lot of money in such a basically useless armor power, also considering that he/she can get a heavy fortification for the same amount?
You're better off just getting the party spellcaster to throw a spell resistance or save enhancing spell on you or getting it naturally through your race. So yeah, way too weak.
And you're even better off pretending SR didn't exist all together. It's not really a positive modifier. At best, it's neutral. Friendly spellcasters have to beat your SR to cast on you, just as enemies do. You can voluntarily lower your SR, but it costs a standard action every round to do it. Need a heal in battle? Better hope your cleric is feeling lucky!
And the worst part is that dispel magic and its derivatives ignore SR, so even if you go through all the trouble of getting buffs cast on you, the enemies don't have to go to any special trouble to strip them off you.
And you're even better off pretending SR didn't exist all together. It's not really a positive modifier. At best, it's neutral. Friendly spellcasters have to beat your SR to cast on you, just as enemies do. You can voluntarily lower your SR, but it costs a standard action every round to do it. Need a heal in battle? Better hope your cleric is feeling lucky!
And the worst part is that dispel magic and its derivatives ignore SR, so even if you go through all the trouble of getting buffs cast on you, the enemies don't have to go to any special trouble to strip them off you.
Ironic that on the flipside it can be a huge pain in the butt for casters not ready for it.
And you're even better off pretending SR didn't exist all together. It's not really a positive modifier. At best, it's neutral. Friendly spellcasters have to beat your SR to cast on you, just as enemies do. You can voluntarily lower your SR, but it costs a standard action every round to do it. Need a heal in battle? Better hope your cleric is feeling lucky!
And the worst part is that dispel magic and its derivatives ignore SR, so even if you go through all the trouble of getting buffs cast on you, the enemies don't have to go to any special trouble to strip them off you.
Of course that is why SR from the cleric spell is so nice. Odds are you are putting it on yourself(the cleric) thus you don't have to worry about SR checks when healing yourself.
Also, channel energy is supernatural and thus not subject to SR.
Of course that is why SR from the cleric spell is so nice. Odds are you are putting it on yourself(the cleric) thus you don't have to worry about SR checks when healing yourself.
Also, channel energy is supernatural and thus not subject to SR.
Under the right circumstances, SR can be a huge asset. Maybe not if you're exposed to many physical attacks, but as a spellcaster, you can work around that. And then the SR will often mean that you won't need healing to begin with.
And, as you said: for clerics, it's just a godsend (I mean, more than their spells usually are).
I remember one particular encounter where SR totally saved the cleric's ass. It was against a number of weaker spellcasters. Those suckers had a hard time even scratching the cleric.
'Spell Resistance' on Armor isnt something my players ever bother with, they prefer other benefits such as Fortification and such and prioritise putting their Saving Throws up as much as possible ("Cloaks Of Resistance" and the like)
That being said, a character having Spell Resistance can surprise weaker groups of lesser spellcasters but it does become more or less useless against higher level spellcasters. That being said - rolling a 1 is always a failure but then again a 5% degree of failure for an enemy spellcaster isnt worth the enhancement bonus it requires in my opinion.
But then again, there are alternatives, pumping up saving throws is always preferable to having Spell Resistance to characters that dont begin with or have Spell Resistance in the first place. Add to that abilities like 'Evasion' and/or 'Mettle' and you have some degree of security against abilities that allow a saving throw.