Intelligence for AC


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


Are the Student of War and Duelist prestige classes the only way to constantly use/add intelligence to AC?

The Exchange

Kung Fu Genius
Type: General
Sources: Dragon #319, Dungeon Compendium Vol. 1

Some styles of martial arts require the student to memorize advanced medical texts and anatomical charts. These styles favor the intellectual over the introspective.

Prerequisite: Int 13, must be gained at or before the first level of the monk class is taken.
Benefit: You use your Intelligence modifier rather than Wisdom for all monk special abilities that normally rely on Wisdom.

--

Carmendine Monk
Type: General
Source: Champions of Valor

You have learned that study is just as important as insight to finding enlightenment.

Prerequisite: Int 13, member of Zealots of the Written Word monk order.
Benefit: You can use your Intelligence bonus instead of your Wisdom bonus for determining your monk AC bonus and for determining the save DC against your stunning fist and quivering palm attacks.
You can study your thesis notes for 1 hour to treat your monk level as two higher for determining one of the following monk abilities: unarmed damage, AC bonus, or unarmored speed bonus. This benefit lasts for 24 hours, at which point you can study your notes again to gain the same or a different effect. You can't study your notes more than once in any 24-hour period.

--

Deft Defense
Type: General
Source: The Deft Fighter

You use your Intelligence to enhance your dodge tactics.

Prerequisite: Intelligence Modifier of at least +1
Benefit: You now add your Intelligence Modifier to your Armor Class as a dodge bonus. This bonus is maintained under conditions that you receive your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. This stacks with other dodge bonuses, unless that other bonus specifies otherwise. You cannot use this feat while wearing any armor with an Armor Check Penalty.
Normal: Without this feat, you cannot add your Intelligence Modifier as dodge bonus to Armor Class.

--

Ptah’s Cunning
Type: General
Source: Ronin - Book One - The Book of Days

In lieu of wearing armor, you learned how to use your wits to time your moves while predicting opponents’ strikes, making their attacks miss more often.

Prerequisites: Int 13, base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: When wearing no armor, you may apply your Int modifier as a dodge bonus to your Armor Class. This improvement stacks with other dodge bonuses, but comes from your base, unaltered Intelligence score, ignoring temporary increases (such as those granted by the fox’s cunning spell). Permanent Intelligence increases, such as those gained through level advancement, do add to this benefit. Likewise temporary ability damage does not affect this feat, but permanent drain does. Any condition making you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class also makes you lose dodge bonuses.
Special: This feat does not stack with Nut’s Wisdom or the bahati (or monk’s) AC Bonus class feature.


Thanks! I'll look into ways to work it into a character of mine.


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MadMonkeyMcKnight wrote:
Thanks! I'll look into ways to work it into a character of mine.

Be aware that NONE of those are paizo rules, so you will definitely need to clear them with your DM before using them.


Bascaria wrote:
MadMonkeyMcKnight wrote:
Thanks! I'll look into ways to work it into a character of mine.
Be aware that NONE of those are paizo rules, so you will definitely need to clear them with your DM before using them.

Well, Dragon Compendium was Paizo published, but it was from the 3.5 days.


E I wrote:
Bascaria wrote:
MadMonkeyMcKnight wrote:
Thanks! I'll look into ways to work it into a character of mine.
Be aware that NONE of those are paizo rules, so you will definitely need to clear them with your DM before using them.
Well, Dragon Compendium was Paizo published, but it was from the 3.5 days.

Right. None of them are Pathfinder is probably what I should have said.

The Exchange

I would love to see this as a monk archetype actually. I love the idea (and the name) kung fu genius! Thanks for calling it back to my attention.


Can someone post a link for the Ronin book with Ptah's Cunning in it? I can't find it online anywhere... I'd love to use it for a new gestalt Akashic/Fighter-Mojh/Totemist I'm making but I need source material.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Kensai Magus gets the duelist's int to ac feature too.


What's with all the deep grave-digging all of a sudden?


2 people marked this as a favorite.

Isn't there a feat that allows you to add your INT to your AC? Or am I hallucinating again? Oh well, time to go gather the cats that are flying around the room.


DungeonmasterCal wrote:
Isn't there a feat that allows you to add your INT to your AC? Or am I hallucinating again? Oh well, time to go gather the cats that are flying around the room.

There's a feat that lets you use INT as DEX for feat requirements at least, and bring me one of those flying kitties.


HyperMissingno wrote:
DungeonmasterCal wrote:
Isn't there a feat that allows you to add your INT to your AC? Or am I hallucinating again? Oh well, time to go gather the cats that are flying around the room.
There's a feat that lets you use INT as DEX for feat requirements at least, and bring me one of those flying kitties.

Just as soon as I catch them you'll get one!


HyperMissingno wrote:
DungeonmasterCal wrote:
Isn't there a feat that allows you to add your INT to your AC? Or am I hallucinating again? Oh well, time to go gather the cats that are flying around the room.
There's a feat that lets you use INT as DEX for feat requirements at least, and bring me one of those flying kitties.

Thats pretty nifty.

Any way to replace strength for feat requirements?


johnlocke90 wrote:
HyperMissingno wrote:
DungeonmasterCal wrote:
Isn't there a feat that allows you to add your INT to your AC? Or am I hallucinating again? Oh well, time to go gather the cats that are flying around the room.
There's a feat that lets you use INT as DEX for feat requirements at least, and bring me one of those flying kitties.

Thats pretty nifty.

Any way to replace strength for feat requirements?

Thankfully there isn't. Let the poor stat have that at least.


DungeonmasterCal wrote:
HyperMissingno wrote:
DungeonmasterCal wrote:
Isn't there a feat that allows you to add your INT to your AC? Or am I hallucinating again? Oh well, time to go gather the cats that are flying around the room.
There's a feat that lets you use INT as DEX for feat requirements at least, and bring me one of those flying kitties.
Just as soon as I catch them you'll get one!

What is the name of the feat that allows INT as DEX for requirements?


MadMonkeyMcKnight wrote:
Are the Student of War and Duelist prestige classes the only way to constantly use/add intelligence to AC?

Duelist prestige class

Kensai magus archetype


Wallace Cooley wrote:
DungeonmasterCal wrote:
HyperMissingno wrote:
DungeonmasterCal wrote:
Isn't there a feat that allows you to add your INT to your AC? Or am I hallucinating again? Oh well, time to go gather the cats that are flying around the room.
There's a feat that lets you use INT as DEX for feat requirements at least, and bring me one of those flying kitties.
Just as soon as I catch them you'll get one!
What is the name of the feat that allows INT as DEX for requirements?

Artful Dodge


Kensai Magus. Gives you Int for AC, with 1 point per level.

One of my favorite classes is bladebound kensai magus. Free magic weapon. Dex and Int for AC. Works out pretty well. Throw on a mithril buckler for more AC and you're good to go.

Example Build:

Elven Bladebound Kensai

Str (10) Dex (18) Con (11) Int (17) Wis (10) Cha (10)

Lvl 1 Feat: Weapon Finesse (dex to hit)
Lvl 3 Feat: Dervish Dance (dex to damage)

Equipment:
* Rapier (lvl 1, switch to scimitar at lvl3)
* Armored Kilt (+1 AC, 0% magic failure chance)
* Mithril Buckler (+1 AC, 0% magic failure chance)

AC:
* So at lvl 1, you have AC16 (only 1 point for int and can't afford buckler yet)
* At lvl 4 you have AC20 (+4 dex +4 int +1 armor +1 shield, and assuming you have +1 on both armor and shield, plus a ring, given that your magic weapon is free, you'll actually have AC23)

So walking around with a mithril buckler and a ring on, with your hand on your scimitar, for AC23. That's not bad.

And, of course, you could always replace your armor with mage armor, if you can find a way to get it. Such as from a wand. That would push your AC, at lvl4, up to AC25.

Then at lvl 6, with a belt of +2 dex and a circlet of +2 int, you will be up to AC25 or 27, depending on whether you want to wear armor or cast mage armor.


Grumbaki wrote:

Kensai Magus. Gives you Int for AC.

One of my favorite classes is bladebound kensai magus. Free magic weapon. Dex and Int for AC. Works out pretty well. Throw on a mithril buckler for more AC and you're good to go.

Using a buckler negates Canny Defense so no more Int to AC. It also prevents the use of Spell Combat.


Gisher wrote:
Grumbaki wrote:

Kensai Magus. Gives you Int for AC.

One of my favorite classes is bladebound kensai magus. Free magic weapon. Dex and Int for AC. Works out pretty well. Throw on a mithril buckler for more AC and you're good to go.

Using a buckler negates Canny Defense so no more Int to AC. It also prevents the use of Spell Combat.

Ah, damn. Double checked it.

Quote:
When wearing light or no armor and not using a shield, a duelist adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per duelist class level as a dodge bonus to her Armor Class while wielding a melee weapon. If a duelist is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied her Dexterity bonus, she also loses this bonus.

You're right. Oh well, that's a bit less in the way of AC.


Gisher wrote:
Grumbaki wrote:

Kensai Magus. Gives you Int for AC.

One of my favorite classes is bladebound kensai magus. Free magic weapon. Dex and Int for AC. Works out pretty well. Throw on a mithril buckler for more AC and you're good to go.

Using a buckler negates Canny Defense so no more Int to AC. It also prevents the use of Spell Combat.

You can unhindering shield it.


graystone wrote:
Gisher wrote:
Grumbaki wrote:

Kensai Magus. Gives you Int for AC.

One of my favorite classes is bladebound kensai magus. Free magic weapon. Dex and Int for AC. Works out pretty well. Throw on a mithril buckler for more AC and you're good to go.

Using a buckler negates Canny Defense so no more Int to AC. It also prevents the use of Spell Combat.
You can unhindering shield it.

True. I wouldn't take it though, until lvl9. And it'd need a fighter dip.

"Prerequisite(s): Shield Focus, base attack bonus +6 or fighter level 4th, proficiency with bucklers.

Benefit(s): You still gain a buckler’s bonus to AC even if you use your shield hand for some other purpose. When you wield a buckler, your shield hand is considered free for the purposes of casting spells, wielding weapons, and using any other abilities that require you to have a free hand or interact with your shield, such as the swashbuckler’s precise strike deed or the Weapon Finesse feat.

Special: A monk with this feat is not considered to be using a shield for the purposes of his AC bonus, fast movement, or flurry of blows."

Why lvl9? Well, you need shield focus and proficiency with bucklers. That's 2 feats right there, as the kensai doesn't have proficiency. But if you dip fighter at lvl9, you get proficiency from the dip, get a bonus fear (shield focus) and at lvl9 you also get unhindering shield.

Assuming at lvl9 you also buy a +2 buckler, that means the dip and feat would give you +4 AC and saves 2 feats. Which, to be fair, could be considered well worth a 1 lvl dip.


A Knight of Arnisant Cavalier fits the bill too plus it nets you Challenge 1/day, mount and an order. And I'd pair it with Standard Bearer so I wouldn't have a level 1 mount.


Dervish Duelist archetype of the Warder class adds Int to AC as long as you are dual-wielding, wearing light armor, and not wearing a shield other than a buckler.

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