How to Correctly stack armor with equipment and spells


Rules Questions


Alright! So our group has just realized we have been doing this wrong. So now I need a little insight and clarification on these interactions.

1. It seems like to us that nothing stacks with DEX bonuses or ARMOR bonuses, the higher value is always taken ie cant wear chainmail under full plate or cant put Mage Armor (spell) on paladin (well you can but it wont do anything unless the armor falls off). We understand this correctly, yes?

2. How does other types of armor stack like deflection bonuses and natural armor. I read that things like amulet of natural armor will stack b/c it adds an "+1...+5 ENHANCEMENT bonus" which allows it to stack with other things like spells and idk Changeling racial natural armor. But what about deflection? Do 2 Ring of Protections stack or do you only apply the highest value? And then with that what about Ring of protections with spell 'Shield of Faith' or "Smite Evil" does the bonus from either of those stack with Rings or something?

3. How do I tell when something stacks or the highest value is taken? are there keywords Pathfinder uses to indicate they stack?

Thanks!

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The only bonus that stacks with itself are dodge and untyped. any other similar bonuses do not stack.

Rings are deflection, the Amulet is Natural Armor, the Shield spell is shield, and of course armor is armor.

How you tell is look at the type of bonus granted. If you have two or more that are the same but not being dodge or untyped, only the highest applies.

Sovereign Court

I'm going to make it very simple for you, only circumstance bonuses, dodge bonuses and untyped bonuses [exception if they are from the same source] stack. Everything else doesn't stack.


To be more accurate, the Amulet is an Enhancement Bonus to Natural Armor, which means it does stack with Natural Armor.

Beyond that, what LazarX said. Look at the type of bonus, if there's any overlap take the higher.


Eltacolibre wrote:
I'm going to make it very simple for you, only circumstance bonuses, dodge bonuses and untyped bonuses [exception if they are from the same source] stack. Everything else doesn't stack.

Racial bonuses stack as well.


Thanks! Eltacolibre thank you for confirming that the 'enhancement bonuses' stack.

Thanks you guys for answering so simply and quickly!

The Exchange

Spindoc wrote:

Thanks! Eltacolibre thank you for confirming that the 'enhancement bonuses' stack.

Thanks you guys for answering so simply and quickly!

But just to confuse things again... enhancement bonuses don't stack with other enhancement bonuses of the same type.

As an example:
I have an animal companion with a natural armor bonus of +3.
I put an Amulet of Natural Armor +1 on her.
- the Amulet is an enhancement bonus to natural armor, so her total natural armor is 3+1=4

If I then cast barkskin (at caster level 3), that spell gives an enhancement bonus to natural armor of +2.
- this does not stack wih the enhancement bonus from the Amulet. Only the higher is taken (+2 from barkskin).
-so her new natural armor bonus is +3 (natural) +2 (enhancement from spell) = 5

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Spindoc wrote:

Thanks! Eltacolibre thank you for confirming that the 'enhancement bonuses' stack.

Thanks you guys for answering so simply and quickly!

No... three are no such things as enhancement bonuses that add to ac. There are enhancements that add to bonuses. Your +1 Shield has a +1 enhancementto it's Shield bonus, it's the final cumulative shield bonus that's counted.

The Amulet of Natural Armor confuses things because of the way it works.

PC's have a built in Natural Armor bonus of ZERO for the most part. The amulet enhances that bonus so you have a natural armor bonus of 0+X. If a Lizardman were to gut you for dinner and take and wear your amulet it would enhance HIS normal natural armor bonus of 1 and he'd have a natural armor bonus of 1+X X being the value of the amulet.


Things that affect AC (may not be a complete list): Armor, Shield, Dexterity, Size, Dodge, Deflection, Natural Armor, Insight, Luck, Sacred/Profane.

Armor, Shield, and Natural Armor also have enhancement bonuses that modify the value before it is added to AC.

Example: +3 Breastplate has an enhancement bonus of +3 adding to it's armor bonus of 6 for a total armor bonus of 9.
If you also have Mage Armor cast upon you the Mage Armor (Armor bonus of 4) is trumped by the armor bonus of 9.

Shield bonuses work the same way.

Natural Armor is slightly different.
You have the base (usually zero) + enhancement to natural armor.
Some abilities are written to increase Natural Armor while others are written to grant a natural armor bonus (replace it). This happens prior to the enhancement bonus.

Example: If you are a Kobold you have a +1 Natural Armor bonus (base). If you then use a polymorph effect you lose that +1 Natural Armor bonus (it is replaced by the bonus gained from the polymorph effect).
Then you add on any enhancement bonus to Natural Armor (such as from the spell Barkskin) that you may have.

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