Quick Enhancement Bonus to AC question

[Oddman80]

I thought I knew how this worked - but having just read the PRD, I am not so sure. I thought that if you wore a +5 piece of armor, and held a +5 shield, the two sets of enhancement bonuses did not stack with each other (since they were enhancement bonuses to AC). So the combination would still only increase your AC by +5 beyond what mundane versions of the combo would yield

However the PRD says:

Quote:

Magic Armor bonuses are enhancement bonuses, never rise above +5, and stack with regular armor bonuses (and with shield and magic shield enhancement bonuses).

This would indicate that the +5 Armor's Enhancement bonus stacks with the +5 Shield's "magic shield enhancement bonus", and that the combination would increase your AC by +10 beyond what mundane versions of the combo would yield.

Had I been doing it wrong this whole time? or am i missing something really simple?

[Nefreet]

You are correct in that multiple enhancement bonuses do not stack. Only Dodge, Racial, and most Circumstance bonuses stack.

However, one is an enhancement to your Armor bonus, and the other is an enhancement to your Shield bonus. And Armor and Shield bonuses stack.

[Jeraa]

An enhancement bonus does not apply to your AC. It applies to the armor or shield itself. +5 full plate does not add a +9 armor bonus and a +5 enhancement bonus to your AC, it adds a +14 armor bonus to your AC.

Likewise, a +1 heavy shield applies a +3 shield bonus to your AC, not a +2 shield bonus and a +1 enhancement bonus.

[Oddman80]

I'm so embarrassed that I've had it Wong for so long... Maybe I can attribute it to never playing a sword & board character myself... Though that was at least partially because I didn't see the value in going that route given the (seemingly) meager AC bonus it yielded

[Chess Pwn]

it's like an enhancement to str and an enhancement to dex. Both are enhancement bonuses but they are enhancing different things.

[Master of Shadows]

Oddman80 wrote:

I'm so embarrassed that I've had it Wong for so long... Maybe I can attribute it to never playing a sword & board character myself... Though that was at least partially because I didn't see the value in going that route given the (seemingly) meager AC bonus it yielded

It's OK Oddman, don't feel too embarrassed it was a reasonable assumption considering that the very same logic should be applied to ranged weapons and their ammunition, and yet those bonuses explicitly do not stack(a fact that has changed since the days of 3.5).