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Quick Update:
So after following the discussion and the calculations laid out by kestral287 we settled on the following version of the feat:

Unarmored Agility (Combat Feat)
While others rely on armor for protection, you trust your wit, your keen senses and your natural agility to stay out of harm's way.
Benefit: While unencumbered and not benefiting from an armor or shield bonus to AC, you may add your Dexterity to AC a second time. A situation that makes you lose your Dex bonus makes you lose this bonus as well. If you already add any additional attribute modifier other than Dexterity to your AC, you instead gain a +2 Dodge bonus to AC.

I played my swashbuckler and took Unarmored Agility and Deadly Agility as starting feats. I had 18 Dex and an AC of 18 unarmored by adding Dex to AC two times. My traits were Reactionary and Charming.

We played a session with just me and the GM. On our table, all rolls in combat are made out in the open. No hidden dice rolls, no fudging, no GM "adjustments". We like it that way because we like the real possibility of actually dying in combat, even if it is just a lowly random encounter.

Anyhow, I got to experience the drawback of the feat firsthand and that is getting caught flat-footed. I headed out into the wilderness to investigate a recent increase in goblin raids against trading convoys. I came across some ruins which I wanted to investigate. Inside, three bandits with shortbows (AC 13, +3 ranged, shortbow 1d6, 3 hp each) were hiding and had prepared an ambush.

I failed a DC 15 Perception check and was ambushed. In the surprise round, all of them shot at me. Since I was flat-footed my AC was 10 and I got hit two times, leaving me with 4 hp. Then it was initiative time. I had a +6 modifier and felt pretty confident against their +2. I rolled a 14 for a total of 20 and they rolled 20 for a total of 22. So I was still flat-footed with AC 10 and dead by the time it was my turn.

Because of all the stuff that happened before it was still a fun session but I think the threat of an ambush, a low initiative roll or the possibilities at higher levels to inflict disabeling conditions that deny you your Dex bonus helps to balance the feat since you lose a lot of AC if you rely on your Dex bonus and your Dex bonus is suddenly gone.

I have never played a campaign where the characters got higher than level 7 or 8, so I am not familiar with high level PF play and with all the magic item stuff you can get as well as with all the optimizing options.

We were always struggling to aquire a few magic items. Actually the setting was more gritty fantasy than high fantasy with little magic and mean nobles and a suffering common populace. It was still fun though.

So if you can really go up to 36 Dex and a +13 bonus then indeed, a difference of 11 AC compared to +5 full plate would be to much. Then again, I think at high levels there are a ton of options available for opponents to enforce conditions on you that deny you your Dex bonus to AC. In this case you would immediatly drop back to AC 10 while the plate guy still has AC 24. So the unbalance would be mitigated in part by the risk of not getting your Dex bonus which leaves you naked.

However, I think we are getting there :-)

New try:

Unarmored Agility (Combat Feat)
While others rely on armor for protection, you trust your wit, your keen senses and your natural agility to stay out of harm's way.
Benefit: While unencumbered and not benefiting from an armor bonus to AC, you may add your Dexterity to AC a second time, up to a maximum of +5. A situation that makes you lose your Dex bonus makes you lose this bonus as well. If you already add any additional attribute modifier other than Dexterity to your AC, you instead gain a +2 Dodge bonus to AC.

In the example above that would be an AC of 28 (10 base + 13 Dex + 5 second time Dex capped). That would be three more than the guy in plate has, however at the risk of losing everything while getting caught flat-footed or affected by a negative condition.

I don't want to get more AC without drawbacks. I just want to get the same AC without armor that I could get with armor because wearing armor does not fit my character concept. The price I pay for that is expending a feat slot.

So it is not without drawbacks:

1. I have to expend a feat slot.

2. I am screwed if I get caught flat-footed. Even with a high Dex you can roll low and also there are ambushes and surprise rounds.

The only drawback of light armor is a check penalty of -2. You can even sleep in light armor without problems.

After a few sessions you should be able to afford a masterwork chain shirt which has only a -1 penalty, so that is not really a drawback anymore.

Regarding bracers of armor: That could be exploitable but what about if the suggested feat is slightly reworded?

Benefit: While unarmored and unencumbered, you may add your Dexterity bonus to your AC a second time as an armor bonus. However, any situation that makes you lose your Dex bonus makes you lose this bonus as well. If you already add any attribute other than Dexterity to your AC, you instead gain a +2 Dodge bonus to AC.

As far as I know, armor bonuses do not stack. So this way you need at least bracers of armor +5 in the example of my swashbuckler for them to start working at which point the +5 replaces your second time Dex modifier. Also you can't combine the feat with mage armor.

Better?

I don't see the problem because I could just put on a chain shirt and have the same AC.

Granted, I would take a -2 ACP to Acrobatics and Escape Artist but I also would have a flat-footed AC of 14 instead of just 10 and I don't have the option for enhancement bonuses or other special abilities that might be granted by magic armor at higher levels.

So basically you trade magical special abilities and higher AC bonuses granted my magic armor for mobility and weight, which does not really help you if you are ambushed, don't roll a high enough initiative (flat-footed) or are otherwise denied your Dex bonus.

And as kestral stated you don't get to add Dex another time if you instead add any other ability modifier to AC.

So where do you see the problem exactly? This is an honest question, I don't want to mock you or anything. Just looking for input from people with better system mastery than I have.

Because for me it does not look severely unbalanced on paper.

Just wanted to let you know, I really like the feat kestral287 posted and I will use it in my home campaign without the prerequisites for the reasons stated by him.

I will play a human swashbuckler with the following stats:
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 14

Traits:
Reactionary
Charming

Feats:
Unarmored Agility
Deadly Agility

Trained Skills (6 ranks, 4 base + 1 human +1 favored class):
Acrobatics
Bluff
Diplomacy
Perception
Escape Artist
Knowledge (nobility)

Gear:
explorer's outfit
rapier
5 x dagger
backpack, bedroll, blanket, waterskin, rope and grappling hook, flint and steel, wheatstone, signal whistle, chalk

AC 18 (+4 Dex, +4 Dex due to Unarmored Agility), Flat-Footed 10, Touch 18, better not get caught flat-footed

Attack: +5 rapier, 1d6+4 damage

Glamered armor wouldn't cut it because it still has all the properties of the armor that it disguises, like weight and armor check penalty.

I do like the version of the feat though. If you add the prerequisite of Dex 17 and Dodge you would make it less attractive for casters since they need to invest heavily into Dex and suffer a drawback on their more important stats and only Humans could take it at first level because of the need for Dodge.

Then again you could not also take Weapon Finesse at first level unless you play a Swashbuckler which would fit the theme perfectly. And even if combined with the Swashbucklers class ability that scales it would not be overpowered because it is basically like wearing a better chain shirt at higher levels but without any magic special abilities.

Human Rogues could get it at level two if they take the Combat Trick rogue talent with Weapon Finesse and Dodge taken at first level.

With Dex 18 and a Swashbuckler you would have AC 19 (+4 Dex, +4 from adding Dex again, +1 Dodge) and thanks to the Swashbuckler Finesse ability you could also use a rapier effectively. The next feat would then be Deadly Agility.

I like it :-)

Alright, then let's try to solve the problem the other way around.

I want to play a human Rogue using the Swashbuckler archetype or a Swashbuckler (class).

I am a disinherited son of a minor noble house who focused on having fun, screwing around, gambling, drinking and overall unappropriate behavior, which got my disinherited. Basically my family is through with me. I get by using my natural charm, wit and good looks together with my natural agility and my prowess with the rapier (when I was still with my family I had a good teacher).

In my mind I picture this character as a well-dressed charming dandy who fights using a rapier and acrobatic moves and dodges. Wearing any form of armor just doesn't fit the concept in my mind even though you could argue that I could just wear a chain shirt underneath a loose fitting shirt so it wouldn't really show.

However, the only reason I would do that are the game mechanics and the way AC is calculated. There is not really a role-playing reason to do it. The iconic swashbucklers (Zorro, D'Artagnan) after which I want to model my character don't wear armor. The Swashbuckler's class ability is not good enough at early levels to go without armor.

So how would you solve this issue?

I need something that provides an AC bonus while unarmored to make this concept work. It needs to be good enough at early levels to make forgoing armor a viable choice but it still needs to be balanced. Suggestions?

Is it even possible?

Thanks for all the feedback.

I really want this to work without being overpowered so what about this variant:

Unarmored Agility (Combat Feat)
While others rely on armor for protection, you trust your wit, your keen senses and your natural agility to stay out of harm's way.
Prerequisite: Dex 17,Wis 13,Dodge
Benefit:
When unarmored and unencumbered, you add your Wisdom bonus to your AC. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to AC at 4th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every four character levels thereafter, up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level.
These bonuses to AC apply against touch attacks but not when flat-footed. You lose these bonuses when you are immobilized or helpless, when you wear any armor, carry a shield other than a buckler, or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

So basically it is the monk's class feature as a feat, however slightly weaker (no CMD bonus, doesn't work while flat-footed) but it does allow a buckler. It makes it obsolete for monks or other classes that already have a similar ability and it makes it somewhat unattractive for wizards since they have to invest in Dexterity and Wisdom besides Intelligence.

So a Dex 18, Wis 14 hero would have an AC of 17 with dodge while unarmored. Of course the same hero would have 19 with dodge while wearing a chain shirt but he would also suffer the -2 armor check penalty on Acrobatics, Stealth and such.

Better?

Thanks for the feedback.

I see the point with the Wizard, however, you are restricted to a human character in order to pick it up right away, since you get two feats.

I wanted the requirements to be fairly low so people can realize their character concept early in the game but maybe +4 is a little to much. The D&D feat I mentioned gave +2 but this was not a dodge bonus so it was always active (there was no such thing as flat-footed in D&D 4).

So maybe if it was toned down a bit like this:

Unarmored Agility (Combat Feat)
While others rely on armor for protection, you trust your wit, your keen senses and your natural agility to stay out of harm's way.
Prerequisite: Dex 17, Int or Wis 13, Dodge
Benefit: While you wear no armor you get a +2 dodge bonus to your AC. This bonus stacks with other dodge bonuses. If you are denied your Dex bonus to AC you also lose your dodge bonuses.

This way you need to invest heavily into Dex, making it less attractive for casters who also need other high stats, you would have to play a human to get it right away and if combined with other AC improving abilities it is not as powerful. As for the casters, they still need to expend spells to get Mage Armor and Shield which are limited to a few times a day at low levels.

Hi all,

I know there are a few ways already to improve a character's AC while not wearing armor, but usually these are very specific and tied to certain classes.

I wanted something that anybody could get if the player does want to play an unarmored character because it fits the concept.

I borrowed the idea from 4th Edition D&D. A feat called Unarmored Agility.

Unarmored Agility (Combat Feat)
While others rely on armor for protection, you trust your wit, your keen senses and your natural agility to stay out of harm's way.
Prerequisite: Dex 17, Int or Wis 13, Dodge
Benefit: While you wear no armor you get a +2 dodge bonus to your AC. This bonus stacks with other dodge bonuses. If you are denied your Dex bonus to AC you also lose your dodge bonuses.

What do you think? Unnecessary? Overpowered?

Note: Edited after feedback.

My thoughts:
This feat can be pretty powerful since it stacks with other dodge bonuses, so for example with Dodge and Mobility you get +7 AC vs. Attacks of Opportunity while moving. Since you need Dodge also you get +3 AC while stationary (in addition to your normal Dex bonus).

However, the big tradeoff is that you can't wear any armor in order to use it, not even light armor. All other feats or abilities that let you improve your AC usually allow the use of light armor. Also, you don't want to get caught flat-footed ever, since then your effective AC would be 10 (unless you have some additional defensive items).

Then again, since you don't need armor you have other advantages: You can carry more stuff before becoming encumbered, you don't suffer any armor check penalties and from a role-playing point of view you might come across as harmless and people might underestimate you.

It is the perfect feat for swashbuckling archetypes or characters, but also for Wizards and such.

Since I don't know Pathfinder in and out I don't know if something similar already exists, so a heads up in that regard would be appreciated.

Hi everybody,

I whipped up some quick tables to use the Beginner Box content for random dungeon delves that can be played solo or cooperative without a GM.

If anybody is interested, here is the link:

http://www.4shared.com/office/ay7Tnp4q/Beginner_Box_Dungeon_Delve.html