I'm sure this has been addressed before but I can't understand the reasoning behind the Conjuration specialist bonus being an armor bonus. It reads:
Specialist Bonus: You gain a +2 armor bonus to your Armor
Class. This bonus increases by +1 for every 5 caster levels you
possess, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level.
This means that it isn't until the wizard is at 10th level before his bonus just equals the 1st level mage armor spell - and until that time it doesn't stack with it because they are both armor bonuses. So it doesn't really make sense to even have it really.
Shouldn't this be a natural armor bonus instead?
I believe it to be armor bonus precisely so it doesn't stack with mage armor. A conjurer can spend their 1st level slots on something else.
I believe it to be armor bonus precisely so it doesn't stack with mage armor. A conjurer can spend their 1st level slots on something else.
I guess what I'm saying is that up till 10th level the conjurer is better off casting mage armor - thus the specialist bonus is wasted. It doesn't make sense to give a class a *bonus* that, if used, actually makes the class weaker. Granted, they wouldn't have to spend 1st level slots on mage armor, but as the levels progress this becomes less of an issue.
I guess it just seems like less of an advantage than some of the other specialist bonuses because of this.