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I got a player that is playing a Monk/Fighter 2/4. At his level he gets the armor training ability. Currently I am having a hard time on weather or not to allow him the armor training ability without using armor.
I am thinking on saying that he would not be able to use this ability without using armor, since I think the intent on the bonus is the fighter adjusting his body so that the hit strikes a better armored location.
But a little voice in the back of my head is saying to allow it strictly for the argument of the martial training of the monk to entangle/trap/deflect blows with his loose fitting clothing.
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Fighter MUST be wearing armor to get the armor training bonus...bracers/gauntlets/helms don't count.
Now, I WOULD allow a fighter/monk to use light shields, since Shaolin monks use light shields...
Now, if you allow the monk/fighter to use the studded leather bracers/heavy belt, that might be acceptable...give them +1 AC bonus
like these
I like bringing Real life monk stuff into D&D for monks.
I'd allow him to swap "Armor Training" for "Unarmored Training". Why not?
Oh so Hogarth you mean like continue progressing in the monk unarmored training? (which now loses it's luster compared to Fighters...)
I'd just switch it to give a +1 (or higher) dodge bonus when unarmored instead of a +1 (or higher) armor bonus when armored. It's a simple enough change, IMO.
The fighter's Armor Training class ability specifically states "Whenever [the fighter] is wearing armor..."
That's pretty black and white, there is no room for ambiguity or uncertainty.
The question then becomes, do we play by RAW and give the monk no bonus, or do we alter the RAW and change the fighter.
I think if I changed the fighter, I would not say he's catching the weapons in his robes so much as I would just make Armor Training become Dodge Training and give the same bonus as a doge bonus (dodge always stacks with other dodge bonuses too).
This has the interesting effect of counting in touch AC but not counting in flatfooted AC (if it is an Armor bonus, then the opposite is true) so it seems more in line with monks leaping out of the way of attacks.
With the added benefit that he doesn't need to carry around a backpack full of spare robes, or a backpack full of needles and thread. Catching all those sharp weapons in the robes would have to be hard on the wardrobe...
Seems I got ninja'd, or monk'd, while I was typing this. Dang meetings...
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Well the little voice was awful faint to begin with. I really was not to keen on him getting the bonus without wearing any armor.
Now another item popped into my head, if he were to acquire a AC or Natural AC through a class ability or magic item would he be eligible for the bonus?
Natural AC would be iffy, but would bracers of armor or similar count?
Edit: just read the entry for the bracers again it seemed to me that he could get the bonus.
Well the little voice was awful faint to begin with. I really was not to keen on him getting the bonus without wearing any armor.
Now another item popped into my head, if he were to acquire a AC or Natural AC through a class ability or magic item would he be eligible for the bonus?
Natural AC would be iffy, but would bracers of armor or similar count?
Edit: just read the entry for the bracers again it seemed to me that he could get the bonus.
I am not sure whether I'd say yes or no to a player, but somehow armor training don't seem apropriate for Bracers of Armor.
Considering the wording of Armor Training, the characters isn't actually wearing armor, he just gets an armor bonus.And since BoA is a force field, I can't see how you get extra juice out of it by training. A normal armor depends a lot more on how trained you are in wearing it.
I would prefer the dodge bonus instead of the additional armor bonus, it seems more in line with the monkish style.
I'd agree that RAW would not allow the monk/fighter to benefit from Armor Training without wearing actual armor, which of course would have a severe effect on his monk abilities.
If you wish to add something to allow the monk to gain a benefit, I'd suggest creating an "Alternative Class Feature" to replace the Armor Training. Something along the lines of him being able to add a cumulative +1 to his monk AC bonus each time he would gain Armor Training.
This balances well, for in essence it keeps the monk fighter at the same level as a straight monk as far as the monk AC bonus is concerned (and actually makes it slightly better.) Monks get a +1 to AC starting at 4th lvl and every 4 levels thereafter. Fighters get Armor training at 3rd lvl and every 4 levels thereafter. Thus, using such an progression actually gives the fighter/monk a +1 one level earlier than the straight monk.
Although regular armor training would be slightly better since it applies not only to the armor bonus but to the max dex AC and armor check penalty, this can be countered by the monk's AC bonus applying to touch attacks. So it seems to be a pretty even trade off.
(This could be implemented a bit different as well, making it a regular class feature of Armor Training. Say, when a fighter gets Armor Training at first, he can choose to take the normal armor training, or acquire Unarmored training--or something with a better name--such that he gets the monks AC bonus, including adding his Wisdom to AC, at 3rd level, then increasing by +1 every 4 levels thereafter. This would allow the possibility of unarmored fighters, which wouldn't be a bad thing I think.)
Thus, that would be a fair ACF as far as getting something similar to what you'd be giving up, and progressing at a similiar rate.
You could make Armor Mastery work different too if he ever got that far...allow it to let him wear non-metal light armor but still be considered to not be wearing armor. (If light metal is allowed you'll end up with a mithral breastplate wearing monk, which would be a bit ridiculous.)