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First - this book is great and I already have a person playing a Magus in my campaign and is loving it. We had a question regarding Spell requirements. It says the magus must have a Wisdom score equal to 10 plus spell level in order to learn or cast a spell. Yet bonus spells and DC's are charisma dependent. Do people think this split of abilities is intentional or a typo? I'm trying to reconcile.
On the feat side, I'm wondering if people believe the Web of Steel feat is overpowered or not. It gives an armor bonus equal to 1/2 character level +2 while wielding the weapon with weapon focus feat. Yes, it requires three feats to get, does not operate if flat footed or any reason you would lose a dodge bonus and does not stack with other armor bonuses. Yet, by 20th level, this is an armor bonus of 12. I assume this would work with Unarmed Attacks as the melee weapon since these are considered light weapons as well. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Can't wait to try the other classes!
Hiya! I'm the author. Maybe I can help?
The split ability scores is intentional. A magus gets a LOT of benefits, and if they end up being bale to focus all their money and resources boosting a single spellcasting stat, they can get out of hand. Also, most end up with both divine and arcane spells. Requiring two ability scores to maintain all that mystic power seemed a good balancing mechanism in playtest, and the in-world logic of it fits my vision of how magic should work as well.
As for Web of Steel, +12 does sound like a lot, but that's for a 20th level character. By then the cost of +5 mithral breastplate (+11 armor) is trivial for most characters. And Web of Steel won't let you stack on nifty armor enhancement bonuses in place of some of your AC bonus. And, of course, you can't use a disarm attack to remove a character's suit of armor, but it's a great tactic against a Web of Steel character. Again, in playtests Web of Steel is fairly popular (as are Power Attack and Weapon Focus, for example), but has never been unbalancing.
When you consider it for lower level characters (8th level = 6 armor bonus, even 12th level equals only 8 armor bonus) it's easier to see how it compares to typical options at those levels.
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Thanks for getting back to me! So glad it is the source!
Not a problem!
The monk idea should work with the temple sword. He is restricted to using a temple sword though, since he can't have his unarmed attack 'in hand,' as required by the feat. Yes, it means at 20th level, the monk *may* have more AC. If he doesn't hit any of the long list of conditions. A monk spending a slew of feats to get AC benefits with a sword is fine by me, and the monk's AC is not going to break the game. (Heck, it may even give monks a good reason to carry monk weapons, for a Web of Steel fighting style).
The bard's idea won't work, for the same reason you can't wear bracers of armor +8, and then a +5 suit of padded leather, for a +13 AC bonus. It's not just armor bonuses that don't stack, different armors don't stack. Thus, look to the bracers of armor lines "If the creature receives a larger armor bonus from another source, the bracers of armor cease functioning and do not grant their armor bonus or their special abilities. If the bracers of armor grant a larger armor bonus, the other source of armor ceases functioning."
Which is why Web of Steel says it does not stack with other sources of armor, rather than saying it does not stack with other armor *bonuses.* You only get the benefits of whatever gives you the largest armor bonus. You get no benefit from other properties of other armor.
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I smell a potential enemy wizard tactic on armored characters in mid levels!
It'll only work on people in padded, leather and studded leather, and it has both a touch requirement and a Will save, but yeah, I suspect that's why harmless spells specify they are *usually* beneficial, but allow a save if the target wishes.
?????
People are getting their types and stackings confused.
+anything armor has an enhancement bonus, but that bonus increases the overall armor bonus. +5 leather is an armor bonus of six. Mage armor is an armor bonus of 4. Casting Mage armor on someone in +5 leather will do nothing. Yes, I know it seems confusing, but it makes perfect sense. It's an enhancement bonus, thus it enhances an exuding bonus, does not stack with itself or with other bonus' like the one it's enhancing.
And before anyone ask, no I will not provide a link. I'm on these forums via my phone with no simple way to make links. Seriously, this stuff is in the SRD. There's at least two of them out there and these forums. If you need to see all that written out official-like I'm sure you can find it. Google is after all your friend.
Just posted on another thread...
I've seen a lot of discussions missing that enhancement bonuses to armor actually increase the Armor bonus (and thus don't stack with other Armor bonuses).
This is in the Combat section, specifically, "Enhancement Bonuses: Enhancement bonuses apply to your armor to increase the armor bonus it provides." This is the reference Hexcaliber mentions.
A +5 chain shirt does not have a +4 Armor bonus and a +5 Enhancement bonus. It has a +9 Armor bonus.
Cross post from the other thread...
Enhancement bonuses basically become the bonus type of whatever they enhance. That section in Magic Armor makes sure folks know that the Armor bonuses just increase. This is the same for, say, an Amulet of Natural Armor--the bonus it provides is an Enhancement bonus to your Natural Armor bonus. An Enhancement bonus to the same stat won't stack, so you can't have two Enhancement bonuses to your Armor. This is the reason a character can have multiple Enhancement bonuses--so long as they modify separate bonuses they all apply. If the bonuses stayed as they type Enhancement for armor class, then the Enhancement bonus from a +1 chain shirt and the Enhancement bonus from a +1 amulet of natural armor wouldn't stack to increase the character's AC. I think considering it this way might help folks understand how those Enhancement bonuses interact.