I've been looking through the various options for magical protection.
I'm not very good with statistics, which is what brings me to the question at hand.
There are of course, Bracers of Armor of varying strengths. you can enchant them with anything that provides a +x, but not with anything that provides a +gp. Speaking strictly of protection capability, which of the following options provide the best protection?
Bracers of Armor +8
Medium Fortification Bracers of Armor +5
Heavy Fortification Bracers of Armor +3
For who?
Depends what you fight. Most monsters have a crit of 20/x2 and no sneak attack, so protection from crits doesn't help much. Even the really strong monsters might have a 20/x3 or a 19-20/x2 attack.
On the other hand, if you're going up against a rogues guild, then protection from crits and sneak attack is highly valuable, and probably worth more than the chance to not be hit in the first place. It's very situational.