1) What is your Armor class bonus? +4 or +1
2) What is your Armor class bonus vs. Incorporeal creatures? +0 or +1
Oh that's right about Bracers of Armor, kewl. Ok what if the bracers had some other affect like Fire Resistance or Fortification?
Fire resistance is not an eligible property for Bracers of Armor (flat gp amount).
Fortification will not work unless the Bracers of Armor have a higher AC than the Chain Shirt.
Bracers of armor cannot have any armor special abilities that add a flat gp amount to their cost. Bracers of armor and ordinary armor do not stack. If a creature receives a larger armor bonus from another source, the bracers of armor cease functioning and do not grant their armor bonus or their armor special abilities. If the bracers of armor grant a larger armor bonus, the other source of armor ceases functioning.
- Gauss
Edit: Just a note, if you are going to ask questions that are easily answered by checking the magic item then please quote the rule in question and indicate you are not quite understanding it. Currently it appears like you were just being lazy about it with your second post. (I am not saying you were, I am just saying what it looked like.)
Bracers of Armor: If a creature receives a larger armor bonus from another source, the bracers of armor cease functioning and do not grant their armor bonus or their armor special abilities. If the bracers of armor grant a larger armor bonus, the other source of armor ceases functioning.
So:
- 1) +4
- 2) The Bracers of Armor +1 Ghost Touch become irrelevent due to the MW Chain Shirt giving a better armor bonus. So +0 vs. Incorporeal creatures.
On a different note, I don't see anywhere that Bracers of Armor give a AC bonus vs. ghost touch effects.
- 3) You could give Forticication to your Bracers of Armor, but again, it needs to have a better AC bonus than your regular armor.
Bracers of Armor: Bracers of armor cannot have any armor special abilities that add a flat gp amount to their cost.
If I remember, Fire Resistance is a flat cost, and cannot be added to a Bracer of Armor.
Bracers of Armor are nice to have if you can't wear armor (or want to keep your inventory light), but say for the Chainshirt example, you'd have to spend 16,000 just to get a +4 bonus to replace the Chainshirt, and then considerably more for additional bonuses. On the other hand, the Chainshirt would cost 1,250 for a +5 AC and is ultimately cheaper to enhance.
Edit: Darn, Ninja'd again.
Marthian: Bracers of Armor are a force effect. Force effects affect incorporeal creatures as if they are not incorporeal. IE: Normally.
Also: The wording of Bracers of Armor state that it depends on the larger bonus. Against incorporeal creatures the bracers are granting a larger bonus when compared to the chain shirt. Thus: Against incorporeal creatures the AC bonus is +1 from the Bracers rather than +0 from the armor.
- Gauss