I'm playing a character in the Pathfinder Society organized campaign who, for various reasons, is restricted to light armor. I've been going through all my books trying to map out a strategy for improving his armor class via armor, items, and improvements to Dexterity, and am getting a bit bewildered.
Mithral medium armor (taking it to light for my purposes), masterwork, magic armors with enhancement bonuses, rings of protection with deflection bonuses, amulets of natural armor with enhancement bonuses to natural AC, capes of bravado with insight bonuses, ioun stones with insight bonuses, the various means (belts and manuals) of increasing Dexterity, the COSTS of all these things...
I'm trying to figure out the most economical way to increase AC as quickly as possible and am, as my subject line implies, wondering if anybody has already posted any work analyzing all the options.
Right now he's a ranger 1/bard 1 with a Dexterity of 14 wearing masterwork lamellar leather armor, yielding an AC of 16 (+4 armor bonus, +2 Dex bonus) and is enduring a -1 armor check penalty (I'm trying to keep that as close to zero as possible since he's such a skills-dependent character).
I have 1065 gp 3 sp to spend before my next adventure (and can sell my masterwork lamellar leather to net an additional 105 gp). I was considering a mithral chain shirt at 1100 gp but that will only net me some weight savings and, yes, take my armor check penalty to zero. It won't add to AC, and will leave me broke besides (and there are a couple of other things I need to purchase: a spell component pouch, for instance, and I'd like to get masterwork thieves' tools as he has Disable Device as a class skill from a trait).
Would it be smartest to pay a thousand gold to have my current armor enchanted with a +1 enhancement bonus? I have to be thinking about going forward, so that's money I won't have to put towards, say, a mithral agile breastplate. Or should I instead be saving for a ring of protection +1?
(Complicating all this further are the organized campaign rules limiting how much money can be spent on individual items. Silas is at 6 fame right now, and while I admit I'm not fully confident that I understand these particular rules, I believe that might mean he can't buy anything not on the "Always Available For Purchase" list that costs more than 500 gold. Note that +1 armor, most mundane equipment, and most special materials are "always available.")
Cheers,
Christopher
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while I have never seem someone write up a "how to crack out your AC guides" keep in mind that a LOT of pathfinder is give and take.
For example.. the capes of bravado are a good way to go.. but you are giving up cloak of resistance.. and not many items outside of the shoulders shot give resistance bonus (and those that do cost a stupid amount of gold)
As a Bard/Ranger your best bet is to go with the Mithral medium armor, Ring of Pro, and Amulet of natural armor.
cape of bravado is slotless. You use it like a matador.
Thank you, Nunspa.
So for right now would you recommend I just stick with the masterwork lamellar leather and start saving my money for the mithral medium armor (which costs 4000 gp + cost of armor)?
The +1 versions of Rings of Protection and Amulets of Natural Armor each cost 2000 gp. Normally, I'd be able to afford those before the armor. But with the way item purchases are regulated in Society play, I can't purchase them before I've accumulate 13 fame points. Practically speaking, with a GM credit Chronicle I have that I can apply after Silas's sixth adventure/experience point, that means he'll be third level before he can purchase those magic items (as long as he keeps hitting his faction missions, anyway, which isn't guaranteed).
No telling how much money he'll earn/find in his next three adventures, so it's a tossup which of the three things you recommend he'll be able to afford/be legally able to buy first.
Right now I'm leaning towards just keeping his armor as is and saving up money.
Don't forget, mithral medium armor still requires medium armor proficiency...
Right! Luckily he's got that as a ranger/bard.
I think for right now I'm going to sell the masterwork lamellar leather and buy darkleaf cloth lamellar leather in its place, which gets me essentially the same numbers as a mithral chainshirt. Not bumping my AC any, but it keeps me at a zero armor check penalty and there's enough of a savings there for me to be able to afford masterwork thieves' tools right now.
Then I'll start saving up coin for a mithral agile breastplate (which I'll eventually have enchanted with enhancement bonuses), a Ring of Protection +1, and an Amulet of Natural Armor +1.
Yeah, AC improvement does tend to be slow in PFS, because you have to keep saving up for things. Honestly, I'd save your money for now and not buy anything. No point wasting money on a minor upgrade to something you're already planning to replace when you can afford the mithral breastplate.
Thanks for the advice, Fromper. I won't get to play again until Jan. 15th, so I have time to think about this. Right now I like the idea of Silas having "masterwork darkleaf cloth lamellar leather armor" just because the name is goofily cool.
But yeah, the only thing his 810 gp would be getting him over the "normal" masterwork lamellar leather armor he's already wearing is a 12.5 pound weight savings and a reduction in his armor penalty check from -1 to 0.
I suppose I could also take his 1050 gp, not buy masterwork thieves' tools (buy the normal ones at 30 gp), and spend the 1000 on a Cloak of Protection +1, which Silas has available to him from surviving "The Citadel of Flame."
Man, I should have paid more attention during microeconomics class. Seems like there was a chapter on resource management. ;)
Have you got your wand of shield yet? What about shield of faith or prot evil? Spells are a great way to get ac up in a hurry.
You can carry a shield.
Have you got your wand of shield yet? What about shield of faith or prot evil? Spells are a great way to get ac up in a hurry.
They are, and I hadn't considered them as options. None of those spells are on either the bard or the ranger spell list, however. Are you suggesting he spend the gold (well, I'd use prestige points for such a wand, probably) and then depend on Use Magic Device? I hadn't had Silas train in it since he already has access to so much magic (both divine and arcane) from his two classes. Hmmm...
Something else to think about. I'm using up most of his skill slots to meet the minimums of the Pathfinder Delver prestige class as soon as possible (7th level, looks like), and putting even a single point into Use Magic Device might delay that.
And I've never actually had a character who used that skill. The DC 20 to make a wand work always scared me off. You can't take 10 with it, so it seems like I'd be in a lot of situations where I'd be saying "Hang on guys, we'll bust down the door and go after the orcs in Just a sec, I just want to poke myself with this magic stick first. Eh, didn't work, let me try again. One more time. One more time..." with that 5% chance every time that I'd be turning it off for 24 hours.
Yeah, AC improvement does tend to be slow in PFS, because you have to keep saving up for things. Honestly, I'd save your money for now and not buy anything. No point wasting money on a minor upgrade to something you're already planning to replace when you can afford the mithral breastplate.
well keep in mind you can upgrade items in PFS.... if you have a Ring +1 and you want a Ring +2 you simply pay the difference.
I have a 3rd level character and just picked up a Ring +1 and Amulet NA +1
(as it stacks with my Tiefling Natural Armor feat)
so don't get armor for now.. focus on Ring and Amulet.. and then save save save..
Oh and pick up a Wand of Cure Light Wounds... stranded issue, always have one.. like always.
You can carry a shield.
Yeah, in this particular case he's following the two-handed weapon combat style from the Advanced Players Guide.
Have you got your wand of shield yet? What about shield of faith or prot evil? Spells are a great way to get ac up in a hurry.They are, and I hadn't considered them as options. None of those spells are on either the bard or the ranger spell list, however. Are you suggesting he spend the gold (well, I'd use prestige points for such a wand, probably) and then depend on Use Magic Device? I hadn't had Silas train in it since he already has access to so much magic (both divine and arcane) from his two classes. Hmmm...
Something else to think about. I'm using up most of his skill slots to meet the minimums of the Pathfinder Delver prestige class as soon as possible (7th level, looks like), and putting even a single point into Use Magic Device might delay that.
And I've never actually had a character who used that skill. The DC 20 to make a wand work always scared me off. You can't take 10 with it, so it seems like I'd be in a lot of situations where I'd be saying "Hang on guys, we'll bust down the door and go after the orcs in Just a sec, I just want to poke myself with this magic stick first. Eh, didn't work, let me try again. One more time. One more time..." with that 5% chance every time that I'd be turning it off for 24 hours.
You can always save up for a Ring of Arcane Knowledge with Shield.. adds the spell to your spell list.. then just get peals of power :oP
so don't get armor for now.. focus on Ring and Amulet.. and then save save save..
Oh and pick up a Wand of Cure Light Wounds... stranded issue, always have one.. like always.
Thanks for the advice.
Already got that wand of cure light wounds, picked it up as soon as I had the prestige points. He's burned through 10 charges in two scenarios!
So yes, I can save up the 2000 for a ring or amulet, as you described--but would you suggest going ahead and spending the thousand I have right now on a cloak of protection or should that come after armor class improvement?
so don't get armor for now.. focus on Ring and Amulet.. and then save save save..
Oh and pick up a Wand of Cure Light Wounds... stranded issue, always have one.. like always.
Thanks for the advice.
Already got that wand of cure light wounds, picked it up as soon as I had the prestige points. He's burned through 10 charges in two scenarios!
So yes, I can save up the 2000 for a ring or amulet, as you described--but would you suggest going ahead and spending the thousand I have right now on a cloak of protection or should that come after armor class improvement?
all depends on your saves... I had an abysmal reflex save so I got the clock first.. but I can see saving for the ring.
It's not like your NOT going to get the cloak at some point though
You can always save up for a Ring of Arcane Knowledge with Shield.. adds the spell to your spell list.. then just get peals of power :oP
I'm not familiar with either of those. There doesn't seem to be a ring of arcane knowledge in Ultimate Equipment or the Core Rulebook anyway. And peals of power? What sources should I be looking at?
Well i tend to make a buy list for all my chars.
Perhaps I could save some time if i made a list...
all depends on your saves... I had an abysmal reflex save so I got the clock first.. but I can see saving for the ring.
It's not like your NOT going to get the cloak at some point though
Good points.
As a ranger 1/bard 1 with Con 10, Dex 14, and Wis 14, his saves are Fort 2, Ref 6, Will 4.
Obviously the Fortitude save is the one that gives me the most trouble. He got paralyzed by a ghoul just the other night, in fact.
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Remember that your wealth goes up exponentially. So "throwing away" ~500gp by putting a +1 on your armor now and then replacing it with something else later is a cost you won't even feel within a couple of levels, and in the meantime you have better AC.
Start with putting a +1 on your armor: 1k gold.
Next up is a Ring of Prot+1: 2k gold.
After that is Amulet of NatArmor+1: 2k gold.
After that, you sell your armor and buy a mithral breastplate: ~4k gold.
Then you put a +1 on the breastplate: 1k gold.
Then you upgrade to +2 for 3k gold.
Then a DEX belt (if you're not using your belt slot elsewhere): 4k gold.
Basically, just keep going in increments. Your wealth will keep up with the prices.
If Fame is an issue early on, delay the Ring and Amulet until after the armor upgrade. Later on, Fame will stop mattering very much (typically).
You can also take Dodge at 3rd if you like (or if you're a tiefling, Armor of the Pit).
Being multi-classed in bard and ranger should give you pretty good saving throws already, especially reflex. So what are you more worried about right now - getting hit by a weapon or missing a saving throw?
Getting hit by a weapon. Thanks for focusing the issue for me.
smart-sounding stuff
I haven't played anything above a 1-2 tier yet, so I don't have any experience with how the money goes up--that's good to hear.
And thanks for laying out that plan. It looks well-considered.
You can always save up for a Ring of Arcane Knowledge with Shield.. adds the spell to your spell list.. then just get peals of power :oPI'm not familiar with either of those. There doesn't seem to be a ring of arcane knowledge in Ultimate Equipment or the Core Rulebook anyway. And peals of power? What sources should I be looking at?
Pearls of Power.. damn typo
the ring I totally confused with another ring
U.Equip pg. 174 - Ring of Spell knowledge - would give you shield as a 2nd level spell..
wow I'm in rare form today
I would just hold back on the armor..
you want mith armor, such armor is not an "upgrade" so you would have to sell your current armor and buy the mith armor.. which is a waste of gold at the end of the day.
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smart-sounding stuffI haven't played anything above a 1-2 tier yet, so I don't have any experience with how the money goes up--that's good to hear.
And thanks for laying out that plan. It looks well-considered.
Ah, I see. Yeah, the gold rewards go up with the tier, as you're expected to be buying all that expensive stuff you're seeing. For instance, at tier 3-4 (of a 3-7 scenario), you're usually looking at about 1,200-1,400gp per scenario. At tier 4-5 (of a 1-5) you're looking at about 1,400-1,900gp.
So basically, if you decide "I want to improve my X", just look at all the items that improve X, sort them by price, and buy them when you can. If you can't afford something yet, then the game is assuming you don't have it anyway. So really, it ends up mostly taking care of itself rather organically.
Something else to think about. I'm using up most of his skill slots to meet the minimums of the Pathfinder Delver prestige class as soon as possible (7th level, looks like), and putting even a single point into Use Magic Device might delay that.
Bards and Rangers get 6 skills a level plus int. That prestige class only needs 18 skill points and you will get Versatile performance at level 2 in addition to give you effectively 2 extra skill points per level. Unless you dumped int, which you might of, having enough skill points shouldn't be a major problem.
With that said, a ranger bard already has a pretty large spell list, so umd won't be worth as much as with a normal bard.
You can always save up for a Ring of Arcane Knowledge with Shield.. adds the spell to your spell list.. then just get peals of power :oPI'm not familiar with either of those. There doesn't seem to be a ring of arcane knowledge in Ultimate Equipment or the Core Rulebook anyway. And peals of power? What sources should I be looking at?Pearls of Power.. damn typo
the ring I totally confused with another ring
U.Equip pg. 174 - Ring of Spell knowledge - would give you shield as a 2nd level spell..
wow I'm in rare form today
I should have caught "pearls of power" from that, actually.
That's an interesting ring, certainly something to throw into the mix for consideration. It almost seems worth it just to gain access to the wand, if it even would. Hmmm...
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I would just hold back on the armor..
you want mith armor, such armor is not an "upgrade" so you would have to sell your current armor and buy the mith armor.. which is a waste of gold at the end of the day.
I wouldn't call it "wasted". More like "spent on a long-form consumable". It won't be long before the minor impact of having to sell back some +1 armor amounts to little more than a rounding error. Playing up a single time at any tier will more than cover the loss.
Wear a heavy shield: +2AC
Dodge feat: +1AC
Shield Focus: +1AC
Fight Defensively: -4 to hit, +2 AC (+3 AC if you have 3 ranks in acrobatics)
Buff spells: Shield +4 (use only for important battles)
Potions: 50GP for a CL1 potion of Shield
Thanks for the insight into Society play, Jiggy!
Bards and Rangers get 6 skills a level plus int. That prestige class only needs 18 skill points and you will get Versatile performance at level 2 in addition to give you effectively 2 extra skill points per level. Unless you dumped int, which you might of, having enough skill points shouldn't be a major problem.
With that said, a ranger bard already has a pretty large spell list, so umd won't be worth as much as with a normal bard.
Yeah, actually Silas is an Archivist Bard (and a Scout Ranger--I like to say he's a singer, a scholar, and a scout), so he doesn't get Versatile Performance. But your points are well-taken.
Didn't exactly "dump" INT but I didn't pump anything into it either, despite his Archivist bent. I went with the Dual Talent alternate racial trait from the Advanced Race Guide (thus bringing down his skill points and making him a bit feat-starved compared to other humans), so his stat array is STR 16, DEX 14, CON 10, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 16.
I still haven't decided whether it's the Int (and its hit Knowledge checks) or the Con (and its hit to hit points) that I miss the most!
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Potions: 50GP for a CL1 potion of Shield
Unfortunately, you can't get a potion of shield. It has a range of "personal", and spells like that can't be made into potions (Magic Items chapter, Magic Item Creation section, Potions subsection).
You can get a potion of shield of faith, though.
Potions of shield of faith might be a good backup buff, if a little expensive. The issues with using a wand of shield were discussed upthread a little bit. Are there any AC buffing spells on the bard or ranger lists?
Can I ask you a more basic question: What roles are you planning on this character holding for a given party?
What's your level progression plan from 3rd to 12th?
-James
Sure!
At 1st level, as a Scout Ranger, he basically made his way as a front line fighter. His sole first level feat (he took the dual talent alternate racial feature, see above) was power attack and he's following the Two-handed Weapon combat style track for rangers. So with his 16 Strength and his two-handed sword he's been running around trying to do 2d6+7 damage per hit and praying not to get hit with his 16 AC and 11 hp.
Now he's second level and is taking it as an Archivist Bard. With his Vagabond Child trait, this means that Fly is the only skill in the game that's not a class skill for him. With that trait, his 14 Dex, masterwork thieves' tools, and taking a rank in it, he's now +9 in Disable Device. He's now a sneaky, skilled party face type, though more on the Intimidate side than the Diplomacy side.
Silas Coe is a gentleman of the road, a singer, a scholar, and a scout. Basically, I want him to be a combination of Aragon, Indiana Jones, and Steve Earle, an adventurer's adventurer who is endlessly fascinated with the unknown. To that end, he's aimed at the Pathfinder Delver prestige class, which fits him thematically.
The level progression I planned out for him is as follows:
1st Level (just completed)
Scout Ranger 1 | Ranger's Focus • Track • Wild Empathy
Feat: Power Attack
Major Item Purchase: wand of cure light wounds
2nd Level
Scout Ranger 1/Archivist Bard 1 | Spells (expeditious retreat & saving finale) • Bardic Knowledge • Bardic Performance (countersong, distraction, fascinate, naturalist) • Cantrips
3rd Level
Scout Ranger 2/Archivist Bard 1 | Combat Style (Two-handed Weapon)
Combat Style Feat: Shield of Swings
3rd level feat: Either Dodge or Extra Performance
4th Level
Scout Ranger 2/Archivist Bard 2 | Lore Master • Magic Lore
ability score: +1 to Dexterity
5th Level
Scout Ranger 3/Archivist Bard 2 | Endurance • Favored Terrain (forest)
5th level feat: Either Dodge or Extra Performance
6th Level
Scout Ranger 3/Archivist Bard 3 | Bardic Performance (inspire confidence)
7th Level
Scout Ranger 3/Archivist Bard 3/Pathfinder Delver 1 | Bardic Knowledge (stacks with extant Bardic Knowlege) • Master Explorer
7th level feat: ?
That's as far as I've taken it to date.
You might consider switching to a reach weapon, which mitigates the AC issue somewhat and lets you keep the two-handed combat style.
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Here's a progress guide to how to buy AC items.
Basically, rmember that you don't need mithral if you don't push the dex for it. Mithral is only needed when your Dex is at the max of your Armor's ability.
A sample reference for Armor Class costs
AC comes, at a fundamental level, in the following forms which are easy to gain: Dex Bonus; Armor Bonus; Natural Armor Bonus; Deflection Bonus; and potentially a Shield Bonus. Yes, there are Insight, Sacred, Profane, Competence, Dodge and all sorts of other bonuses, but the above bonuses are the ones that are easy to pay gold for and retain.
This is a simple basic guide to maximizing AC for gold.
Two builds are presented here – With Shield, and without Shield. Additionally, there is a third build here using Defender to accentuate your AC via an off-hand weapon, or on a shield.
First is going to be choice of armor.
The optimal types of armor are: Light Armor (all varieties add up to +8 Armor/Dex allowed); Breastplate (Medium armor, +6 AC/+3 Dex = +9); and Full Plate (+9 AC, +1 Dex = +10).
Note: Celestial Armor completely borks this table if you have the Dex to top it off, coming in at +13!!
First thing to point out is that Mithral is only a viable AC option if you have the Dex to max it out, OR you need your armor to be lighter for movement purposes.
Classes that are going to get exceedingly high Dex scores are actually better off with lighter armor that allows them to maximize use of their Dexterity at later levels. The exception to this is the Fighter; because Armor Training expands the maximum Dex bonus, Fighters typically aren’t going to need Mithral armor until very late levels, when their Dex scores exceed either 20 or 24 (Full Plate/Breastplate).
Maximizing AC is based on costs to gain an extra point of AC. These costs are:
+1 Armor bonus: 1000 gp, +3000 gp; +5000 Gp; +7000 gp; +9000 gp.
+1 Shield bonus: As +1 Armor
+1 Natural Armor: 2000 gp; +6000 gp; +10000 gp; +14000 gp; +18000 gp.
+1 Deflection bonus: As Amulet of Natural Armor
+1 Dexterity bonus: 4000 gp (Dex +2); +12000 gp (Dex +4); +20,000 gp (Dex+6)
Mithral Armor (Total bonus +2): Light, +1000 gp, Medium Armor +4000 gp, Heavy armor +9000 gp:
+1 Defender on Weapon used for defense: 8000 gp; +10,000 gp; +14,000 gp; +18,000 gp; +22,000 gp. (ending at +5 Defender)
Now, we simply take them and add them on in series.
If your starting Dex is 20 and you wear light armor; Immediately buy a chain shirt.
If your starting Dex is 17 and you can wear Medium Armor, buy a breastplate.
If your Starting Dex is 13 or lower, buy Full Plate.
Note that if you are a Fighter, you need to increase the minimum Dex for Mithral by your Armor Training bonus.
Base:
Chain Shirt, 19 Dex = +8 AC
Breastplate, 17 Dex = +9 AC
Full Plate, 13 Dex = +10 AC
Bonuses are listed in the order you add them, with Defender bonuses last as an optional (you should take them before similar items if possible). Basically, you want Deflection before anything; Dexterity next; and Nat Armor and Armor Enhancements equally. This is because the prior two affect your Touch AC (so does Defender) and the latter do not.
Add Cost AC Total GP Total
Mithral Light Armor 1000 (+2) (+1000) (Dex 22-24)
+1 Armor Enhance 1000 +1 1000
+1 Ring of Prot 2000 +2 3000
+1 Natural Armor 2000 +3 5000
Mithral Medium Armor 4000 (+2) (+4000, Dex 18-20)
+2 Armor Enhance 3000 +4 8000
+2 Dex Gaunts 4000 +5 12000
Mithral Heavy Armor 9000 (+2) (+9000, Dex 14-16)
+3 Armor Enhance 5000 +6 17000
+2 Ring/Prot 6000 +7 23000
+2 Natural Armor 6000 +8 29000
+4 Armor Enhance 7000 +9 36000
(+1 Defender) (+8000) (+1*)
+5 Armor Enhance 9000 +10 45000
+3 Ring/Prot 10000 +11 55000
+3 Natural Armor 10000 +12 65000
(+2 Defender) 10000 (+18000) (+2*)
+4 Dex booster 12000 +13 77000
+4 Ring of Prot 14000 +14 91000
+4 Natural Armor 14000 +15 105000
(+3 Defender) 14000 (+32000) (+3*)
+5 Ring of Prot 18000 +16 123000
+5 Natural Armor 18000 +17 141000
(+4 Defender) 18000 (+50000) (+4*)
+6 Dex Booster 20000 +18 161000
(+5 Defender) 22000 (+72000) (+5*)
Totals: Light Armor: Mithril Studded Leather +5, Dex 24 = AC 36, 162k
Medium Armor: Mithral Breastplate+5, Dex 20 = AC 36, 165k
Full Plate: M. Full Plate, Dex 16 = AC 37, 170k
Fighter Armor Training +4
Note: Needs +5 Dex (level/inherent) on all!
Mithral Chain Shirt, Dex 30. AC 40.
Mithral BP, Dex 28, AC 41
Mithral Full Plate, Dex 24, AC 42
Mithral is basically needed to max out Dex bonus for Dex builds. For fighters, Armor Training basically means their Dex will seldom be high enough to max out their armor.
Using an off-hand weapon as a Defender adds 72,000 gp to the defense cost, but the +5 AC is significant.
For Shield builds, the cost is negligible (+25000 gp for a +5) and the AC is significant (+6 or 7), resulting in a much quicker rise in AC.
ADD Add’l COST AC TOTAL TOTAL COST
+1 Armor Enhance 1000 +1 1000
+1 Shield Enhance 1000 +2 2000
+1 Ring of Prot 2000 +3 4000
+1 Natural Armor 2000 +4 6000
+2 Armor Enhance 3000 +5 9000
+2 Shield Enhance 3000 +6 12000
+2 Dex Gaunts 4000 +7 16000
+3 Armor Enhance 5000 +8 21000
+3 Shield Enhance 5000 +9 26000
+2 Ring/Prot 6000 +10 32000
+2 Natural Armor 6000 +11 38000
+4 Armor Enhance 7000 +12 45000
+4 Shield Enhance 7000 +13 52000
+5 Armor Enhance 9000 +14 61000
+5 Shield Enhance 9000 +15 70000
+3 Ring/Prot 10000 +16 80000
+3 Natural Armor 10000 +17 90000
+4 Dex booster 12000 +18 102000
+4 Ring of Prot 14000 +19 116000
+4 Natural Armor 14000 +20 130000
+5 Ring of Prot 18000 +21 148000
+5 Natural Armor 18000 +22 166000
+6 Dex Booster 20000 +23 186000
Assuming use of a Heavy Shield for +2 AC, at 12k layout you’re +3 AC ahead of the Shield-less build. At 50k you are +4 ahead. At 100k you are +5 ahead, at 150k you are +6 ahead, and you max out at +7 ahead.
Note that if you put Defender on your shield, and simply don’t attack with it, the numbers can look something like this:
Light Armor: AC 47, 52 with Defender
Medium Armor: AC 48, 53 with Defender
Heavy Armor: AC 49, 54 with Defender.
And all this is before Dodge, Shield Specialization, and incidental bonuses from spells, templates, defensive fighting, and whatnot. Note that to max Dex from Armor Training, any fighter is going to need Inherent bonuses to his Dex, unless he raises Dex instead of Str.
If he does both, then he probably wants a lighter grade of armor to max out the Dodge-based bonus of Dex, which is more effective against touch/ranged touch attacks.
Note to the OP: The easiest way to get a fast AC is the ability to cast the Shield spell and/or the Barkskin spell...both provide the fastest and highest AC bonuses for low level spells in the game. Barkskin is esp useful because of the +1hour/level duration.
===Aelryinth
Wow.
Thanks, Aelryinth. Gonna take me a little while to process all that!
The majority of the text is explaining where costs come from.
For instance, you don't need Mithral light armor unless you've a 20 Dex...a plain chain shirt with +4 Dex will do you just fine. Likewise, you need an 18 Dex before you need a mithral BP, which works up to a +3 Dex bonus (and maxes out at w Mithral 20). If you're a fighter, it's entirely likely you'll NEVER need mithral at all...your fighter armor training will just keep you ahead of your Dex your entire career. Yeah, crazy, eh?
The last table is the important one. i.e., how much money do you want to spend on AC, and do you use a shield? Ask yourself the dollar amount, and just find that amount or less, and you're good to go.
Wands of Barkskin and Shield are outside the paradigm, but one shot consumables can certainly change things.
I also make no allowance for standard celestial armor, which is generally only useful if your Dex is 24 or higher.
==Aelryinth
What do you mean by "outside the paradigm?" Because as a ranger, having a wand of barkskin is now exactly what I'm looking at.
Hey! Jiggy! You there, man? Am I right that the way wands work in PFS I can buy a minimum-caster-level wand of barkskin at the druid price of 4500 gp instead of at the ranger price of 6000 gp and get the same benefit? And still be able to use it just the same even though Silas is a ranger I mean?
That's 4500 gp for 500 minutes of +2 to AC, or fifty fights (how many fights last more than ten minutes?) at 90 gp each, right?
Oh, and Aelryinth, Silas's Dex at second level is 14 but it will be 16 at 8th level, and he does not use a shield.
A Wand of Barkskin could be an Option. The 10Min/Level duration makes it pretty worthwile. 4500 GP will hurt your budget quite a lot though, since I guess you can't buy partial wands in PFS.
Edit: Very much ninja'd. Thats what you get for opening 10+ interesting threads in browser tabs and not refreshing before typing an answer...
At 1st level, as a Scout Ranger,What's a scout ranger? Is that battle scout? I don't think that is going to give you anything.
Don't go with shield of swings.. it's just not that great for you.
At what level do you think that you can handle disarming traps? Its looking like you are picking up traps twice.. you might not need to do that..
-James
Chuh. I meant Guide Ranger, from the APG. Not scout. I guess I transferred that over from his "singer, scholar, and scout" tagline.
The thing about Shield of Swings is that my other options are Cleave, which lowers AC, and Pushing Assault, which just seems kind of meh since it costs you the damage you gain from Power Attack (though of course it doesn't cost as much damage as Shield of Swings, which I was seeing as a last ditch option).
I think I can start disarming traps right now, at 2nd level. He's at +9 on Disable Device.
Yes, you use the Druid price for Barkskin. Ideally, you want a caster level of 6, for a +3 benefit for 6 hours at a time, but +2 for three hours at a time is good.
Barkskin is cheap because it's a linear increase in AC cost. Every other increase in AC is exponential.
So, for 4500 gp, you get +2 AC (an Amulet is 6k). But for 9000 gp it's +3, 13500 it's +4, and 18000 it's +5. +5 costs 25K for enhancement, 50k for an amulet. You've just saved yourself tons of money.
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If you're not tied to a greatsword, you might just want to use a standard longsword and a buckler, especially if you aren't casting. the best thing about bastard swords is how they fall into the option to use with or without shields for that little damage edge.
You can use a buckler when two handing your longsword, or use it for more AC and one hand your weapon. Something to consider. Yes, it will cost you a couple points damage when two handing. That's fine. The extra AC can easily save your life early on.
Your ideal armor at this time is a breastplate. Just a normal breastplate, unless movement is a priority for you. Until your Dex is 18, you won't need mithral.
At this point, you want Armor+1, Shield +1, Ring +1, and a wand of barkskin (3rd), for 8500 gp total (if you're going to use the wand). Then you'll want +2 Armor and Shield, +2 Dex gaunts, then a Wand of Barkskin (6th level), trading in your old one.
Both Shield and Shield of Faith are viable wands, but their buffs last only a minute/level, so you have to know the fight is coming.
==Aelryinth
So, Aelryinth, reading through your tables and so on, I notice that you make use of mithral studded leather. I wouldn't have thought there was such a thing, personally. Has there been a ruling on that?
Items not primarily of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of mithral.
@ Aelryinth: Barkskin is 10Min/level, not 1hr/level.
So, Aelryinth, reading through your tables and so on, I notice that you make use of mithral studded leather. I wouldn't have thought there was such a thing, personally. Has there been a ruling on that?
Items not primarily of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of mithral.
mithral studded leather is there if you choose to make use of it. What IS studded leather, if not a lot of metal hanging on a leather coat that can be thinner then normal leather because the metal is handling defense? if not, then you're using a Chain Shirt (+4/+4 Dex). Note that chain mail is chain rings worn on or connected to a leather undershirt. Studded leather isn't anything different, it just has lighter amounts of metal.
Ah, 10 min/level barkskin. K. Still much nicer then 1 min/level, and you're unlikely to use all charges before you sell off for an upgrade. I don't include it on the table because not all characters can use wands.
Although the common trick of using a spell storing ioun stone for a low level spell that someone else in the party casts does get around it, esp if you have a Pearl of Power so it's 'free' to them. Still, without duration, marginally useful.
==Aelryinth