Ways to Increase Dodge AC Bonus When Fighting Defensively


Advice


I'm playing a Halfling with the Blundering Defense feat. It allows you to grant adjacent allies a luck bonus to AC equal to half the dodge bonus you gain from fighting defensively. I've already spotted the +1 from 3 ranks in Acrobatics, the +2 from Cautious Fighter, and the +1 from Crane Style (for a total of +6), but I was wondering if I was missing anything else?

I haven't looked over all of the magical items, and I may have missed other feats, or obscure text like the Acrobatics blurb.

NOTE: The game I'm in will allow anything from official Paizo books, but no 3rd party stuff.

Silver Crusade

Crane Riposte (actually no, this just reduces the penalty to attack)
use a weapon with the blocking property, like a Sansetsukon or 9 Section Whip.

The Exchange

side note if others have fates favored they get an extra +1.


Brad McDowell wrote:

Crane Riposte (actually no, this just reduces the penalty to attack)

use a weapon with the blocking property, like a Sansetsukon or 9 Section Whip.

Wow, I completely missed the blocking property on weapons! Thanks for that! I had thought long and hard about getting Two-Weapon Defense, but I'm so feat-starved that I just can't afford to. This seems like a much better option.

I've been eyeing Crane Riposte, but I can't decide whether or not to get it. I'd do it by blending Master of Many Styles on top of my Rogue levels, but I'd have to 2 level dip (already took one level of MoMS for Crane Style) and I'm not sure it's worth it. I'd also take Monk of the Iron Mountain to at least get Toughness and +1 Natural AC out of the deal.


Nephril wrote:
side note if others have fates favored they get an extra +1.

Hahaha, nice! I'd missed that, I'll be sure to let them know. Thanks!


So I've just spotted the Madu, does anyone know if that somehow stacks with Crane Style? It doesn't appear to sadly, but I wanted to check and make sure.

Also spotted the Rod of Balance, but this takes up a hands slot right?


Nope, you got them all. No magic items are supposed to give a Dodge bonus to AC.


Also, would using two Madus cause this to stack?

prd wrote:
and your attack penalty for using Combat Expertise improves by +1 (minimum –1 penalty).


Perhaps Osyluth Guile would work ? It provides a Dodge bonus (equal to your Charisma) for fighting Defensively, but only against one target.

Liberty's Edge

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Another side benefit is that those under the effect of your Blundering Defense Benefit would also become immune to the Pugwampi bad luck aura, as they are under the benefit of a Luck effect.


I'll keep that in mind! I've never seen that feat, though my Cha bonus is only a +1. Seems like a great feat for Cha based classes though.

Also, stupid Pugwampis, I'm glad.

Scarab Sages

Ssyvan wrote:


Also, stupid Pugwampis, I'm glad.

Although, I do have an itch to play yet another monk and make a harrow warden to pugwampi the bad guys.


I'm considering that feat (Osyluth's Guile) for my kitsune swashbuckler. Pretty nice to get that extra bit of AC for nigh-untouchability.


In case anyone later comes to this thread:

Draconic Defender is a pretty amazing feat. Essentially lets you double your bonus (I think, because you count as your own ally?) for fighting defensively.

Also the Shielded Fighter's Active Defense works with the Halfling's Blundering Defense which allows you to grant all adjacent allies your full dodge AC bonus (1/2 as Dodge, 1/2 as Luck) for fighting defensively. Since you get +5 Dodge from this class ability, +1 from 3 Ranks Acrobatics, +1 from Crane Style, and +2 from Cautious Fighter, and +3 from Duelist, for a total of +12 (+14 if you're using a Rod of Balance) you could make a pretty great defender. [With the Draconic Defender feat this'd be a +28 for you, but see my note below.]

(NOTE: I'm not sure if acquiring Duelist levels causes your Active Defense to increase. Active Defense says it goes up by +1 for every 4 levels, and not every 4 fighter levels. But I could be very very very wrong about that.)

Scarab Sages

Combat Expertise is dodge.

Canny Defense (Kensai or Duelist)

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