Armor check penalty stacking

[That Crazy Alchemist]

So if a character is:
1) Wearing Banded Mail (-6 armor check)
2) Is non-proficient with it.
3) Carrying a Heavy Load (-6 armor check penalty)

What is the total penalty to, say, Acrobatics?
a) Do 1, 2, and 3 all stack? (-18)
b) Do 1 and 3 not stack but 2 stacks with either? (-12)
c) Does it only take the highest penalty (-6)?

Encumbrance by Weight:

Depending on the character's carrying capacity, he or she may be carrying a light, medium, or heavy load. Like armor, a character's load affects his maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, carries a check penalty (which works like an armor check penalty), reduces the character's speed, and affects how fast the character can run, as shown on Table: Encumbrance Effects. A medium or heavy load counts as medium or heavy armor for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by armor. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character.

If your character is wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from load) for each category. Do not stack the penalties.

[Cyrus Lanthier]

It would appear that you don't stack the penalties, based on what you bolded. I have always assumed read the non-proficient text as saying that you get the penalty to attack rolls as well as to Str and Dex based checks, not that you are getting the penalty to Str and Dex based checks twice as well as penalties on attacks, so I guess I think that C is the case.

[wraithstrike]

C.

Quote:

Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, both armor check penalties apply.

Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he is not proficient takes the armor's (and/or shield's) armor check penalty on attack rolls as well as on all Dexterity- and Strength-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for shields.

Quote:

If your character is wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from load) for each category. Do not stack the penalties.

However if you are not proficient you apply the penalty to attacks rolls, and not just to "Dexterity- and Strength-based ability and skill checks".

In short the value of the penalty is the same, but it applies to more things if you are not proficient.

[That Crazy Alchemist]

Huh interesting. C is how I'm reading it too, but always assumed A or at least B. Well time to throw some heavy armor on my non-proficient heavily encumbered mount.

[Gauss]

Provided the heavy armor does not go over your mounts heavy encumbrance and you do not plan on it making any attacks then, yes, you can do this. If you plan on it attacking then it will suffer the Heavy Armor ACP to its attack rolls due to non-proficiency.

[That Crazy Alchemist]

Naturally, though I appreciate the reminder. Going to be Ride-bying mostly so the mount would rarely get a chance to attack anyway plus its feats are all built around mobility and defense over attacking. I mostly just wanted to be sure he would still be able to leap a chasm if he needed to. A -6 is manageable, a -18 wouldnt have been.