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I'm looking for highest AC build for Wizard/Sorcerer. This is including Spells, Transmutations, Items, Feats, etc. Feel free to use Armor if you can guarantee a 0% ASF.

Winner gets +1 Internets.

why are you wanting a high AC Wizard/sorcerer? Do they need to be good at casting or anything else?

I'm looking for a caster build that can stand on its own in melee and still has access to 9th-level spells.
Think of the AC as insurance-just in case he can't cast spells (Non-Magical zone, silenced, etc.) or gets targeted by AoE, or a high-powered foe who's smart enough to realize that the fully-rested wizard/sorcerer is a gamechanger who needs to be taken out first (Like most BBEGs do). He doesn't have to take the fighter's job, he just has to be able to take some serious attacks and not have to worry about them.

At what level?

20, or whatever level grants you the best bonuses. If you want to, though, feel free to give a level-by-level synopsis of how you got there. I'm not asking for the next great American Novel, but whatever you want to put down I'm sure posterity would be fine with.

PS, consider that money is no option.
WombattheDaniel wrote:

I'm looking for highest AC build for Wizard/Sorcerer. This is including Spells, Transmutations, Items, Feats, etc. Feel free to use Armor if you can guarantee a 0% ASF.

Winner gets +1 Internets.

If all you want is AC, be a Halfling and take the Underfoot alternate racial trait. Other than that, you're just looking at the usual suspects: Shield, Mage Armor until you can afford Bracers of Armor that go above +4, Ring of Protection, Amulet of Natural Armor. But high AC is really about avoiding getting hit, so I'd recommend looking into the Mirror Image spell and a Cloak of Displacement as well.

25 point-buy.

if it's for level 20, and you want AC in case of anti magic, then don't worry about AC, you are going to be hit.

Amulet of natural armor, bracers of armor, ring of protection, ioun stones for insight bonuses, high dex, and polymorph into the tiniest/highest dex thing possible.

Or be a real wizard and have a single contingency to dimension door you away if you get threatened.

AoE isn't effected by AC, it's all about the saving throws for that. But look at the Guide for Dragon Disciple, or build an eldrich knight. And I'm assuming you're meaning Arcane caster, since divine don't have ACP.

But some things to realize. For melee fighting you're going to need a really high str and natural attacks, so polymorphing is your thing there, but with some of those options you can't cast spells while changed. have a high dex, Haramaki, mithril shield. this thread probably will have a lot to offer too.

So, start as a small character, permanent Reduce Person, Dex of, say, 30 (could probably be higher if you didn't care about your other stats), +5 Ring, +5 Amulet, +8 Bracer, Shield spell, Ioun stone of +1AC, Jingasa of Fortunate Soldier... That's 46AC so far. Enough to probably survive a full-round attack from a Balor.

Oracle (Lore)1/Razmirian Priest Sorcerer 19

Oracle grants Sidestep secret giving Charisma to AC instead of Dex
Sorcerer buffs include Shapechange (Form of the Dragon 3, lasts 10min/lvl), Ironskin (lasts 1min/lvl) and Seamantle (lasts 1min/lvl).

Charisma is:

20 base +5 levels +5 inherent +6 book +4 planar binding +2 age = 42

AC is:

10 base
+8 Bracers of armour
+5 Ring of Protection
+16 charisma
+15 natural armour (8 base +7 from Ironskin)
+1 insight (ioun stone)
+2 luck (jingasa plus trait)
+6 shield (dragons can carry shields, just put it down before shapechanging)
+8 cover (seamantle)
-2 size

AC is 69 and while I am quite sure others will be able to do produce bigger numbers the question you have to ask if whether or not getting there is worth the hoops you jump through. You also cannot ignore other defences, in particular saves and HP pool as well as the impact of offence of doing this sort of thing.

Let's see.

If you aren't attacking someone with a weapon, the following options work well together.

A Spirit Whisperer Wizard (Wind) can get the Air Barrier Hex which tops out at a +12 armor bonus with no ASF and no maximum dexterity bonus.

Use Reduce Person, Alter Self, or some other polymorph spell to make yourself small. Possibly permanently. That's a +1 size bonus.

Choose to be a Tiefling and select the Armor of the Pit feat for a +2 natural armor bonus. Enhance it with a +5 Amulet of Natural Armor for a total natural armor of +7.

Add the deflection bonus from a +5 ring of protection.

You can get a +1 insight bonus from a Dusty Rose Prism Ioun Stone.

A Staff of Power grants a +2 luck bonus.

The Dodge feat gets you a +1 dodge bonus.

The Haste spell (or Boots of Speed) will give you another +1 dodge bonus.

Obviously you should pump your dexterity up as high as you can afford. The amount will vary depending on your method for generating ability scores.

A Belt of Incredible Dexterity +6 adds +3 to that dexterity bonus.

A +5 mithral light shield with the Shield Proficiency and Shield Focus feats will provide a +7 shield bonus with no ASF.

So far we have a total AC of 50 plus whatever you get from your unenhanced dexterity bonus.

If you are attacking with a weapon, the Combat Reflexes feat will eventually grant you a +3 dodge bonus.

Enchant your +5 mithral light shield so that it is also a +5 Defending weapon and pick up the Improved Shield Bash feat. You can now attack with your shield and give yourself a +5 untyped bonus to AC without losing your shield bonus.

So under this scenario, you would have a total AC of 58 plus whatever you get from your unenhanced dexterity bonus.
andreww wrote:
Oracle (Lore)1/Razmirian Priest Sorcerer 19

Hmm. Didn't realize we could dip. Interesting options open up...

WombattheDaniel wrote:

I'm looking for a caster build that can stand on its own in melee and still has access to 9th-level spells.

Think of the AC as insurance-just in case he can't cast spells (Non-Magical zone, silenced, etc.) or gets targeted by AoE, or a high-powered foe who's smart enough to realize that the fully-rested wizard/sorcerer is a gamechanger who needs to be taken out first (Like most BBEGs do). He doesn't have to take the fighter's job, he just has to be able to take some serious attacks and not have to worry about them.

This is untenable and shuts down most any class. Especially as a wizard, if you want to be solid even in antimagic areas, it can't be done. You'd also even be unable to use a lot of your school powers being they are supernatural abilities. Your best bet is to act before combat begins. Take the Defensive Strategist trait and worship Torag. No, just do it. (worship Torag, that is)

Defensive Strategist (Inner Sea Gods pg. 219, Faiths of Purity pg. 17): Requirement(s) Torag wrote:
Your study of dwarven history has trained you in defensive strategy. You aren’t flat-footed during a surprise round that you don’t get to act in or before you get to act at the start of a battle.

This means you can use immediate action spells. If there is a surprise round, given:

Swift Actions wrote:
You can take a swift action anytime you would normally be allowed to take a free action.

Then, you throw out a quickened spell followed up by a standard action spell. That is how you play a wizard: conditions and action economy. This AC business is for martials.... who are beneath you.

For Armor, I'd take the Arcane Armor Training Feat, and I'd wear Darkleaf Cloth Lamellar Leather Armor. +4AC bonus, 0% Arcane Spell Failure. People don't like AAT because they like using their Swift Actions for other things.

How about gaining the Scent or Tremorsense ability and get an Eversmoking Bottle? It's not high AC, but it's a 50% miss chance. You'll have to case area spells, but that's not so bad, is it? Eventually, you'll gain the Echolocation Spell, and that's Blindsight: you'll be golden.

Multiclassing, multiclassing... you could be a Mystic Theurge with levels in Druid and Wildshape into things with high Natural Armor bonuses and/or small size. Take the Natural Spell Feat, and you'll be able to cast spells while you are an Anklysaurus or the size of a flea.
WombattheDaniel wrote:

I'm looking for highest AC build for Wizard/Sorcerer. This is including Spells, Transmutations, Items, Feats, etc. Feel free to use Armor if you can guarantee a 0% ASF.

Winner gets +1 Internets.

Animal Soul + Awaken + way to get CHA to AC = infinite AC. Do I win?

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