"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."
So if I wear:
do I will have:
- +5 armor bonus to AC
- Spell resistance 18
- +4 resistance bonus on all saving throws
- +2 enhancement bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance
- DR 5/magic
- breath of life when reduced to 0 or fewer hit points
???
This doesn't seems clear to me, 'cause they will not stack, but they will not also overlap each other.
Anyway, if your answer will be correct, I will have to choose between
- +5 armor bonus to AC
- Spell resistance 18
- +4 resistance bonus on all saving throws
- +2 enhancement bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance
- breath of life when reduced to 0 or fewer hit points
or
- +5 armor bonus to AC
- DR 5/magic
So, if I have to choose, this is a permanent decision or can I switch between the 2 options? And if yes, with which action?
Clever, having items with equal armor bonuses so the deactivation clause is open to interpretation. I'd probably give it to you, if only because you've spent more money than needed to attain the stated protections by other means, but I would also be annoyed and therefore watchful ....
The effects of the robe of the archmagi will remain despite everything else, and at most it simply wont provide the AC bonus as the robe is not armor, it just happens to provide an armor bonus because magic.
In this specific case the harmaki and bracers of armor provide the same armor bonus, so you will be forced to choose one and only receive benefits from it.
You can have either the +5 total AC bonus from the haramaki with determination or you can have the +5 total AC bonus from the bracers and invulnerability. Under no circumstances will you get both invulnerability and determination.
Don't try to game the system.
You save money by ditching the bracers and putting everything on the armor, though.
The less/greater doesn't get around the bit about not stacking, it just forces you to resolve a certain way in some cases.
There aren't rules for switching which non-stacking item is active. Presume on needing to take the active one off to switch or something like that.
The effects of the robe of the archmagi will remain despite everything else, and at most it simply wont provide the AC bonus as the robe is not armor, it just happens to provide an armor bonus because magic.
ehm...
"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."
I cannot see how the armor bonus you are speaking could be different from the armor bonus in the rule.
Don't try to game the system.
That's like trying to tell gamers not to breathe. There will always be a drive to milk the mechanics and the numbers for maximum effect. That's why so many corner cases come out.
I don't see how you can have any of the robe's functions working. If an armor item is suppressed, all it's functions cease.
That's why you can't stack plate armor with +1 bracers of fortification and expect to get the fortification effect.
You save money by ditching the bracers and putting everything on the armor, though
Bracers of Armor is a force effect, so it will work against incorporeal touch attack, but I cannot enchant it with Determination, 'cause it add a flat gp amount to the cost in place of a +bonus.
The effects of the robe of the archmagi will remain despite everything else, and at most it simply wont provide the AC bonus as the robe is not armor, it just happens to provide an armor bonus because magic.ehm...
"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."
I cannot see how the armor bonus you are speaking could be different from the armor bonus in the rule.
You know exactly what you're doing. You are trying to use the imprecise wording in the rules to justify being able to get invulnerability and determination effects on yourself. This interesting thing though, is in this specific case it doesn't much matter because determination is a flat 30,000 gp cost. But in the case of something that was priced as a scaling enhancement bonus it would make more of a difference.
Because it could be the difference between something priced as a +8 armor (+5 invulnerability) and a +10 armor or outright being impossible if the enchant you wanted to put on it were +3 priced enchant or higher.
"An armor bonus applies to armor class and is granted by armor or by a spell or magical effect that mimics armor."
The effects of the robe of the archmagi will remain despite everything else, and at most it simply wont provide the AC bonus as the robe is not armor, it just happens to provide an armor bonus because magic.
Please explain me again why the armor bonus of Robe of the Archmagi is a different armor bonus than Bracers of Armor.
Robe of the Archmagi isn't armor, therefore it can't be turned off.
However, an armor bonus is an armor regardless of source and doesn't stack.
If you have less than +5 AC from another source you end up with +5 AC from the Robe. If something grants more than +5 AC you end up with that AC (the AC from the robe does nothing) and the robe grants the rest of its benefits.
Robe of the Archmagi isn't armor, therefore it can't be turned off.
Actually it is. It sits in the armor/body slot, and it provides an armor bonus, so it does not get an exemption from the effects of armor stacking.
ehm...
"Bracers of armor and ordinary armor do not stack."
Nothing to say here.
"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." DOT
For me this means any other source, so even from a magic robe, and thus, if I cannot have all the effects active, the Robe of the Archmagi will shout down the Bracers of Armor.
"If the bracers of armor grant a larger armor bonus, the other source of armor ceases functioning."
If this sentence will work as per the Bracers of Armor, in this case all the effects from the Robe of the Archmagi will be suppressed... or... you can read this like the armor bonus will ceases functioning, and so I will have the other effects.
Actually it is. It sits in the armor/body slot, and it provides an armor bonus, so it does not get an exemption from the effects of armor stacking.Robe of the Archmagi isn't armor, therefore it can't be turned off.
There is no armor/body slot -- armor and body are separate slots.
Actually it is. It sits in the armor/body slot, and it provides an armor bonus, so it does not get an exemption from the effects of armor stacking.Robe of the Archmagi isn't armor, therefore it can't be turned off.
There is no armor/body slot -- armor and body are separate slots.
True, but if it provides an armor bonus, it's as much an armor item as the bracers, which also doses not sit in the armor slot.
Actually it is. It sits in the armor/body slot, and it provides an armor bonus, so it does not get an exemption from the effects of armor stacking.Robe of the Archmagi isn't armor, therefore it can't be turned off.
No, it's a robe which goes in the body slot. It is not armor. But it gives a typed AC bonus the same as any armor does, so it doesn't stack with armor bonus to AC.
See snakeskin tunic for another example of something that provides an armor bonus to AC but isn't armor, as this goes in the chest slot.
True, but if it provides an armor bonus, it's as much an armor item as the bracers, which also doses not sit in the armor slot.Actually it is. It sits in the armor/body slot, and it provides an armor bonus, so it does not get an exemption from the effects of armor stacking.Robe of the Archmagi isn't armor, therefore it can't be turned off.
There is no armor/body slot -- armor and body are separate slots.
Bracers of armor aren't armor. They are a wondrous item that provides an armor bonus to AC that has special rules for how it interacts with armor.
ehm...
"Bracers of armor and ordinary armor do not stack."
Nothing to say here.
"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." DOT
For me this means any other source, so even from a magic robe, and thus, if I cannot have all the effects active, the Robe of the Archmagi will shout down the Bracers of Armor.
"If the bracers of armor grant a larger armor bonus, the other source of armor ceases functioning."
If this sentence will work as per the Bracers of Armor, in this case all the effects from the Robe of the Archmagi will be suppressed... or... you can read this like the armor bonus will ceases functioning, and so I will have the other effects.
Don't be overly literal when reading the rules, that usually leads to madness.
Robe of the Archmagi is a non-armor item that happens to provide an armor bonus to AC. I do agree that if the armor bonus granted by the robe was higher, then the bracers of armor would do nothing. If they are equal you get any enchantments to function that also happen to be on the armor. "If the bracers of armor grant a larger armor bonus it shuts down other armor", this is really the contentious bit.
The intention of that line is to prevent you from stack multiple different sets of things that add to AC to prevent you from stacking enchantments. However, they didn't write it quite in a way to do that because it technically works as long as all pieces have the same armor bonus to AC.
It is worth noting that there is technically a distinction between armor bonus to AC and an enhancement bonus to AC meaning that your math actually doesn't technically work out but that's why I'm saying to follow the spirit of the rules.
They don't stack. That part still holds true no matter what shenanigans you try to pull. You simply have a case where you don't have the game telling you which takes precedence so you need your DM to decide how they are working it.
But, as Claxon said, don't try to game the system, or more precisely, don't try to twist the rules around and play on technicalities when it is obvious what was intended. (though mage armor being armor makes something one one of my characters invalid...crap >.<)
