Eidolon Armor Bonus

[HalcyonDaze]

I have a few question about how the Armor Bonus of an Eidolon can be allocated, and I cant seem to find an answer. In my case I'm Playing a Gnoll Synthesist in a Low-Gear campaign, where armor (and magic items in general) are going to be scarce, but the question is more general.

The Eidolon Armor Bonus Entry says

Quote:

The number noted here is the eidolon’s base total armor bonus. This bonus may be split between an armor bonus and a natural armor bonus, as decided by the summoner. This number is modified by the eidolon’s base form and some options available through its evolution pool. An eidolon cannot wear armor of any kind, as the armor interferes with the summoner’s connection to the eidolon.

The Synthesist Fused Eidolon Entry Says

Quote:

The synthesist uses the eidolon’s base attack bonus, and gains the eidolon’s armor and natural armor bonuses and modifiers to ability scores.

My questions are:

a)Can I allocate all of the Eidolon's Armor as an Armor Bonus, or just the portion that is listed in the chart. For example, the Base form lists AC as "+2 Natural Armor" and the only armor evolution also specifies " +2 Natural Armor", so a level 2 Eidolon would have a 16 AC, +2 from the Armor Bonus per the chart, and +4 from Base Form and Evolutions. Can I declare that to all be an Armor Bonus, or am I limited to a +2 Armor Bonus and a +4 Natural Armor.

b)If the answer is that I can make it all an Armor Bonus, then the case of a Synthesist would that let my racial Natural Armor stack (by the example above giving me a total AC 18), or does the net +0 Natural Armor of the Eidolon replace any racial Natural Armor Bonus I may have?

[Curghann]

You can only allocate the number in the "Armor Bonus" column of the Eidolon chart as Armor or Natural Armor. The Natural Armor value for a given Eidolon form is always a Natural Armor bonus.

In your example, you would be limited to +2 Armor and +4 NA.

I'm not sure how racial NA bonus and the NA bonus of the Eidolon base form (+evolutions) would play out. They are both "bonuses" but from different sources so I think only the higher would apply, like wearing armor and having bracers.

[HalcyonDaze]

It was the phrase in bold and the use of the word "Modified" that had me confused, made it sound like the AC from base and Evolutions were typically Natural Armor but were all part of a single Armor Bonus that could be allocated either way, rather than being two separate (but obviously stackable) bonuses.

[David knott 242]

You are almost always better off putting your entire AC bonus into natural armor. An Amulet of Natural Armor or a Barkskin spell provides an enhancement bonus to natural armor, which means that one or the other of these can stack with your eidolon's natural armor -- but the same is not true of Bracers of Armor or a Mage Armor spell, each of which directly provides an armor bonus that does not stack with any other armor bonus.

[HalcyonDaze]

True. It only has benefit in low levels, or in a low magic/low gear campaign where you cant count on having magical sources of Armor Bonus.