Mithril Chain Shirt/Celestial Armor would be your best bet.
No armor training? +4 dex mod?
Unfortunately, prior to celestial (which is the best, but really high level), the balance of armor to max dex mod is... weird.
Oddly, you get the best AC with fullplate, even if you are dex. This is because it is +9/+1 (total 10). Compare that to chainshirt (+4/+4=8) and breastplate (+6/+3=9). You can of course add mithral to these... but fullplate can get mithral too. While there are price concerns with the heavier armor, that is a +2 max dex that can go on any metal armor.
Of course, fullplate still counts as medium armor, so it has reduced speed adn it still has terrible armor check bonus. So mithral breastplate is usually the most useful (it is also an armor that almost anyone can grab, since armor expert can reduce the penalties of not being proficient down to 0; not important to fighters, but rogues and various gishes may enjoy this).
Haramaki armor is also an option, but only at really high levels. This is because, while it has no limit of max dex, you need a lot of dex to make up for the measly +1 armor it gives. Typically, you need a +11 mod (32 dex) before it is worth giving up a mithral breastplate. And at that point, it also has to start competing with the celestial armor. So largely, leave haramaki armor to the mages.
If we're at least going to suggest Heavy Armor, try going with a Tatami-Do, which has +7/+3 MDB, so his Touch AC isn't so horrible (and so he doesn't feel so bad about pumping his Dexterity).
Armor Expert and the Comfort armor property (which is flat gold, no enhancement cost) combined with Mithril would reduce it to -1 ACP, which is easily managable, and he can sleep in it too.
It all depends on how far he's willing to invest his Dexterity. If he puts another point into it at 8th level (putting it 20), and upgrades his belt to +6 Dexterity (along with Strength and what have you), that puts him at 24, or +7. Mithril Tatami-Do's MDB is +5, which means he's missing out on 2 points of AC compared to an armor that fits his Dexterity Modifier.
Even if he dumps to, say, Darkleaf Studded Leather, he'll still have the same AC as the Tatami-Do (it'll also be cheaper), but more of it will be Touch AC, versus Flat-Footed AC (since the Heavy Armor restricts his Dexterous mobility).
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Best bang for the buck will be the Mithril Shirt, +4AC +6 maxDex and no ACP. Cost 1150 gp.
Then there is the option to have your friendly neighborhood arcane caster cast Mage Armor on you. Between wands and Pearls of Power you can have this done at no cost to the caster.
Best bang for the buck will be the Mithril Shirt, +4AC +6 maxDex and no ACP. Cost 1150 gp.
Then there is the option to have your friendly neighborhood arcane caster cast Mage Armor on you. Between wands and Pearls of Power you can have this done at no cost to the caster.
I would say the +6+5 of the breastplate is still worth the extra +3000 gp cost. That is around the same cost of the various basic AC boosting items like amulet of natural armor anyway, and this will stack with everything else without raising costs.
And after it is enchanted with some +'s, it can also be convenient as a handmedown after switching to something like celestial- even beefy allies that go full str and no dex might want a breastplate (since it is about the best you can grab before you have to deal with speed reduction).
● 20 DEX Mithral Tatami-do - AC 7 / Armor Check Penalty -2 / Max DEX 5.
● 18 DEX Mithral O-yoroi - AC 8 / Armor Check Penalty -3 / Max DEX 4.
greater two weapon fighting - it a trap. So skip this and you don't have to worry about armor problem.a trap? how so?
Because an attack at BAB-12 is not worth a feat.