Sorcerers, wizards, alchemists, bards, and medium armor

[Colette Brunel]

As far as I can tell, all sorcerers, wizards, alchemists, and bards want to be investing in medium armor, whether through the Armor Proficiency general feat or the Fighter Dedication archetype feat.

For sorcerers and wizards, studded leather or a chain shirt will almost always be 1 AC superior to mage armor (which costs a highest-level spell slot to be up-to-date) or bracers of armor.

But why stop at studded leather or a chain shirt? At Dexterity modifier +3, a breastplate may impose -5 speed and a significant armor check penalty, but more AC means getting hit less often, and getting critically hit less often. At Dexterity modifier +4, hide armor confers no speed penalty, and still gives more AC than light armor. Sorcerers, wizards, alchemists, and bards may as well aim for medium armor if they can.

What I am saying is that there should be more defensive support for characters keeping to no armor or light armor.

For that matter, do non-darkwood wooden breastplates exist, for the sake of druids? The darkwood special material (terribly overpriced, just like every other special material) in page 355 makes mention of "normal wood" armor, so does that mean that wooden breastplates exist?

[Bardarok]

So you're saying PCs can invest feats in armor proficiency to improve their defences. Is that bad? Is that good? Are you just pointing it out as an option?

[Colette Brunel]

Bardarok wrote:

So you're saying PCs can invest feats in armor proficiency to improve their defences. Is that bad? Is that good? Are you just pointing it out as an option?

What I am saying is that there should be more defensive support for characters keeping to no armor or light armor.

[Bardarok]

Ah okay unarmored charcates will always have better TAC and no ACP and faster speed. Buy with the penalties that medium and heavy armor have shouldn't they have some benefit?

[Colette Brunel]

Bardarok wrote:

Ah okay unarmored charcates will always have better TAC and no ACP and faster speed. Buy with the penalties that medium and heavy armor have shouldn't they have some benefit?

Light armor and hide armor already provide decent AC at no speed penalty. Furthermore, a breastplate exceeds the AC of mage armor or bracers of armor from 1st to 4th level by a significant margin, when critical hits are taken into account.

[Xenocrat]

TAC is higher on Mage Armor/Bracers because you get the full bonus to both values.

[Cantriped]

Mage Armor is equivalent to +X Leather (where X is half the level of the spell...
So yes, medium and heavy armor are superior if the caster neglects their Dexterity, otherwise they'll likely end up with a +5 Dex and want to wear light armor anyway.

[Colette Brunel]

Cantriped wrote:

Mage Armor is equivalent to +X Leather (where X is half the level of the spell...

So yes, medium and heavy armor are superior if the caster neglects their Dexterity, otherwise they'll likely end up with a +5 Dex and want to wear light armor anyway.

Dexterity modifier +5 is arriving rather late for spellcasters, at 15th level.

[Colette Brunel]

Xenocrat wrote:

TAC

The mage armor and bracers options do not actually have as much TAC as a breastplate. A +1 breastplate offers +5 AC and +3 TAC.

[Bardarok]

Colette Brunel wrote:

Xenocrat wrote:

TAC

The mage armor and bracers options do not actually have as much TAC as a breastplate. A +1 breastplate offers +5 AC and +3 TAC.

Right and Max Dex bonus of 1

So if you have Mage armor 2 you get +2 AC and TAC and can add more Dex which applies to both. Of you dumped Dex Heavy armor is a good option. If you want to be Unarmored you should invest a bit in Dex (helps with though attacks too for mages) and then Unarmored looks a lot more attractive.

[Cantriped]

Colette Brunel wrote:

Dexterity modifier +5 is arriving rather late for spellcasters, at 15th level.

Ergo the phrase 'end up with'. Note that such casters would be starting with a +3, should have +4 by 5th, and could also (but wouldn't ever) Invest in a Dexterity Potent item thereafter to optimize their armor selection.

[Colette Brunel]

Bardarok wrote:

Right and Max Dex bonus of 1

Maximum Dexterity +2 for a breastplate. It is an ideal item from 1st through 4th, though less so at 5th and above.

[Bardarok]

Ah right yes +2 for brestplate. So if you start with 14 Dex. And you have 16 Str anyways you can pick up fighter dedication for heavy armor.