Best Armor for Dex? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Best Armor for Dex? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Aceon
08-13-04, 01:53 PM I thought I had it.

I thought I had the right idea and was well within the rules.

Wiz Cust Ser & the Sage both told me "NO"

I had Full Plate + ring of Freedom of movement.

I thought that meant No Max Dex from armor. Oops!

So now what is my cleric to do?

What is the best armor for a char with high dex?

I was thinking of Celestial Armor (+8 Max Dex)

I also have Bracers of AC +6, but that makes my Magic Vestament spell irrelevant.

Since Celestial Armor is +3 Chain but with a max dex +6 higher than normal...is is worth attempting a Celestial Full Plate version?

Is there a spell that does what I thought Freedom of Movement would do for me? That is to say, is there a spell that makes one armor less cumbersome, the better to gain dex?

What about spells like luminous armor and greater luminous armor?
Can I use them in tandem with magic vestament?

Is there a "Force Armor"(ie no weight or armor check penalty) -full plate +8 armor that can be enchanted to +5 or used with my Magic Vestament?

I am playing a 3.5 version 13th lvl elf cleric (attempting the cleric archer thing)

Any ideas on how to optimize armor to the greatest armor value, with dex bonus while still taking advantage of my magic vestament spell?

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide!
SolitudeSeraph
08-13-04, 02:10 PM If you have decent dex..mithral breastplate is the best way to go (max +5, still good defense..and it's counted as light armor so you retain full movement speed) and it only costs 4,200 (4,000 + whatever the breast plate costs..I think it's 200?)
Aceon
08-13-04, 03:13 PM Yes, thank you!
Mithral Breastplate is the best I could find so far.

It allows me +5 armor, +5 Max Dex (& my dex is +5)

and I can still cast Magic Vestament on it for another +3.

For the money, it is the best bang for the buck.

Celestial Armor would cost a lot more, but would allow me to use Cat's Grace for another +2 or if I were to ever get my hands on some item of + dex.

I will need to acquire a mitral breastplate ASAP for adventure purposes...but I wonder what I might do down the road?

I need to start thinking about it in advance.
Blue23
08-13-04, 05:32 PM You may also want to look for the Nimbleness armor enhancement. I forget what book it's from, but it increases the max dex of the armor, I forget by how much. It's a +1 enhancement.

Cheers,
=Blue
SolitudeSeraph
08-13-04, 05:43 PM It increases max dex by +2 to for 8,200gp you can get a +1 nimble mithral breastplate (+6 armor, +7 max dex, and it's light armor so full move speed, and I believe -1 or 0 armor check penalty...)
Balthanon
08-14-04, 01:13 AM Originally posted by Aceon
Yes, thank you!
Mithral Breastplate is the best I could find so far.

It allows me +5 armor, +5 Max Dex (& my dex is +5)

and I can still cast Magic Vestament on it for another +3.

Actually, Magic Vestment won't do anything to a set of +5 armor. It gives the armor an enhancement bonus, which won't stack with the existing bonus.
Minotaur
08-14-04, 05:06 AM Originally posted by Blue23
You may also want to look for the Nimbleness armor enhancement. I forget what book it's from, but it increases the max dex of the armor, I forget by how much. It's a +1 enhancement.

Cheers,
=Blue

Nimbleness is in Magic of Faerun.
Overpowered_Munchkin
08-14-04, 05:54 AM Am I right or am I wrong? Didn't WOTC make a change in 3.5 so that for every enchantment bonus u get +1 max dex? (For example a +2 Fullplate would have 10 armor bonus and +3 max dex) At least thats what my dm told me ;) If it is that way a Mithril +5 Fullplate would have an armor bonus of 13 and a max dex bonus of 8.
Cloakable
08-14-04, 06:45 AM Your DM is either very stupid, hungry or uses houserules Overpowered_Munchkin ;)
Himosan
08-15-04, 12:20 AM Originally posted by Balthanon
Actually, Magic Vestment won't do anything to a set of +5 armor. It gives the armor an enhancement bonus, which won't stack with the existing bonus.
He's not talking about +5 armor, he's just saying you get a +5 armor bonus from Breastplate.
catharz
08-15-04, 12:52 AM Originally posted by Aceon
I also have Bracers of AC +6, but that makes my Magic Vestament spell irrelevant.

Sorry to rain on your parade even more, but Bracers provide an armor bonus, meaning they don't stack with any other sort of armor.

Anyway, Mithral Chain shirt + Chahar-aina + Dastana is probably the best. AC +4+1+1 = +6, max Dex +6.

For a low dex character, Mithral Mechanus gear (AC+10, MDB 2, ACP-7, 10,750 gp) armor rocks it.
SolitudeSeraph
08-15-04, 07:54 AM The problem with Mechanus Gear is that it only gives you 15 foot move speed...which is why I would only recommend it for a character with dex penalties...or a druid who can wildshape with it so the penalties don't apply
Arkat
08-15-04, 08:18 AM Hi everybody!

This is my first post on these boards!

I've been lurking for awhile and finally found a thread to which I could add intelligently...this one!

Anyway, Races of Stone (RoS I guess) just came out and in it are some new Exotic Armors.

One of them is called the Tumbler's Breastplate. Its armor bonus is, as expected, +5. However, its max DEX bonus is +4! Not only that, it gives you a +2 Circumstance bonus to the Tumble skill! Its other stats are it costs 450 GP, the Armor Check Penalty is -4, and Arcane Spell Failure chance is 25%.

So, here's what you do. Make it out of Mithral (+4000 GP), enchant it to +1 and finally, add the Nimbleness (from Magic of Faerun) quality.

What you end up with is a Breastplate that gives you +6 to AC (+5 from the Breastplate and +1 Enhancement bonus). The armor check failure is 0 (-3 from being Mithral and -1 from Nimbleness), the Arcane SPell Failure chance is only 15% (-10% from being Mithral), it's Light, and the Maximum DEX bonus is...drum roll please...+8! That's +4 from the armor itself, +2 from being Mithral, and +2 from the Nimbleness quality.

What does all this cost?

The Good News is the armor itself costs a mere 8,450 GP including the Mithral material and the magic enchantments.

The Bad News is it also costs you a feat. That is, since the armor is an Exotic one, you need to spend a feat on Exotic Armor Proficiency.

Is it worth it to spend a feat on this armor just to get a +1 higher maximum DEX bonus (as compared to a regular +1 Mithral Breastplate of Nimbleness)? In my opinion, yes! Don't forget this armor also gives you the +2 circumstance bonus to your Tumble skill. That's a potential savings of 2 or 4 (depending whether Tumble is a class skill for you or not) skill points that could be used for some other useful skill(s).

I can't wait to get one for my Tiefling Rogue!
SolitudeSeraph
08-15-04, 01:35 PM Originally posted by Arkat
What you end up with is a Breastplate that gives you +6 to AC (+5 from the Breastplate and +1 Enhancement bonus). The armor check failure is 0 (-3 from being Mithral and -1 from Nimbleness), the Arcane SPell Failure chance is only 15% (-10% from being Mithral), it's Light, and the Maximum DEX bonus is...drum roll please...+8! That's +4 from the armor itself, +2 from being Mithral, and +2 from the Nimbleness quality.

What does all this cost?

The Good News is the armor itself costs a mere 8,450 GP including the Mithral material and the magic enchantments.

The Bad News is it also costs you a feat. That is, since the armor is an Exotic one, you need to spend a feat on Exotic Armor Proficiency.

Even with the +2 to tumble the exotic armor is not worth a feat..you can get a +1 nimble mithral chain shirt for only 5,100 (getting +5 to ac, no ac penalty, 10% arcane spell failure, max dex +8)...so you lose out on +1 to ac and +2 to tumble..big deal...you save money AND a feat
Ipsissimus
08-15-04, 01:49 PM Arms and Equipment Guide has several suits of new armor that can be customized for what you're looking for. New alloys, metals, processes, and material in general.

Check out Moon Ivy and Vine Weave armors for instance...

Looks like you're trying to squeeze out as much AC as possible with what you have, from the core books and a few splats as mentioned before Mithril Breastplate is best.

Don't forget about items that will add to natural armor, deflection, dodge, and effects that make you harder to hit or virtually unhittable.

As for getting even more AC?

Use a shield.
DeadEye
08-15-04, 02:56 PM Originally posted by Ipsissimus
Looks like you're trying to squeeze out as much AC as possible with what you have, from the core books and a few splats as mentioned before Mithril Breastplate is best.

Unless you're allowed to use Oriental Adventures. Then the best is a Mithril Chain Shirt, masterwork Dastana, and a masterwork Chahar- Aina.

That nets you a +6 to AC, maximum of +6 Dex bonus to AC, and can be used with a shield.
Arkat
08-15-04, 03:10 PM Originally posted by SolitudeSeraph
Even with the +2 to tumble the exotic armor is not worth a feat..you can get a +1 nimble mithral chain shirt for only 5,100 (getting +5 to ac, no ac penalty, 10% arcane spell failure, max dex +8)...so you lose out on +1 to ac and +2 to tumble..big deal...you save money AND a feat

So I guess if the Dodge feat weren't a prerequisite for some other cool feats, you'd never get it. What if you could apply it (the Dodge bonus to AC) to all enemies attacking you instead of just one?

For a sneak attacker like my rogue, the tumble bonus is great and since I'm constantly in melee, the +1 to AC is very nice too.
SolitudeSeraph
08-15-04, 05:46 PM Once you have +15 to tumble you rarely need any higher since 15 is the base..maybe keep pumping it to 25 tops..

And I would never take dodge unless it was a pre-req for a prc..

Edit: If you want +1 to ac so bad and can waste a feat take luck of the hero's that way you get +1 to ac AND saves
Ipsissimus
08-15-04, 07:41 PM Though this is a house rule that we use simply because there should be no reason why a character with a 15 tumble would 100% avoid AoO's...there is a opposed roll. Tumble vs. Attack roll to see if they can manage an AoO, if the opposed wins then they make an AoO.

Same goes with Concentration when casting defensively. It has worked out well for us and seems alittle more realistic than set DC 15 etc.

The Luck of Heroes feat is rather nice.
catharz
08-16-04, 05:27 AM Originally posted by SolitudeSeraph
The problem with Mechanus Gear is that it only gives you 15 foot move speed...which is why I would only recommend it for a character with dex penalties...or a druid who can wildshape with it so the penalties don't apply

Actually it is best for a Dwarf, for whom movement penalties from medium armor don't apply ;)
Aceon
08-16-04, 02:31 PM Originally posted by catharz
Sorry to rain on your parade even more, but Bracers provide an armor bonus, meaning they don't stack with any other sort of armor.

Not to worry, I had not scheduled the Parade yet, I was trying to figure out what to wear!:cool:

Thanks for the advice everyone! Catharz- I know same named bonuses don't stack. I mentioned the Bracers of Armor +6 so you all would know what I am working with and what options I have. I actually do use a shield ( a Lion's Shield +2) so I get another +4 from that and I have an amulet of Nat Armor +2 as well. I left these out to avoid confusion....

What I am interested in doing is wearing the best armor for AC and Dex and using my magic vestament spell on it. ( and the shield too! -Rod of metamagic extend is my friend :D )

It seems I have some good options. Thanks for the help!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Aceon 08-13-04, 01:53 PM	I thought I had it. I thought I had the right idea and was well within the rules. Wiz Cust Ser & the Sage both told me "NO" I had Full Plate + ring of Freedom of movement. I thought that meant No Max Dex from armor. Oops! So now what is my cleric to do? What is the best armor for a char with high dex? I was thinking of Celestial Armor (+8 Max Dex) I also have Bracers of AC +6, but that makes my Magic Vestament spell irrelevant. Since Celestial Armor is +3 Chain but with a max dex +6 higher than normal...is is worth attempting a Celestial Full Plate version? Is there a spell that does what I thought Freedom of Movement would do for me? That is to say, is there a spell that makes one armor less cumbersome, the better to gain dex? What about spells like luminous armor and greater luminous armor? Can I use them in tandem with magic vestament? Is there a "Force Armor"(ie no weight or armor check penalty) -full plate +8 armor that can be enchanted to +5 or used with my Magic Vestament? I am playing a 3.5 version 13th lvl elf cleric (attempting the cleric archer thing) Any ideas on how to optimize armor to the greatest armor value, with dex bonus while still taking advantage of my magic vestament spell? Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide!
SolitudeSeraph 08-13-04, 02:10 PM	If you have decent dex..mithral breastplate is the best way to go (max +5, still good defense..and it's counted as light armor so you retain full movement speed) and it only costs 4,200 (4,000 + whatever the breast plate costs..I think it's 200?)
Aceon 08-13-04, 03:13 PM	Yes, thank you! Mithral Breastplate is the best I could find so far. It allows me +5 armor, +5 Max Dex (& my dex is +5) and I can still cast Magic Vestament on it for another +3. For the money, it is the best bang for the buck. Celestial Armor would cost a lot more, but would allow me to use Cat's Grace for another +2 or if I were to ever get my hands on some item of + dex. I will need to acquire a mitral breastplate ASAP for adventure purposes...but I wonder what I might do down the road? I need to start thinking about it in advance.
Blue23 08-13-04, 05:32 PM	You may also want to look for the Nimbleness armor enhancement. I forget what book it's from, but it increases the max dex of the armor, I forget by how much. It's a +1 enhancement. Cheers, =Blue
SolitudeSeraph 08-13-04, 05:43 PM	It increases max dex by +2 to for 8,200gp you can get a +1 nimble mithral breastplate (+6 armor, +7 max dex, and it's light armor so full move speed, and I believe -1 or 0 armor check penalty...)
Balthanon 08-14-04, 01:13 AM	Originally posted by Aceon Yes, thank you! Mithral Breastplate is the best I could find so far. It allows me +5 armor, +5 Max Dex (& my dex is +5) and I can still cast Magic Vestament on it for another +3. Actually, Magic Vestment won't do anything to a set of +5 armor. It gives the armor an enhancement bonus, which won't stack with the existing bonus.
Minotaur 08-14-04, 05:06 AM	Originally posted by Blue23 You may also want to look for the Nimbleness armor enhancement. I forget what book it's from, but it increases the max dex of the armor, I forget by how much. It's a +1 enhancement. Cheers, =Blue Nimbleness is in Magic of Faerun.
Overpowered_Munchkin 08-14-04, 05:54 AM	Am I right or am I wrong? Didn't WOTC make a change in 3.5 so that for every enchantment bonus u get +1 max dex? (For example a +2 Fullplate would have 10 armor bonus and +3 max dex) At least thats what my dm told me ;) If it is that way a Mithril +5 Fullplate would have an armor bonus of 13 and a max dex bonus of 8.
Cloakable 08-14-04, 06:45 AM	Your DM is either very stupid, hungry or uses houserules Overpowered_Munchkin ;)
Himosan 08-15-04, 12:20 AM	Originally posted by Balthanon Actually, Magic Vestment won't do anything to a set of +5 armor. It gives the armor an enhancement bonus, which won't stack with the existing bonus. He's not talking about +5 armor, he's just saying you get a +5 armor bonus from Breastplate.
catharz 08-15-04, 12:52 AM	Originally posted by Aceon I also have Bracers of AC +6, but that makes my Magic Vestament spell irrelevant. Sorry to rain on your parade even more, but Bracers provide an armor bonus, meaning they don't stack with any other sort of armor. Anyway, Mithral Chain shirt + Chahar-aina + Dastana is probably the best. AC +4+1+1 = +6, max Dex +6. For a low dex character, Mithral Mechanus gear (AC+10, MDB 2, ACP-7, 10,750 gp) armor rocks it.
SolitudeSeraph 08-15-04, 07:54 AM	The problem with Mechanus Gear is that it only gives you 15 foot move speed...which is why I would only recommend it for a character with dex penalties...or a druid who can wildshape with it so the penalties don't apply
Arkat 08-15-04, 08:18 AM	Hi everybody! This is my first post on these boards! I've been lurking for awhile and finally found a thread to which I could add intelligently...this one! Anyway, Races of Stone (RoS I guess) just came out and in it are some new Exotic Armors. One of them is called the Tumbler's Breastplate. Its armor bonus is, as expected, +5. However, its max DEX bonus is +4! Not only that, it gives you a +2 Circumstance bonus to the Tumble skill! Its other stats are it costs 450 GP, the Armor Check Penalty is -4, and Arcane Spell Failure chance is 25%. So, here's what you do. Make it out of Mithral (+4000 GP), enchant it to +1 and finally, add the Nimbleness (from Magic of Faerun) quality. What you end up with is a Breastplate that gives you +6 to AC (+5 from the Breastplate and +1 Enhancement bonus). The armor check failure is 0 (-3 from being Mithral and -1 from Nimbleness), the Arcane SPell Failure chance is only 15% (-10% from being Mithral), it's Light, and the Maximum DEX bonus is...drum roll please...+8! That's +4 from the armor itself, +2 from being Mithral, and +2 from the Nimbleness quality. What does all this cost? The Good News is the armor itself costs a mere 8,450 GP including the Mithral material and the magic enchantments. The Bad News is it also costs you a feat. That is, since the armor is an Exotic one, you need to spend a feat on Exotic Armor Proficiency. Is it worth it to spend a feat on this armor just to get a +1 higher maximum DEX bonus (as compared to a regular +1 Mithral Breastplate of Nimbleness)? In my opinion, yes! Don't forget this armor also gives you the +2 circumstance bonus to your Tumble skill. That's a potential savings of 2 or 4 (depending whether Tumble is a class skill for you or not) skill points that could be used for some other useful skill(s). I can't wait to get one for my Tiefling Rogue!
SolitudeSeraph 08-15-04, 01:35 PM	Originally posted by Arkat What you end up with is a Breastplate that gives you +6 to AC (+5 from the Breastplate and +1 Enhancement bonus). The armor check failure is 0 (-3 from being Mithral and -1 from Nimbleness), the Arcane SPell Failure chance is only 15% (-10% from being Mithral), it's Light, and the Maximum DEX bonus is...drum roll please...+8! That's +4 from the armor itself, +2 from being Mithral, and +2 from the Nimbleness quality. What does all this cost? The Good News is the armor itself costs a mere 8,450 GP including the Mithral material and the magic enchantments. The Bad News is it also costs you a feat. That is, since the armor is an Exotic one, you need to spend a feat on Exotic Armor Proficiency. Even with the +2 to tumble the exotic armor is not worth a feat..you can get a +1 nimble mithral chain shirt for only 5,100 (getting +5 to ac, no ac penalty, 10% arcane spell failure, max dex +8)...so you lose out on +1 to ac and +2 to tumble..big deal...you save money AND a feat
Ipsissimus 08-15-04, 01:49 PM	Arms and Equipment Guide has several suits of new armor that can be customized for what you're looking for. New alloys, metals, processes, and material in general. Check out Moon Ivy and Vine Weave armors for instance... Looks like you're trying to squeeze out as much AC as possible with what you have, from the core books and a few splats as mentioned before Mithril Breastplate is best. Don't forget about items that will add to natural armor, deflection, dodge, and effects that make you harder to hit or virtually unhittable. As for getting even more AC? Use a shield.
DeadEye 08-15-04, 02:56 PM	Originally posted by Ipsissimus Looks like you're trying to squeeze out as much AC as possible with what you have, from the core books and a few splats as mentioned before Mithril Breastplate is best. Unless you're allowed to use Oriental Adventures. Then the best is a Mithril Chain Shirt, masterwork Dastana, and a masterwork Chahar- Aina. That nets you a +6 to AC, maximum of +6 Dex bonus to AC, and can be used with a shield.
Arkat 08-15-04, 03:10 PM	Originally posted by SolitudeSeraph Even with the +2 to tumble the exotic armor is not worth a feat..you can get a +1 nimble mithral chain shirt for only 5,100 (getting +5 to ac, no ac penalty, 10% arcane spell failure, max dex +8)...so you lose out on +1 to ac and +2 to tumble..big deal...you save money AND a feat So I guess if the Dodge feat weren't a prerequisite for some other cool feats, you'd never get it. What if you could apply it (the Dodge bonus to AC) to all enemies attacking you instead of just one? For a sneak attacker like my rogue, the tumble bonus is great and since I'm constantly in melee, the +1 to AC is very nice too.
SolitudeSeraph 08-15-04, 05:46 PM	Once you have +15 to tumble you rarely need any higher since 15 is the base..maybe keep pumping it to 25 tops.. And I would never take dodge unless it was a pre-req for a prc.. Edit: If you want +1 to ac so bad and can waste a feat take luck of the hero's that way you get +1 to ac AND saves
Ipsissimus 08-15-04, 07:41 PM	Though this is a house rule that we use simply because there should be no reason why a character with a 15 tumble would 100% avoid AoO's...there is a opposed roll. Tumble vs. Attack roll to see if they can manage an AoO, if the opposed wins then they make an AoO. Same goes with Concentration when casting defensively. It has worked out well for us and seems alittle more realistic than set DC 15 etc. The Luck of Heroes feat is rather nice.
catharz 08-16-04, 05:27 AM	Originally posted by SolitudeSeraph The problem with Mechanus Gear is that it only gives you 15 foot move speed...which is why I would only recommend it for a character with dex penalties...or a druid who can wildshape with it so the penalties don't apply Actually it is best for a Dwarf, for whom movement penalties from medium armor don't apply ;)
Aceon 08-16-04, 02:31 PM	Originally posted by catharz Sorry to rain on your parade even more, but Bracers provide an armor bonus, meaning they don't stack with any other sort of armor. Not to worry, I had not scheduled the Parade yet, I was trying to figure out what to wear!:cool: Thanks for the advice everyone! Catharz- I know same named bonuses don't stack. I mentioned the Bracers of Armor +6 so you all would know what I am working with and what options I have. I actually do use a shield ( a Lion's Shield +2) so I get another +4 from that and I have an amulet of Nat Armor +2 as well. I left these out to avoid confusion.... What I am interested in doing is wearing the best armor for AC and Dex and using my magic vestament spell on it. ( and the shield too! -Rod of metamagic extend is my friend :D ) It seems I have some good options. Thanks for the help!