Bracers of AC 4 And Full Plate Stack ? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Bracers of AC 4 And Full Plate Stack ? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Avam
12-15-06, 10:51 PM Bracers of AC 4 And Full Plate Stack ?

Say a fighter with no Dex waering a Full Plate that give him an effective AC of 18 .... He now dons Bracers of AC 4 ... does his effective AC now raise to 22 ?
Salla
12-15-06, 11:00 PM I'm not sure what you mean by 'Bracers of AC 4'. I'm going to assume you mean 'Bracers of Armor +4'.

No; both the armor and the bracers provide an armor bonus, and bonuses with the same name (with rare exception) do not stack.
runestar
12-15-06, 11:05 PM Maybe if the bracers were actually rings of protection/amulets of NA resized to fit an alternate body slot, thus granting a deflection AC or enhancement bonus to NA...:D
strenoth
12-15-06, 11:07 PM Bracers of AC 4 means he's a 1st/2nd edition player who slipped up :)

you take the best AC bonus of the two, since they both provide armor bonuses. Note: The bracers protect agaisnt incoorpreal attacks, the full plate doesn't. So most of the time he's got AC of 18, against incorpreal attacks, he has an AC of 14 (which woudlbe an AC of 10 w/o the bracers)
Avam
12-16-06, 12:28 AM Isnt a shield +2 also an AC bonus yet it stacks with a Full Plate +1 ?
Richmud
12-16-06, 12:31 AM Isnt a shield +2 also an AC bonus yet it stacks with a Full Plate +1 ?

A shield +2 is a shield bonus to AC where a full plate +1 is an armor bonus to AC. You get the best of each type of bonus
MareltEkiran
12-16-06, 01:22 AM By the rules of 3.0/3.5, bonusses of different types stack. Bonusses of the same type do not stack (with a few exceptions to the rule).

Your AC is a stat, which is influenced by many bonusses (and sometimes penalties). The different types of bonusses that can affect your AC:

Armor: A form of protection that is worn on the body, either leather, steaths of metal or a force field.
Shield: Protection from an object that is usually held in the hand. Can also be a steath of force.
Dexterity: The ability to avoid blows by quickly moving out of the way.
Size: The ease or difficulty to get hit, by virtue of being a certain size.
Deflection: An invisible repulsive force that deflects attacks.
Racial Natural Armor: Tough skin that you have, by virtue of being a specific creature.
Natural Armor Enhancement: Protection granted by an effect that somehow toughens the skin.
Insight: Protection gained from a sixth sense that allows you to avoid incoming attacks.
Sacred/Profane: Protection granted by the divine powers of good or evil. These bonusses are very rare and usually only granted by special effects.
Luck: Protection granted by good fortune. This bonus is also quite rare.
Dodge: The abililty to avoid attacks by accurate physical movement. Unlike all previous bonusses, Dodge bonusses stack with each other, unless they come from exactly the same source (such as casting "Haste" twice on the same person).
Unnamed: If the AC bonus does not have any type listed, then it is an Unnamed bonus. Unnamed bonusses always stack with each other, unless they result from exactly the same source.

So, going by this list (I may have forgotten one or two types), you can figure out what stacks and what doesn't. A suit of Plate Mail and a Heavy Steel Shield stack, because the former is an Armor bonus and the latter is a Shield bonus. However, wearing a suit of Plate Mail and Bracers of Armor +4 would not stack, because they both provide an Armor bonus. Similarily, wearing two Rings of Protection would be pointless, because they are both Deflection bonusses and hence, do not stack. In both of these cases, only the highest bonus applies.

When a dwarf fights giants while under the influence of a Haste spell, he gets the +4 dodge bonus against giants and the +1 dodge bonus from the haste spell, for a total of a dodge bonus of +5. This is because dodge bonusses do stack. However, dodge bonusses are an exception to the rule and are specifically listed as such.
ravenshrike
12-16-06, 03:16 AM Only if you're an artificer.
Fallenangel359
12-16-06, 11:08 AM If you want high AC
get ring of protection, amulet of natural armor, and either armor, or bracers of armor, and a shield

Example, 10 ac base, +1 dexmod, +5 amulet of natural armor, +5 ring of protection, +5 full plate(base8), +5 tower shield (base4)
10+1+5+5+13+9, 43 AC
Nezkrul
12-16-06, 12:25 PM they don't stack, OP, they overlap.

Meaning, against most physical attacks the character uses the full plate's armor bonus, but against incorporeal touch attacks he gets the bracers armor bonus.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Avam 12-15-06, 10:51 PM	Bracers of AC 4 And Full Plate Stack ? Say a fighter with no Dex waering a Full Plate that give him an effective AC of 18 .... He now dons Bracers of AC 4 ... does his effective AC now raise to 22 ?
Salla 12-15-06, 11:00 PM	I'm not sure what you mean by 'Bracers of AC 4'. I'm going to assume you mean 'Bracers of Armor +4'. No; both the armor and the bracers provide an armor bonus, and bonuses with the same name (with rare exception) do not stack.
runestar 12-15-06, 11:05 PM	Maybe if the bracers were actually rings of protection/amulets of NA resized to fit an alternate body slot, thus granting a deflection AC or enhancement bonus to NA...:D
strenoth 12-15-06, 11:07 PM	Bracers of AC 4 means he's a 1st/2nd edition player who slipped up :) you take the best AC bonus of the two, since they both provide armor bonuses. Note: The bracers protect agaisnt incoorpreal attacks, the full plate doesn't. So most of the time he's got AC of 18, against incorpreal attacks, he has an AC of 14 (which woudlbe an AC of 10 w/o the bracers)
Avam 12-16-06, 12:28 AM	Isnt a shield +2 also an AC bonus yet it stacks with a Full Plate +1 ?
Richmud 12-16-06, 12:31 AM	Isnt a shield +2 also an AC bonus yet it stacks with a Full Plate +1 ? A shield +2 is a shield bonus to AC where a full plate +1 is an armor bonus to AC. You get the best of each type of bonus
MareltEkiran 12-16-06, 01:22 AM	By the rules of 3.0/3.5, bonusses of different types stack. Bonusses of the same type do not stack (with a few exceptions to the rule). Your AC is a stat, which is influenced by many bonusses (and sometimes penalties). The different types of bonusses that can affect your AC: Armor: A form of protection that is worn on the body, either leather, steaths of metal or a force field. Shield: Protection from an object that is usually held in the hand. Can also be a steath of force. Dexterity: The ability to avoid blows by quickly moving out of the way. Size: The ease or difficulty to get hit, by virtue of being a certain size. Deflection: An invisible repulsive force that deflects attacks. Racial Natural Armor: Tough skin that you have, by virtue of being a specific creature. Natural Armor Enhancement: Protection granted by an effect that somehow toughens the skin. Insight: Protection gained from a sixth sense that allows you to avoid incoming attacks. Sacred/Profane: Protection granted by the divine powers of good or evil. These bonusses are very rare and usually only granted by special effects. Luck: Protection granted by good fortune. This bonus is also quite rare. Dodge: The abililty to avoid attacks by accurate physical movement. Unlike all previous bonusses, Dodge bonusses stack with each other, unless they come from exactly the same source (such as casting "Haste" twice on the same person). Unnamed: If the AC bonus does not have any type listed, then it is an Unnamed bonus. Unnamed bonusses always stack with each other, unless they result from exactly the same source. So, going by this list (I may have forgotten one or two types), you can figure out what stacks and what doesn't. A suit of Plate Mail and a Heavy Steel Shield stack, because the former is an Armor bonus and the latter is a Shield bonus. However, wearing a suit of Plate Mail and Bracers of Armor +4 would not stack, because they both provide an Armor bonus. Similarily, wearing two Rings of Protection would be pointless, because they are both Deflection bonusses and hence, do not stack. In both of these cases, only the highest bonus applies. When a dwarf fights giants while under the influence of a Haste spell, he gets the +4 dodge bonus against giants and the +1 dodge bonus from the haste spell, for a total of a dodge bonus of +5. This is because dodge bonusses do stack. However, dodge bonusses are an exception to the rule and are specifically listed as such.
ravenshrike 12-16-06, 03:16 AM	Only if you're an artificer.
Fallenangel359 12-16-06, 11:08 AM	If you want high AC get ring of protection, amulet of natural armor, and either armor, or bracers of armor, and a shield Example, 10 ac base, +1 dexmod, +5 amulet of natural armor, +5 ring of protection, +5 full plate(base8), +5 tower shield (base4) 10+1+5+5+13+9, 43 AC
Nezkrul 12-16-06, 12:25 PM	they don't stack, OP, they overlap. Meaning, against most physical attacks the character uses the full plate's armor bonus, but against incorporeal touch attacks he gets the bracers armor bonus.