Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Noblehawk33 02-03-08, 09:24 PM	Does anyone have any ideas to boost a 1st to 3rd level character's AC without using armor? I am building a barbarian fighter from 1st level and the character does not want to wear armor. Thanks for the help.
Sagelyone 02-03-08, 10:28 PM	Is this just a roleplay thing? Cause a fighter/barb that refuses to wear armor won't be lasting long. Whatever your reasons may be, at 1st-3rd levels the best I can think of is to get the combat expertise and dodge feats with 5 ranks in tumble. In case you aren't using your full BAB you can just add that to your AC or if you really need to defend yourself you can just not attack and get +6 AC.
Fireclave 02-03-08, 10:32 PM	Buffs from your party's casters (Mage Armor, Barkskin, Protection from [Alignment]) Get a shield and invest in the PH2 shield feats Take Combat Expertise, and later, Improved Combat Expertise Take a level in monk Take a few levels in psychic warrior and learn powers like Inertial Armor Take the Dodge feat Invest in the Spring Attack chain (continued in the PH2) to put yourself at less risk of a full attack That's just off the top of my head.
Scion of Coldshard 02-03-08, 11:09 PM	If you go for the karmic strike feat quickly enough you dont really have to worry about AC, you just have to worry about getting a lot of healing and hitting hard ;) Other than that the main ways are through taking a level in monk or two levels in swordsage. 2 levels in monk is likely better than 1 though since you would get a whole lot of really good stuff, but those two levels in swordsage give some incredible things as well. Getting mage armor from a party member would be great, but at low levels the caster is likely to have few slots and the duration wont be good enough. If you take monk 2/crusader 1 with karmic strike, the healing stance, and the temp hp generating feat you will be a killing machine who takes hits from all over but just wont go down.
NyteBlade 02-04-08, 12:53 AM	Sacred Vow (Exalted Deeds) {+2 Diplomacy Checks} Vow of Poverty (Exalted Deeds) {+4 to AC and a bunch of other GREAT BENIFITS} If your DM allows you to use a mundane weapon like the greatsword (Family Hierloom), otherwise take a club (1d8 or large (1 size larger for 2d6 (-2 penalty on attack rolls must use 2 handed) or 2 sizes larger for 3d6 points of damage (-4 penalty on attack rolls and must use 2 handed)), and eventually pick up the Monkey Grip feat. Hierloom Greatsword Base Damage 2d4 Discription has Family Crest embeded on the hilt. It is rusted from years of dis-use. Then you will have a decent weapon, and with the extra feats and ac boosts you can have a barbarian that can pimp hand a great red dragon, and get hit by pretty much anything and walk away. Recomended Feat Tree for a Human Barb... Sacred Vow (Human Feat) (+2 to Diplomacy) Vow of Poverty (First Level Feat) (+4 AC, Becomes +5 at level 3. and gains Endure Elements) Intuitive Attack (Exalted Feat Level 1) (+1 to attack bonus) Righteous Wrath (Exalted Feat Level 2) (Potentially Cause Evil creatures to be come shaken) At 4th level any attack you make is considered magical. you also gain a bonus Exalted Feat. At 5th level you no longer need food nor water. At 6th you gain 1 more point to Armor AC, and +1 Deflection bonus, and another exalted feat. at 7th, you gain Resistance +1, and +2 to an ability score... it just gets more and more holy monkey from there. On your barb you can always say that your share of the treasure is sent to your tribe thus explaining your tithe. (Base AC for level 3 barb with vow of pov... is 15 plus dex. If you take 1 level of monk, then go barb, you gain your wis mod to the AC.... so you could potentially have an AC of 20+ by level 3 and NEVER use any armor.)
Father Dale 02-04-08, 11:24 AM	If going barbarian he would have to be non-lawful. That would rule out going monk since monks must be lawful. Of course, you could become lawful, take the monk level, then become non-lawful so you could rage again, although I think most DMs might have a slight problem with this... Note that Expertise won't work while raging. Bracers of armor are probably the simplest way to get some AC going without wearing actual armor. Having miss chances to attacks against you would help immensely, say from a Cloak of Displacement for example. But probably best is to have the party spellcasters buff you when necessary to have a good AC. Barkskin, Shield of Faith, Mage Armor, etc... Hopefully you have a good Dex though, which should help somewhat.
BraveSirPatrick 02-04-08, 12:38 PM	Unearthed Arcana (pg 58) has some variant class abilities. I would give hime the Monk unarmored AC bonus (including WIS bous to AC) and take away his Rage abilites.
Orenmir 02-04-08, 02:04 PM	A dip into Chaos Monk. Ring of Protection. Any magic item that grants/boosts Natural Armor. Any magic item that gives a bonus to AC (keep in mind the stacking rules). So that list or bonus types would be: Armor Deflection Insight Dodge Shield Natural What am I leaving out?
Noblehawk33 02-04-08, 09:42 PM	I am playing a half level Goliath barbarian Str. 22, Dex. 15, Con. 16 Int. 14, Wis. 12, Cha. 10 (half level being half HP until I get 2nd level experience to make up for LA +1) and he is very proud of his markings thus the no armor. He is using the goliath great hammer (3D6 +7 str. damage) with a +5 to hit at 1st level he can afford to fight defensively. The DM is strict with XP and treasure so I figure it will be a while till I get magical boosts like natural armor amulets and bracers of armor. I know the rules dont say that goliaths cant wear armor but with the auspicious makings feat I just see him as a Conan type with only a loin cloth or perhaps a leather kilt. This is why I wanted feats. I knew monk was a good choice but he has a medium wisdom and the alignment clash makes it unreasonable. So far he has gotten by with just smashing anything that gets close one hit kills most things at this level. After 3 fights he has been down to 1 HP twice. He is becoming good friends with the cleric.
Divisionbyzer0 02-04-08, 10:29 PM	If that weapon is two handed get improved buckler defense, or monkey grip like the other said and get a tower shield. If it's one handed for you get a tower shield. You could try convincing him to house rule the old combat and tactics "unarmored unencumbered warriors and rogues get +2 to their armor class" rule.
Airos 02-05-08, 12:23 AM	If your DM allows you to use a mundane weapon like the greatsword (Family Hierloom), otherwise take a club (1d8 or large (1 size larger for 2d6 (-2 penalty on attack rolls must use 2 handed) or 2 sizes larger for 3d6 points of damage (-4 penalty on attack rolls and must use 2 handed)), and eventually pick up the Monkey Grip feat. Two problems with that. #1: Inappropriately Sized Weapons: A creature can’t make optimum use of a weapon that isn’t properly sized for it. A cumulative –2 penalty applies on attack rolls for each size category of difference between the size of its intended wielder and the size of its actual wielder. If the creature isn’t proficient with the weapon a –4 nonproficiency penalty also applies. The measure of how much effort it takes to use a weapon (whether the weapon is designated as a light, one-handed, or two-handed weapon for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder’s size and the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. If a weapon’s designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can’t wield the weapon at all. (emphasis mine) You cannot wield a huge, (2 sizes larger than medium), club in two hands @ a -4 penalty. The size increase goes medium = one handed -> large = two handed -> huge = too large for a medium creature. #2: Monkey Grip won't help post 3.0. In 3.5 it only allows you to wield a weapon 1 size larger, but the amount of effort to wield it does not change. (i.e. a large long sword remains a 1 handed weapon, a large great sword remains a 2 handed weapon). It doesn't allow you to wield anything you couldn't already wield, nor does it reduce any penalties, it simply alters how many hands it takes to wield it. (Base AC for level 3 barb with vow of pov... is 15 plus dex. If you take 1 level of monk, then go barb, you gain your wis mod to the AC.... so you could potentially have an AC of 20+ by level 3 and NEVER use any armor.) Nor will he be able to use any other magic items. While the bonuses from VoP are nice, they aren't any better or worse than what you could already have with normal wealth for you level.
TifRhal 02-05-08, 10:35 AM	If your DM allows you to use a mundane weapon like the greatsword (Family Hierloom), otherwise take a club (1d8 or large (1 size larger for 2d6 (-2 penalty on attack rolls must use 2 handed) or 2 sizes larger for 3d6 points of damage (-4 penalty on attack rolls and must use 2 handed)), and eventually pick up the Monkey Grip feat weapons for a medium char goes medium = one handed -> large = two handed -> huge = too large for a medium creature. . but if you have a char that has the powerful build you can do this since the char is considered large for the size of the char wielding the weapon.
Zog_Jakome 02-05-08, 10:57 AM	A dip into Chaos Monk. Ring of Protection. Any magic item that grants/boosts Natural Armor. Any magic item that gives a bonus to AC (keep in mind the stacking rules). So that list or bonus types would be: Armor Deflection Insight Dodge Shield Natural What am I leaving out? Size? ... get smaller lol there is a class defense variant in unearthed arcana. you might be able to talk your DM into allowing that. weapons for a medium char goes medium = one handed -> large = two handed -> huge = too large for a medium creature. #2: Monkey Grip won't help post 3.0. In 3.5 it only allows you to wield a weapon 1 size larger, but the amount of effort to wield it does not change. (i.e. a large long sword remains a 1 handed weapon, a large great sword remains a 2 handed weapon). It doesn't allow you to wield anything you couldn't already wield, nor does it reduce any penalties, it simply alters how many hands it takes to wield it. exactly... normally medium club is one handed, then a large club is two handed wield a huge club with monkey grip and it is still two handed, granted there will be a -4 penalty but you can still wield it.
Damned slayer 02-05-08, 12:54 PM	Dragon magic class feature that remove heavy armor proficiency and replace it with a natural scale armor
Scion of Coldshard 02-05-08, 06:53 PM	First you said building but now you say playing, is the character still up to be changed or is this a character already in action at this point? If you can start from the beginning then taking pure druid with this (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druid) and this (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druidVariant DruidicAvenger) you can make a really interesting character. I would also recommend checking out complete psionic and looking up the psychoactive skin of ectoplasmic armor. Simply reflavor it so that the armor simply makes you look like more of what you already are: incredibly big, powerful, and your markings flash different colors based on your mood/actions/whatever. I would also again say to go for karmic strike, it seems right up there with what you are going for. It makes you easier to hit but then you turn right around and pound the foe into the ground. Taking a level or two of Fighter, Psychic Warrior, or the feat Rogue (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogue) will get you to the killing field faster and work better with your current build than the druid suggestion. No matter the path you take though I think that both the psychoactive skin and karmic strike should be way up there in things to get. ;)
Airos 02-06-08, 12:18 AM	but if you have a char that has the powerful build you can do this since the char is considered large for the size of the char wielding the weapon. Unlikely. Powerful Build: The physical stature of half-giants lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a half-giant is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the half-giant is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A half-giant is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A half-giant can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category. As a medium creature, powerful build allows you to wield a one handed weapon made for a large creature in one hand with no penalty, or a two handed weapon made for a large creature in two hands with no penalty. It says nothing about wielding a weapon as though you were one size larger, it says a weapon designed for a creature one size larger than you. exactly... normally medium club is one handed, then a large club is two handed wield a huge club with monkey grip and it is still two handed, granted there will be a -4 penalty but you can still wield it. Again, unlikely. Monkey Grip follows the same rules as powerful build. It does not say anything about being able to wield a weapon as though you were one size larger, it says that you can wield weapons one size larger than you. The only difference is that Monkey Grip keeps the -2 penalty for a weapon of the wrong size. The feat that both of you are trying to use is Wield Oversized Weapon, which is an [Epic] feat. That feat will allow you to do exactly what each of you believe Monkey Grip does. And before anyone asks; No. Monkey Grip and Powerful Build do not stack. As an afterthought, I would like to say that some people may consider this a fair house rule. While I, for one, would not allow Monkey Grip/Powerful Build to work like that in my game, if it's fun and fair in your games then have at it. Please just remember that it's a house rule and that they do not work that way as they are written.
NyteBlade 02-06-08, 03:58 PM	Thats good to know. Here is a thought for ya to think about for a future build based off this.... Fighter using Powerful Build or Monkey Grip to wield a huge Rapier as a 2 handed weapon. :DDD
Noblehawk33 02-06-08, 07:22 PM	Scion of Coldshard thanks for the advice and to answer your question I was building the character when I first posted and since then have begun playing him as I indicated but I am still looking for ways to raise his AC if possible and reasonable in character. My main problem is keeping him alive with such a low AC (12) until he has the funds to get bracers amulets and rings. Once he smashes a mage or two to a pulp I am sure he will be ok. Until then I guess he will fight defense and hope he gets a hit before he runs out of hp. Heavy litherderms will give him +1 dodge another +1 defensive +2 thats an AC of 16 (not good but not bad) and still will get a +3 to hit at 2nd level. I thought there might be a feat that improved defensive fighting. Perhaps rules for partial armor that would look like the art in Races of Stone. Also thanks to everyone for the weapons advice but I am very happy with the large greathammer the damage is awsome!
ToastedAmphibian 02-07-08, 04:28 PM	You know a better tactic to stop a sword from hitting you than a high ac? Sunder. SUNDER SUNDER SUNDER! You count as large due to powerfull build. Your using a two handed weapon. Your (Probably) crazy strong. Your weapon adds a +2. Save your feat for improved sunder and powerattack *Eventually combat brute. Save your money for a +1 adamantine Eager Goliath Warhammer of Knockback. charge, break weapon, send foe flying, laugh. (Hide from arrows)
Noblehawk33 02-07-08, 08:26 PM	ToastedAmphibian great idea sometimes I get so caught up in the usual way to do things that I miss a great tatic like you mentioned. A great fighter concept.