Reducing Armor Check penalties for Full Plate [Archive] - Wizards Community

Reducing Armor Check penalties for Full Plate [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
gravitywell
03-30-08, 08:48 PM I'm iterested in reducing the AC penalties with full plate.

My fighter will be crafting his own full plate from Mithril as soon as the next shipment rolls into our local town. This alone will bring the penalties up to -3.

I've seen some mention of feats that I could train that would help my fighter adapt better to his armor and reduce pentalties. What are these feats, and what other things could I do?
Orenmir
03-30-08, 09:36 PM Heavy Armor Optimization

and

Greater Heavy Armor Optimization

Both improve AC and decrease ACP. And both are found in Races of Stone. Enjoy!
foxtail
03-31-08, 10:33 AM In addition to the feats Orenmir mentioned, the nimbleness enhancement (Magic of Faerun, IIRC) will reduce both armor check penalty and increase the max Dex bonus.
gravitywell
03-31-08, 12:22 PM Thank you for the quick replies. According to my Bookstore run, I'd still have -1 Armor check penalty if I invested two feats for this. Nimbleness, although I'm not sure what it does specifically, I'm sure would correct that last -1 at least. My only concern with magical enchantments is the reduction of my planned +5. The cost for +6 vs +5 (to me anyway) is crazy,

Prehaps I should take this thread into the CO boards, but ...

Is full-plate the optimal armor to do this with? Could I get a higher Armor bonus somewhere with a lower Armor Check?
Merestil Haye
03-31-08, 12:45 PM The cost for +6 vs +5 (to me anyway) is crazy,I'm not sure (from this) whether you have misread something.

The cost of +5 Armour of Nimbleness is 36,000gp, only 11,000gp above +5 armour. At high levels, that increase is a drop in the bucket.

I'm a little concerned that you may be thinking the price of +5 armour with a +1 ability is the same as +6 armour. It's not, because the latter crosses the relevant threshold into the area of epic items which the former does not, triggering a price multiplier that does not apply to regular items.
Donai
03-31-08, 07:54 PM I don't know the books as well as others; but I'm having my 14 dex cleric purchase mithral sectioned armor (planar handbook) which I believe should go to -2 armor check penalty in its heaviest form. Boots of springing and striding keep me at 30 and if I plan to be around water or needing climb checks I can remove some of the plates at a loss of 3 AC points; but also negate the armor check penalty and move at 40.

Sectioned armor is 1500 gp higher than full plate; but when paying through the nose for mithral it seemed smart to go sectioned. It is 5 pounds heavier than full plate though (after halving it due to mithral). Next I'll be looking to move in a dex item. My DM is also letting me add 'dwarvencraft' to the property so it will have an insane amount of hit points.
gravitywell
03-31-08, 11:09 PM A player at our game pointed out something else I might be mis-reading.

Mithral reduces armor check penalties by 3, and all mithral is considered MW. So, does a mithral armor actually have a reduction of -4 compared to normal non-masterwork armor?
Merestil Haye
04-01-08, 07:08 AM A player at our game pointed out something else I might be mis-reading.

Mithral reduces armor check penalties by 3, and all mithral is considered MW. So, does a mithral armor actually have a reduction of -4 compared to normal non-masterwork armor?Mithral reduces ACP by 3 in total. The reduction from masterwork quality is subsumed into that reduction.

This is confirmed by a statement in the FAQ (page 50, lh column, December 2007 version of the FAQ).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
gravitywell 03-30-08, 08:48 PM	I'm iterested in reducing the AC penalties with full plate. My fighter will be crafting his own full plate from Mithril as soon as the next shipment rolls into our local town. This alone will bring the penalties up to -3. I've seen some mention of feats that I could train that would help my fighter adapt better to his armor and reduce pentalties. What are these feats, and what other things could I do?
Orenmir 03-30-08, 09:36 PM	Heavy Armor Optimization and Greater Heavy Armor Optimization Both improve AC and decrease ACP. And both are found in Races of Stone. Enjoy!
foxtail 03-31-08, 10:33 AM	In addition to the feats Orenmir mentioned, the nimbleness enhancement (Magic of Faerun, IIRC) will reduce both armor check penalty and increase the max Dex bonus.
gravitywell 03-31-08, 12:22 PM	Thank you for the quick replies. According to my Bookstore run, I'd still have -1 Armor check penalty if I invested two feats for this. Nimbleness, although I'm not sure what it does specifically, I'm sure would correct that last -1 at least. My only concern with magical enchantments is the reduction of my planned +5. The cost for +6 vs +5 (to me anyway) is crazy, Prehaps I should take this thread into the CO boards, but ... Is full-plate the optimal armor to do this with? Could I get a higher Armor bonus somewhere with a lower Armor Check?
Merestil Haye 03-31-08, 12:45 PM	The cost for +6 vs +5 (to me anyway) is crazy,I'm not sure (from this) whether you have misread something. The cost of +5 Armour of Nimbleness is 36,000gp, only 11,000gp above +5 armour. At high levels, that increase is a drop in the bucket. I'm a little concerned that you may be thinking the price of +5 armour with a +1 ability is the same as +6 armour. It's not, because the latter crosses the relevant threshold into the area of epic items which the former does not, triggering a price multiplier that does not apply to regular items.
Donai 03-31-08, 07:54 PM	I don't know the books as well as others; but I'm having my 14 dex cleric purchase mithral sectioned armor (planar handbook) which I believe should go to -2 armor check penalty in its heaviest form. Boots of springing and striding keep me at 30 and if I plan to be around water or needing climb checks I can remove some of the plates at a loss of 3 AC points; but also negate the armor check penalty and move at 40. Sectioned armor is 1500 gp higher than full plate; but when paying through the nose for mithral it seemed smart to go sectioned. It is 5 pounds heavier than full plate though (after halving it due to mithral). Next I'll be looking to move in a dex item. My DM is also letting me add 'dwarvencraft' to the property so it will have an insane amount of hit points.
gravitywell 03-31-08, 11:09 PM	A player at our game pointed out something else I might be mis-reading. Mithral reduces armor check penalties by 3, and all mithral is considered MW. So, does a mithral armor actually have a reduction of -4 compared to normal non-masterwork armor?
Merestil Haye 04-01-08, 07:08 AM	A player at our game pointed out something else I might be mis-reading. Mithral reduces armor check penalties by 3, and all mithral is considered MW. So, does a mithral armor actually have a reduction of -4 compared to normal non-masterwork armor?Mithral reduces ACP by 3 in total. The reduction from masterwork quality is subsumed into that reduction. This is confirmed by a statement in the FAQ (page 50, lh column, December 2007 version of the FAQ).