Heavier than Mountain Plate? (3.5)

[Barbarian MD]

I've looked and looked, but I have yet to find an armor that gives more than a +10 bonus to AC. Is anyone aware of one? It doesn't matter how usable it is, I just want to find MOAR!

[Psyren]

You're falling on someone's head aren't you

[dgnslyr]

Maybe Mechanus Gear? Isn't it basically fantasy Power Armor? That might be worth looking into.

[Barbarian MD]

Mechanus Gear is also only +10. Interlocking plate gives +10 if you don't move (normally +8).

But I'm looking for MOAR!

[dgnslyr]

IIRC, it also boosts strength and dexterity by four points each if you make a Craft check, or something like that, so it's effective AC is a hair higher. What exactly are you trying to do with all this AC?

[TheGeckoKing]

Are there rules for wearing multiple armors layered on each other?
Mechanus Gear + Full Sectioned Armor + Mountain Plate = :smalleek:

[Barbarian MD]

IIRC, it also boosts strength and dexterity by four points each if you make a Craft check, or something like that, so it's effective AC is a hair higher. What exactly are you trying to do with all this AC?

I didn't know that. I'll have to check into it.

It's mostly for role-play purposes. 1 or 2 extra AC isn't going to be that exciting, but I feel like it fits the character very well.

I've got Level 13, Gargantuan Were-Bear, strength 56, with max Craft (armor), using this version of Heavy Armor Optimization: +0: When you are wearing heavy armor, lessen the armor check penalty of the armor by 1 and increase the armor bonus by 1.
+1: Ignore movement penalties due to the armor that you are wearing. Your armor still counts toward your carrying capacity, and you take normal penalties if you become encumbered.
+6: The armor check penalty is lessened by a total of 3, and the armor bonus is increased by a total of 2 (this includes the bonuses from previous iterations of this feat).
+11: The armor check penalty is lessened by a total of 5, your maximum dexterity increases by 1, and the armor bonus is increased by a total of 4.
+16: While wearing heavy armor, you gain DR 10/-. If you already have some form of DR, your existing DR improves by +10.
So basically, no armor is too heavy for him. :smallbiggrin:


Are there rules for wearing multiple armors layered on each other?
Mechanus Gear + Full Sectioned Armor + Mountain Plate = :smalleek:
This. This, a thousand times this.

[Ravens_cry]

You can if you want, but armour bonuses don't stack. Armour Check Penalties do however, IIRC, so going Russian Doll with armour only makes it harder to do things.

[subject42]

You can if you want, but armour bonuses don't stack. Armour Check Penalties do however, IIRC, so going Russian Doll with armour only makes it harder to do things.

This borders on Madness, but couldn't you wear regular plate and then riverine plate? Since half of the Riverine plate's bonus is deflection, wouldn't that stack?

I'm sure it violates some sort of slot or itemization rule somewhere.

[Old Man NPC]

You'd need an epic feat to wear two armors and benefit from them. Extra item slot, or some such thing...

[Alleine]

IIRC, it also boosts strength and dexterity by four points each if you make a Craft check, or something like that, so it's effective AC is a hair higher. What exactly are you trying to do with all this AC?

That would be clockwork armor (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070212a), but it only provides the same bonus as full plate. It requires some investment to be worth it, what with the freezing and the easy breaking.

[Scoot]

It's kind of different, but in Unveiled Masters: The Essential Guide to Mind Flayers, there is Powered Carpace Armor.

They're basicly giant living suits of armor, but you need at least 10 power points to use them, and they grant Natural Amor instead of normal AC.

The smallest one give +12, Medium gives +16, and the Heavy gives +20.

I don't believe a Gargantuan creature can fit in them, though, but it's a higher bonus than +10.

[Necroticplague]

You'd need an epic feat to wear two armors and benefit from them. Extra item slot, or some such thing...

Extra Item Slot is nonepic monstrous feat from Savage Species, with the only requirement being that your body must be capable of holding such object. Of course, even a standard humanoid body can hold more than the slots have, the magic just cancels out.

[Fizban]

Without 3rd party sources, I'm pretty sure you're never going to find something above +10. The best armors have a combined "max AC bonus," the sum of their armor and max dex bonus, of +9 or +10. The heaviest armors available have +10 armor and +0 max dex, usually with an extra speed reduction (side note: Mountain Plate is crap, Mechanus Gear has better stats and doesn't cost a feat). The only way to increase the max AC further is to use mithral to increase the max dex another 2 points and use the nimble enhancement, for a total of +10 armor, +3 max dex, and +5 enhancement (not counting other bonus types of course). Considering this limitation on the system and the way that mithral works, you could easily homebrew a material that increases the armor's AC bonus by +2, in exchange for making it heavier and adding more penalties. Since the end result isn't any better than you can get with mithral it should be perfectly balanced.

If you want 3rd party, there's a nice book called Sorcery and Steam, from the Legends and Lair series by Fantasy Flight Games. It has rules for powered armor, which give you higher and higher armor bonuses to AC along with options for other stuff. Price-wise it works out to basically letting you buy two sets of enhancement bonuses, with the powered armor going farther than magic can and then layering magic on top of that. There's also some horrible base classes, seriously detailed firearm rules, and other stuff.

[Closet_Skeleton]

There's armour that can be worn over other armour in oriental adventures.

[Barbarian MD]

Definitely going to check out the Sorcery and Steam supplement. That sounds like a possible winner.

Closet, can you elaborate? I don't have a copy of OA.

[Dusk Eclipse]

I think he is talking about Dastana and Chairana... or something like that, they are extra armour, that sadly (for your purposes) can only be used in conjunction with medium (or maybe even light I don't remember exactly) armour, they are mostly used to get enhancement for cheaper prices.

[Barbarian MD]

Just bought Sorcery and Steam for $5 from DriveThruRPG. I'm loving this, particularly the extra add-ons (shoulder cannons!) and malfunctions (roll a 1 and have the possibility of exploding!)

Thanks for the help everyone.

[Starbuck_II]

Extra Item Slot is nonepic monstrous feat from Savage Species, with the only requirement being that your body must be capable of holding such object. Of course, even a standard humanoid body can hold more than the slots have, the magic just cancels out.

Only needed for magic armor, you can wear multiple mundane armors.

[TheCountAlucard]

I think he is talking about Dastana and Chairana... or something like that, they are extra armour, that sadly (for your purposes) can only be used in conjunction with medium (or maybe even light I don't remember exactly) armour, they are mostly used to get enhancement for cheaper prices.Could always go the mithral route. Bam, now the full plate is medium, can wear them over it.