Marshal/Sorcerer Based Gish with Dragonscale Husk

[Yogibear41]

Is there anyway to make a Marshal and Sorcerer based gish using the DragonScale Husk Variant from Dragon Magic to close to its full effect without losing alot of casting levels?

Basically a prestige class that advances sorcerer casting with a good BAB bonus that also grants heavy armor prof, unless there is some other way to advance the class feature.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Dragonscale Husk doesn't actually work, due to the following sentence from its Benefit section:
"This bonus doesn’t stack with any feat, racial trait, or other special ability that would grant you a bonus to Armor Class."

Spells count as special abilities, so you wouldn't be able to benefit from any spells that grant a bonus to AC, unless the bonus they provide is more than Dragonscale Husk, in which case it's overridden by the spell(s). It doesn't stack with Combat Expertise, Dodge, Two-Weapon Defense, any of the Devotion feats that grant an AC bonus, etc. If you wear an Amulet of Natural Armor, it provides an enhancement bonus to your racial natural armor bonus, even if it's normally +0, so since that improves a racial AC bonus, it also doesn't stack with Dragonscale Husk.

The worst part about it is, it actually does stack with any armor worn, since it doesn't provide an armor bonus and it doesn't occupy an item spot. You'll take the armor check penalty to attack rolls for nonproficiency, but something like a Mithral Shirt has no armor check penalty so there's no drawback for nonproficiency.

Dragonscale Husk just isn't worth using without significant house rules. An arcane gish should use (Greater) Luminous Armor and Shield with Abjurant Champion 5 to get a +13 armor bonus and a +9 shield bonus at level 12, for a total of +21, while Dragonscale Husk only gives +10 at level 12. As a gish you should be using (Mass) Resist Energy when needed or cast Energy Immunity multiple times, so the energy resistance it grants is also irrelevant. Dragonscale Husk was designed to give characters who don't cast spells a defensive boost, but it was horribly executed.

[Karnith]

The worst part about it is, it actually does stack with any armor worn, since it doesn't provide an armor bonus and it doesn't occupy an item spot.
Well, the bonus from Dragonscale Husk would stack with an armor bonus to AC (provided that said bonus doesn't come from a feat, racial trait, or special ability), but having the Husk on prevents you from wearing armor. Per Dragon Magic:

Your dragonscale husk is treated as medium armor for the purpose of determining your speed and whether you can use class features or other special abilities. It allows a maximum Dexterity bonus to Armor Class of +2 and has an armor check penalty of -4. You can sleep in your husk without penalty. You cannot wear any other armor while your husk is present.(Emphasis mine)

[Joe the Rat]

So Shields and Dastana and the like should still work, but not Shield?

I'm thinking there's something not quite as intended here...

[Yogibear41]

Biff you are reading the rules to hard, its armor= it is an armor bonus, so it stacks with shield bonuses, natural armor, and deflection. So compare it to greater mage armor and there you have it.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Biff you are reading the rules to hard, its armor= it is an armor bonus, so it stacks with shield bonuses, natural armor, and deflection. So compare it to greater mage armor and there you have it.

Greater Mage Armor specifies that it grants an armor bonus, and it doesn't specifically state that its bonus does not stack with any feat, racial trait, or other special ability that gives you a bonus to AC. Dragonscale Husk doesn't specify a bonus type, so it's an untyped bonus, but it specifically doesn't stack with many bonuses from certain types of sources. You could wear Bracers of Armor with it and it will stack, but you can't benefit from Mage Armor or Shield with it because those bonuses are from a special ability (spellcasting).

[nedz]

Biffoniacus_Furiou is right, Dragonscale Husk is known to be a dysfunctional rule. thisisacat explained it quite well over on the Dysfunctional rules thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13947180&postcount=911).

Basically it requires a house rule to work, so you have to talk to your DM.

[Yogibear41]

I understand what he is saying, I am saying its clearly obvious how it was intended to work, sometimes you have to use a little common sense. :smallsmile:

Its just an alternative to buying full plate and the scaling bonus ends up being roughly the same as a set of full plate boosted from +1 to +5

[nedz]

I understand what he is saying, I am saying its clearly obvious how it was intended to work, sometimes you have to use a little common sense. :smallsmile:

Its just an alternative to buying full plate and the scaling bonus ends up being roughly the same as a set of full plate boosted from +1 to +5

One thing which is defined is that the scaling is linked to the class you sacrificed the Armour proficiency from — so multi-classing is bad.

[Ellowryn]

Btw Biffoniacus_Furiou, Luminous Armor wouldn't work with his build anyway, or any sorcerer build, because as a sanctified spell it can only be cast by casters who prepare spells. Greater Mage Armor would be your best bet.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Btw Biffoniacus_Furiou, Luminous Armor wouldn't work with his build anyway, or any sorcerer build, because as a sanctified spell it can only be cast by casters who prepare spells. Greater Mage Armor would be your best bet.

There's a feat called Arcane Preparation that will allow a spontaneous caster to use sanctified spells. He could also do the Ancestral Relic Runestaff trick and put it on that.