AC Questions

[HereBeMonsters]

Hello people of the Playground I have a few questions.
Does anyone know if someone has done an average AC guide for levels? So Average AC at lvl 1-20.

What are ways to enhance Monk's AC?
I have a monk in my party and he gets hit a lot more then I would have thought. He has a good Wis stat giving him +4 to AC and +3 to Dex. We are at level 5 and his AC is like 18 due to a Bracers of Armor +1.

What else would you lot recommend him get to have a higher AC and what should we all have about that level?

[Urpriest]

In terms of giving your Monk friend higher AC, swap those Bracers of Armor for a Pearl of Power. If you've got a caster in the group who knows Mage Armor, they can cast it on the Monk for a higher bonus.

In general, Monk is a pretty weak class and not the sort of thing most players take more than a few levels in, so chances are whatever the player multiclasses into later will help with the AC issues. For example, Psychic Warriors get Inertial Armor and various other defensive powers, while most casters get one AC buff or another.

[HereBeMonsters]

We don't Optimize we go with characters we like to RP not so much battle mechanics but I want to make sure he is not always hovering at death after a tough fight every time.

But the Mage Armor is a good idea, I am gonna suggest our caster pick up a wand of it for him.

Psionics are banned... my fault (I broke a diplomatic portion of our last campaign with a telepath psion and the DM has banned it till he learns the system better.)

[ZamielVanWeber]

We don't Optimize we go with characters we like to RP not so much battle mechanics but I want to make sure he is not always hovering at death after a tough fight every time.

He's playing a Monk. He pretty much needs a Belt of Magnificence, Nat Armor items, armor items, deflection items, just to keep up.
That or rely entirely on party members for buffs (and some of the above items).

[Ailowynn]

Average AC is probably something around 15 for levels 1-3ish, 20 for 5-7ish, 22 for 8-10...and after that, it's just a question of how much you want to spend.

As for the Monk...it's just a poorly designed class. Get the caster to give you Mage Armor and Shield, and keep a potion or two of each on hand, just in case. And a Wand of Cure Light Wounds for someone in the party is a really good investment for out-of-/pre- combat healing.

[Yawgmoth]

Have him go Dark Moon Disciple ACFs from the champions of valor web supplement. 50% miss chance in conditions other than full daylight is amazing and will always be better than (a) AC, and (b) the Wholeness of Body effect you swap out. Plus he can swap out Still Mind for 60ft darkvision, which is also solid.

[drack]

I'll confess, most monks I've seen had the highest AC of the party. That said AC can range from 10 to a bit under 50 at low levels depending on op, and higher if your GM allows silly stuff. (higher end is ill advised as it often comes at large sacrifices to other stuff, but 30ish I've seen work fine)

[JusticeZero]

Psionics are banned... my fault (I broke a diplomatic portion of our last campaign with a telepath psion and the DM has banned it till he learns the system better.)
Ugh, a wizard can do that easier. People are always startled to discover that the spell offerings in Enchantment are more potent at mind control than a Telepath Psion.
Try running a Psionics-only game sometime. It doesn't take long to get comfortable with the system. The PF-DSP stuff covers all the bases you need for a balanced party 1-20.