Defending Weapons to boost your AC

[Xcalber]

I've got a question about using the defending weapon enhancement to boost your AC. Can you enchant your shield spikes, armor spikes, gauntlets, and melee weapon all with +5 defending to get a +20 to your AC? If so is there a limit to how high you can go with it? How about enchanting your boots? Or even carrying around a bunch of other +5 Defending items on your back and using them to bump up your ac too? I'm just not sure if it stacks or at what point it wouldn't work? Thanks!

[Rebel7284]

It's an unnamed bonus which typically stacks.

However, bonuses from the same source don't stack.

Is "Defending" the source or is each individual item? This is not 100% clear and is Ask your DM territory.

Also, using super RAW, it can only be put on a sword. ;)

Using RAI, it still has to be a weapon, so no boots, but all the hidden weapons from complete scoundrel could apply.

[Curmudgeon]

There's a very specific limitation to Defending; it pays to read carefully.
Defending

A defending weapon allows the wielder to transfer some or all of the sword’s enhancement bonus to his AC as a bonus that stacks with all others. It's not going to help you with shield spikes, armor spikes, gauntlets, or any melee weapon which isn't a sword.

[Telonius]

Yeah, this is one of those debates that keeps cropping up every once in awhile. One thread about it from way back in 2009 (with at least two people who have posted here today): here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-113486.html).

EDIT: One thing that's settled about it, though: having a golf bag full of +5 defending weapons isn't going to help you. You have to actually wield the weapon in order to get the bonus.

[Psyren]

Pathfinder changed it to "weapon," allowing armor spikes, but you must attack with the weapon to get the bonus.

[sleepyphoenixx]

As other have said, theoretically you can have as many defending weapons as you can wield at one time. Carrying them definitely isn't enough.

Seeing how a single defending weapon already costs ~8300gp though (with a +1 bonus)... it's not really worth stacking them. Especially considering that sooner rather than later you'll come to a point where a good chunk of that extra AC isn't going to do anything against 99% of enemies even if they use melee. You just need enough to only be hit on a 20 after all, everything beyond that is wasted. And even that much is usually overkill from a price/benefit perspective.

That leads to my second point: WBL is (usually) not unlimited. By the level you can afford to do so AC isn't all that helpful anymore so it's not really something that's ever actually come up in a game i've played in. There are a lot of better things to do with 8000gpafter all.