Natural Armor in this edition what does it stack with?

[Bellberith]

The monster manual has a couple templates that grant natural armor and i was wondering what it does / doesn't stack with since it never says anything from what i have read.

Things like Magic Armor / Armor / Unarmored Defense / Sorcerer's draconic skin.... ect

[Talyn]

Sorry to say, natural armor stacks with basically nothing, except shields and a high DEX. Like regular armor, Mage Armor, Dragon Skin, and Barbarian/Monk's unarmored defense, natural armor sets your base AC to a certain number, which can then be boosted by DEX and a shield.

You only use the best "base AC" that you qualify for, none of them stack with each other.

[Giant2005]

Some forms of natural armor stack such as the +1 to AC from being a Warforged or the +1 to AC for being a Werebear. Basically anything that is a static bonus prefixed with a +, can stack with any one formula unless that particular formula specifies otherwise.

[Naanomi]

Can stack with Defense Fighting Style so long as you are also wearing some (presumably worse than your natural AC) armor

[ChubbyRain]

Can stack with Defense Fighting Style so long as you are also wearing some (presumably worse than your natural AC) armor

Well natural armor sucks, there is a reason why a monk dip is very popular for druid. And yeah, you can pick which AC value to use, usually the highest value of course.

[Naanomi]

Well natural armor sucks, there is a reason why a monk dip is very popular for druid. And yeah, you can pick which AC value to use, usually the highest value of course.
Druid form of... Giant Crab! There are a few good AC natural armor types out there.

[D.U.P.A.]

Natural armor is treated as heavy armor (which means dex has no effect on it)?

[EvanescentHero]

Most natural armor is formulaic in this edition. You simply use the formula it gives you. You can only use one formula at once; monk and barbarian unarmored defense, for example, don't stack. Unless you get a flat bonus to your AC, like a warforged's +1, natural armor probably won't stack with fabricated/magical/unarmored defenses.

[ChubbyRain]

Druid form of... Giant Crab! There are a few good AC natural armor types out there.

Well if being a giant crab is fun and useful a majority of the time ten have at it.

It just sucka that a lot of the front line critters don't get front line AC.

[Dimcair]

Gotta necro this one rather than opening a new one:

So what Class can then benefit from a Amulet of Natural Armor +1?

Or where exactly are the rules for this so I can read up on it myself? If there are none, I assume it is safe to go with 3.x rules concerning stacking of armor.

[Flashy]

So what Class can then benefit from a Amulet of Natural Armor +1?

No class can benefit from an Amulet of Natural Armor because that's a magic item that no longer exists. The closest item, Bracers of Defense, grant you a +2 AC if you are wearing no armor and carrying no shield. That would presumably stack with unarmored defense and dragon resilience, but nothing else.

[Dimcair]

Let's assume for a minute my DM just threw a Amulet of Natural Armor +1 in the loot pot. We gave it to the Monk for now but yes, I am unsure if that will stack (The Monk also has +2 Bracers).

The DMG says nothing about what Natural Armor stacks with I think, so Base 10 +1 Natural + Dex + Wis + Bracers could work, but it seems too much? Should I just throw that item away? Or Wear it as a Mage while I am not casting Mage armor on myself? Well, to make it short, what does it Stack with, Can a being that has a natural armor bonus still put on some armor and benefit? Sooo complicated sigh.


/edit: So to make it clear we have the following tools:

Mage Armor (Spell)
AC +2 (Bracers)
Natural Armor +1 (Amulet)
A Character calculating his AC the normal way (10+Dex+Armor)
A Character calculating his AC an alternative way (10+Dex+Wis)

Who can use what in what combinations? Is the monk even allowed to wear the Bracers or does that count as armor?

[Flashy]

Let's assume for a minute my DM just threw a Amulet of Natural Armor +1 in the loot pot. We gave it to the Monk for now but yes, I am unsure if that will stack (The Monk also has +2 Bracers).

The DMG says nothing about what Natural Armor stacks with I think, so Base 10 +1 Natural + Dex + Wis + Bracers could work, but it seems too much? Should I just throw that item away? Or Wear it as a Mage while I am not casting Mage armor on myself? Well, to make it short, what does it Stack with, Can a being that has a natural armor bonus still put on some armor and benefit? Sooo complicated sigh.

Honestly I'd just treat it as a +1 to AC and move on with my life. That's clearly what your DM intended it to be without realizing that the rules for natural armor had changed wildly with the edition shift.

The answer is that you aren't going to find an easy answer to what natural armor stacks with because natural armor doesn't really stack with anything anymore. There are no cases where natural armor would do anything but change your base armor calculation. If I had to provide a strict mechanistic interpretation I would probably say that an amulet of natural armor +1 sets your AC to 11+dex.

The problem is that you aren't thinking about AC in the way 5e treats it. The character calculating their armor in the normal way isn't treating their AC as 10+Dex+Armor they're treating it as Armor+Dex (if any). Armor isn't about stacking modifiers it's about changing the equation, and natural armor is just a kind of armor.

[Giant2005]

There are no cases where natural armor would do anything but change your base armor calculation..
That isn't actually true, cases do exist such as the Werebear or the Warforged.
The part that Dimcair can't wrap his head around is it is irrelevant what you call the item that is adding to your armor class. If it is proceeded by a + (As in the cast of the amulet he mentioned) then it is added to your AC. If it isn't proceeded by a +, then it replaces your AC. It doesn't matter if you call it natural armor, magical armor, physical armor, or invent any other term you want to call the armor, the mechanics don't change.

[Flashy]

That isn't actually true, cases do exist such as the Werebear or the Warforged.
The part that Dimcair can't wrap his head around is it is irrelevant what you call the item that is adding to your armor class. If it is proceeded by a + (As in the cast of the amulet he mentioned) then it is added to your AC. If it isn't proceeded by a +, then it replaces your AC. It doesn't matter if you call it natural armor, magical armor, physical armor, or invent any other term you want to call the armor, the mechanics don't change.

You're actually totally right. I got lost in the wording myself.

[Dimcair]

Nah I can wrap my head around the formulas, you pick one you roll with it.

The +X items I will then just treat like in 3.x. You cant Stack + Bonuses with + Bonuses of the Same kind, gotta pick the higher one.

But that Means I Can wear Bracers of armor +2 And Amulet +1 AND then cast Mage armor on top of that equaling 13+(1)+2+Dex. Or did I get that wrong? Its here were I trip.

[Giant2005]

But that Means I Can wear Bracers of armor +2 And Amulet +1 AND then cast Mage armor on top of that equaling 13+(1)+2+Dex. Or did I get that wrong? Its here were I trip.

That depends on whether or not your DM considers Mage Armor to be Armor enough to cancel out the Bracers of Armor bonus. If he treats Mage Armor as Unarmored AC then what you said is right but if he treats Mage Armor as Armor, then you wouldn't be able to use that as well as the Bracers of Armor which would result in 2 less AC.

[Easy_Lee]

The general rule this edition is that, if a thing says it sets your AC, or that your AC equals a number, then that thing does not stack with any other method of calculating AC. Things that add AC, like shield and the shield spell, stack.

[Dimcair]

That is a good point.

On the one hand Mage Armor changes the calculation for my Base AC.

On the other hand the effect described by the Bracers and the Mage Armor is similar, except for the before mentioned calculation.


For my benefit however: Are bracers armor enough so the monk cant wear them? If not they shouldn't interfere with mage armor either.

[Easy_Lee]

That is a good point.

On the one hand Mage Armor changes the calculation for my Base AC.

On the other hand the effect described by the Bracers and the Mage Armor is similar, except for the before mentioned calculation.


For my benefit however: Are bracers armor enough so the monk cant wear them? If not they shouldn't interfere with mage armor either.

It depends on the item in question. If it sets your AC to a thing, "as if you were wearing armor," then that becomes one way of calculating your AC (choose the highest) and you arguably don't count as wearing armor. If it just adds +1 AC or whatever, then it stacks with anything that it doesn't specifically say that it doesn't stack with.

Previous editions had each bonus only applicable once, so you only got your highest "shield" bonus, your highest "deflection" bonus, etc. I don't know if that kind of thing is still in effect. You choose the best AC formula you have, and add static +1s to it if you have them.

[lonewulf]

Throwing in my 2 cents on one part of the question: Bracers are technically a piece of armor. So, I would say (my opinion which may be wrong) that the Monk cant benefit from the Bracers and Unarmored Defense at the same time.

[EvanescentHero]

Throwing in my 2 cents on one part of the question: Bracers are technically a piece of armor. So, I would say (my opinion which may be wrong) that the Monk cant benefit from the Bracers and Unarmored Defense at the same time.

The Bracers are one of the only magic items that was clearly and without a doubt designed for the monk (and to a lesser extent the barbarian). Taking that away is unnecessary at the very least.

[Wartex1]

Also, I'm fairly certain the Bracers are listed under Wondrous Item, not Armor.

[Gnomes2169]

Nah I can wrap my head around the formulas, you pick one you roll with it.

The +X items I will then just treat like in 3.x. You cant Stack + Bonuses with + Bonuses of the Same kind, gotta pick the higher one.

But that Means I Can wear Bracers of armor +2 And Amulet +1 AND then cast Mage armor on top of that equaling 13+(1)+2+Dex. Or did I get that wrong? Its here were I trip.

Actually, there isnt any more enchantment/ armor/ natural/ luck/ deflection/ holy/ profane/ competence/ resistance/ inherent bonus type in 5e anymore. Just the flavor of how an item gives you its benefits. Two rings of protection, for example, will stack with one another as long as you attune both, just like two manuals of perfect health would stack, and two shields if you put them on both arms and carried no weapons. The only things that explicitly do not stack in 5e are spells, and that's only if you cast the same spell twice, and even then, damage spells are an exception to that rule (you can always deal more damage on your damage, yo. :smalltongue:). So the bracers of armor, this amulet (which can be the amulet of fluffy bunny armor +1 for all it matters) and a warforged's natural armor bonus would all stack, giving you the formula of: 10+dex+4 for a non monk's AC, and 10+dex+wis+4 for a monk... And then the much more likely 10+dex+con+4 for a barbarian warforged. Where the bonus comes from does not matter, as long as the same spell is not being used.

Mage armor changes the AC formula to 13+dex, and we have had this debate before. Since it changes the formula from unarmored defense (10+dex+wis), you use whichever formula is higher, mage armor does not provide a bonus so it does not stack. As for if mage armor and the bracers of unarmored defense stacking... I'll leave that decision to each DM, but I personally wouldn't, if only for the purposes of not letting a wizard stack AC to the frontline level without any Dex investment (mage armor+bracers+shield=20 AC, dex makes it higher).


Throwing in my 2 cents on one part of the question: Bracers are technically a piece of armor. So, I would say (my opinion which may be wrong) that the Monk cant benefit from the Bracers and Unarmored Defense at the same time.

The bracers don't count as armor, actually. In fact, by their name they are explicitly meant for unarmored characters. It's why they are classified as a wondrous item instead of armor or a shield, and why they provide a bonus (which stacks with any AC formula, unless that formula specifically calls it out in the description like a monk's unarmored AC and a non-spell shield) instead of changing how you calculate your armor class from the ground up. The bracers stack just as much as a ring of protection in this edition.

[Vogonjeltz]

For my benefit however: Are bracers armor enough so the monk cant wear them? If not they shouldn't interfere with mage armor either.

First off, it's Bracers of Defense in 5th Edition, there are no Bracers of Armor.
Second, they're a wondrous item, not armor. Indeed, the very description says you only gain the bonus to AC if you are wearing no armor and using no shield.

So the Monk can absolutely use them, as could someone in Mage armor. It's a bonus, not a formula.