Armor and Shield Help.

[Metahuman1]

Ok, I've built a character for a game on the forum. Character is a Giant focused on Unarmed Combat and Natural Attacks. Since this character worked out to have no real Dex to speak of, I need some help boosting AC and more importantly, Touch AC. I have a +3 Shield and +5 Armor of my choosing to work with and fighter armor and shield proficiency's from a 1 level dip I took.

I also have 18,000GP on top of that.


I'm looking for a way, within that budget, to assign the AC and Shield bonus to my touch armor class as well as my regular armor class. A spell or magic item perhaps. Does the playground have any suggestions?

Of note: We won't have much magic mart access since the game it taking place in what, essentially, is a post apocalyptic setting. So, working starting gear is going to be important.

[KillianHawkeye]

Well I'm not too familiar with any spells that will do this, although I bet there are some. That being said, here's my suggestion:

Ghost Ward is a magic armor/shield property with a +1 cost that allows you to add your enhancement bonuses from the armor and/or shield (but sadly not the base armor or shield bonus) to your touch AC. You can find it in the Magic Item Compendium.

There's also the Shield Ward feat (Player's Handbook II), which only requires Shield Specialization, and allows you to add your whole shield bonus to touch AC (as well as on checks to resist bull rush, disarm, grapple, overrun and trip). Shield Specialization itself increases your effective shield bonus by one as well.

Putting those together, you can have a +4 Ghost Ward armor (instead of a +5 armor) and your +3 shield, with two fairly easy to get feats, and add 9 or 10 to your touch AC. Not bad at all if you can spare the feats!

[OldTrees1]

Ring of Deflection +1 is only 2K gp and adds to all 3 AC values.

Tangent: However in a post apocalyptic(no market) setting I would be more concerned with qualitative boosts than quantitative boosts. (I refrain from mentioning any since this is only a tangent)

[KillianHawkeye]

Yeah, I figured that a Ring of Protection went without saying, so I didn't mention it. :smallsmile:

[Metahuman1]

That ring was suggested by the DM, but I think a +8 Touch AC for 2K vs. a 33 or better regular AC is going to still leave that value quite vulnerable.

And don't forget, while pumping AC, I do need to buy other things as well. Save boosters for instance.



If there was a longer duration spell I could probably get a couple of Schima's of it with the sudden extend feat attached to them.

[KillianHawkeye]

That ring was suggested by the DM, but I think a +8 Touch AC for 2K vs. a 33 or better regular AC is going to still leave that value quite vulnerable.

Say what, now? :smallconfused:

[OldTrees1]

Well Shield of Faith is a 1st level 1min/cl Cleric spell that gives +2 deflection bonus. So for 400gp per daily encounter you could have a +2?

[Metahuman1]

My character, as mentioned in the OP, is a giant. Size Category Hugh. Dex 10.

He's currently looking at having a Touch AC of 8, and then getting the +1 would make it a touch AC of 9. (Meant to say 9 on the previous post, typo, sorry, missed it until just now. )

Anyway.

His regular AC, assuming I grab the shield I'd wanted and a +1 Plate Mail suit, should total up around 33 or maybe a little higher depending. Unfortunately, since all of that is armor, shield and Nat Armor, it doesn't help my touch AC at all.


Sorry that that came out jumbled. Been one of those days.




Edit: Swordsaged: Oldtrees: That's a start.

[OldTrees1]

His regular AC, assuming I grab the shield I'd wanted and a +1 Plate Mail suit, should total up around 33 or maybe a little higher depending. Unfortunately, since all of that is armor, shield and Nat Armor, it doesn't help my touch AC at all.

Scintillating Scales is a 1min/cl 2nd level Sor/Wiz spell that converts your Natural Armor into Deflection.

So at 2,400gp per encounter(ouch) you can greatly(how much is your nat AC?) boost your touch AC.


Although do remember, Touch AC is going to be vulnerable in comparision. Only some attacks get to attack touch AC and usually at a cost.

[Metahuman1]

True, but the DM felt the need to point it out to me. Which I've taken to mean I should be worried about it.

[OldTrees1]

True, but the DM felt the need to point it out to me. Which I've taken to mean I should be worried about it.

Ok. DM warnings are often good to heed. Just off the cuff I can interpret that message 3 ways and only 1 of them is only relevant to you and not to your current character.

Personally I would take that as a cue to reduce my full AC to free up resources to spend on my touch AC (reduce the minmax). That would hit all 3 messages I can interpret it as. Still touch AC is rarely used so I might focus on improving my optional defense rather than my always on defense.

Shield of Faith vs Scintillating Scales
Fighting Defensively(including Combat Expertise?)
Ghost Ward armor
Shield Ward feat (a +3 bonus since the best shield the feat allows is a Heavy Shield)

[Dagroth]

There's a 1st level spell called Ectoplasmic Armor in the Book of Bad Latin, which just increases your Touch AC vs. Incorporeal Touch Attacks.

[Deeds]

AC is great to have but why not grab some miss chance items? Blurring armor from magic item compendium grants 20% miss chance 3/day for 5 rounds. Displacement armor grants 50%, 1/day, 5 rounds.

[Fizban]

Turns out the item I was thinking of isn't quite right, but: the Necklace of Warning (MiC) gives you +2 to flat-footed AC, up to no higher than your normal AC. This seems to set a precedent for "boost restricted AC only, bonus^2*1,000gp, cannot increase beyond normal AC). That math matches with the existing bonus types, as enhancement to AC has a 1k multiplier, deflection and "non-standard" types have a 2k multiplier, so paying another 1k multiplier to make up the difference ought to let you convert some of your non-touch bonuses to working against touch.

More RAW, a Greater Crystal of Screening is an insanely good value, -10 on incorporeal touch attacks for lol cheap. Unless your DM is wielding Shivering Touch I'd be more worried about those.

Otherwise, if you want more of your AC to apply to touch attacks, you're just gonna have to convert it from cheap enhancement bonuses to other types by assembling a different gear package. As far as I know they didn't make any shortcuts, because AC is one of the most stiffly priced effects and touch AC is not meant to be easily boostable. You'd be better served getting some miss chance and hoping whatever is slinging touch attacks doesn't have True Seeing up, or using fog/smoke (both of which are easily available via magic item).

[Darrin]

Make the armor and shield out of riverine (Stormwrack p. 128). Half the armor/shield bonus becomes a deflection bonus, which applies to touch AC. So Heavy Plate +1 (Races of Stone) becomes +5 armor/+5 deflection. Extreme shield +1 becomes +2 shield/+2 deflection. Price is not cheap, though... heavy armor is +25K GP, shields are +4K.