Can you play a fighter without armor?

[Mr.Wizzard]

I am trying to work out this armorless swordsman character. How can I buff his AC without actually putting on any armor?

[Kurald Galain]

I am trying to work out this armorless swordsman character. How can I buff his AC without actually putting on any armor?

Good dexterity, Mage Armor spell, defensive combat, and/or the swashbuckler's parry&riposte ability.

[Sayt]

I mean, for this concept, might an Unchained Monk with a Temple sword work? Otherwise, a single level dip into Scaled Fist, into Swashbuckler would work fine.

[TheifofZ]

Also look into bracers and rings of armor/protection. They won't be the end-all, be-all compared to a decent full plate and a shield, but they can give you a moderate bonus that should stack with most shenanigans.

[TheFamilarRaven]

High Dex and high Int and go into Duelist? Though you probably don't want to play a straight fighter with no armor since you lose out on Armor Training.

You'll also want a way to keep your damage relevant. Either get the Agile property placed on every weapon you get; take 3 levels of unchained rogue; or burn three feats on Weapon Focus, Weapon Finesse and Slashing/Piercing Grace.

[Hackulator]

How has nobody said Swordsage yet?

[Jack_Simth]

How has nobody said Swordsage yet?

That'd be because the thread is tagged "Pathfinder", rather than 3.5 or 3.PF or similar.

[Hackulator]

That'd be because the thread is tagged "Pathfinder", rather than 3.5 or 3.PF or similar.

d'oh

(apparently d'oh is not long enough to be a post)

[Psyren]

I mean, for this concept, might an Unchained Monk with a Temple sword work? Otherwise, a single level dip into Scaled Fist, into Swashbuckler would work fine.

This, Fighter is not at all optimal for this concept. Consider being a monk (with fighter levels if need be) and simply calling yourself a "fighter."

The simple fact is that, in terms of point buy, two 14s is much cheaper than a single 18, and for a monk you end up with the same benefits going that way. Furthermore, you can add +6 enhancement to both instead of just to one.

You could try VMC Monk for this but you get no help with your AC for a long time.

[Pugwampy]

I am trying to work out this armorless swordsman character. How can I buff his AC without actually putting on any armor?

The point of wearing armour is to hide the fact that your DEX is very stinky . The heavier your armour , the more shame you should feel . :smallbiggrin:

Towershield
Wizard level for mage armour spell .
Magic goodie that pumps dex .
Boots of speed .

[The_Jette]

I am trying to work out this armorless swordsman character. How can I buff his AC without actually putting on any armor?

Get someone to make you a custom item that is similar to Robe of the Archmagi, but are created using regular clothes instead of robes. And, instead of boosting CL to overcome SR, try to get something useful, like a +1 to AC while using Weapon Expertise, or a +2 to Disarm checks. Or, just the base abilities of the Robe of the Archmagi. The abilities that are there are good enough that missing out on one of them isn't going to make it less awesome.

[zergling.exe]

The point of wearing armour is to hide the fact that your DEX is very stinky . The heavier your armour , the more shame you should feel . :smallbiggrin:

Towershield

Tower shields actually have a maximum dexterity bonus as well (+2!), so they fall under hiding your Dex score. :smalltongue:

[Elkad]

Tower shields actually have a maximum dexterity bonus as well (+2!), so they fall under hiding your Dex score. :smalltongue:

Only an extra 1000gp to make it out of Mithril though. That gets you to +4 dex, -7ACP, and since it halves weight, it's arguable it should get rid of half or all of the -2 attack penalty, since that is specifically listed as an encumbrance penalty.
You can probably stack more material modifiers on that if you go splatting.

So 18 dex (+4), Mithril Tower (+4 for 1100gp), Mage Armor (+4) - buy your mage buddy a Pearl of Power for 1000gp, just like the Monk and the Druid (for his pet) and everyone else unarmored does. We haven't even shopped for any other items (deflection, NA, etc), or taken whatever the shield feat is, or anything else.

2100GP for AC22. That is pretty comparable with the low dex guy in Full Plate (1500).

If you get surprised at night or the dinner table or similar, it's a move action to pick up your shield, while he needs 40 rounds to put his armor on - badly.

You have a speed advantage. And total cover available as needed. He doesn't need to worry about Mage Armor expiring.

By the time he can upgrade his armor to Mithril or something, you can afford to enchant your shield and pitch in for a third of a Lesser Extend Rod or another Pearl (identical price, one is more convinient, the other is better vs Dispell).

Of course, you have to prioritize Dex. Which may or may not matter, depending on your build, stat generation method, etc.

[zergling.exe]

Only an extra 1000gp to make it out of Mithril though. That gets you to +4 dex, -7ACP, and since it halves weight, it's arguable it should get rid of half or all of the -2 attack penalty, since that is specifically listed as an encumbrance penalty.
You can probably stack more material modifiers on that if you go splatting.

So 18 dex (+4), Mithril Tower (+4 for 1100gp), Mage Armor (+4) - buy your mage buddy a Pearl of Power for 1000gp, just like the Monk and the Druid (for his pet) and everyone else unarmored does. We haven't even shopped for any other items (deflection, NA, etc), or taken whatever the shield feat is, or anything else.

2100GP for AC22. That is pretty comparable with the low dex guy in Full Plate (1500).

If you get surprised at night or the dinner table or similar, it's a move action to pick up your shield, while he needs 40 rounds to put his armor on - badly.

You have a speed advantage. And total cover available as needed. He doesn't need to worry about Mage Armor expiring.

By the time he can upgrade his armor to Mithril or something, you can afford to enchant your shield and pitch in for a third of a Lesser Extend Rod or another Pearl (identical price, one is more convinient, the other is better vs Dispell).

Of course, you have to prioritize Dex. Which may or may not matter, depending on your build, stat generation method, etc.

Tower shields are made of wood, so mithral doesn't work and darkwood doesn't increase maximum dexterity.

[Kitsuneymg]

Tower shields are made of wood, so mithral doesn't work and darkwood doesn't increase maximum dexterity.

Force Tower is a mirthril tower shield.
Spell Ward tower shield somehow weighs 15 lbs.
Phalanx Shield is an adamantium tower shield
Equalizer Shield is a mirthril tower shield

A RAW-obsessed DM might rule you may only craft and further enhance those specific shields, but to people with half a brain, it means that metal tower shields are craftable.

[Vogie]

If you aren't allowed the crafting of a metal tower shield (which I believe was in place for weight reasons, I can't remember), you could add the Folding +1 bonus (http://www.archivesofnethys.com/MagicArmorDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Folding) to a metal buckler, which would then allow you to "unfold" it into a tower shield.

[CharonsHelper]

I'll +1 going Monk, or at least a 1-2 level dip into Monk. Really - even if you want to mostly be a Fighter, if you're not wearing armor anyway, both regular & Unchained Monk are stupidly good 1-2 level dips.

A normal monk boosts will save, while Unchained gives you full BAB, better weapon proficiencies, & a better Flurry. (Umonk's flurry is both more accurate and allows you to gain 1.5x STR damage with a sword with both hands.)

[Mr.Wizzard]

I'll +1 going Monk, or at least a 1-2 level dip into Monk. Really - even if you want to mostly be a Fighter, if you're not wearing armor anyway, both regular & Unchained Monk are stupidly good 1-2 level dips.

A normal monk boosts will save, while Unchained gives you full BAB, better weapon proficiencies, & a better Flurry. (Umonk's flurry is both more accurate and allows you to gain 1.5x STR damage with a sword with both hands.)

I don't have good wisdom unfortunately.

[CharonsHelper]

I don't have good wisdom unfortunately.

1. You already have a character? Do you already have stats and haven't picked a class? Already played a few sessions?

2. If you have a decent Charisma you can play a Scaled Fist monk instead. They use Charisma for AC bonus and every other monk ability which is normally based on Wisdom. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/monk/archetypes/paizo-monk-archetypes/scaled-fist-monk-archetype/

[Pugwampy]

Tower shields actually have a maximum dexterity bonus as well (+2!), so they fall under hiding your Dex score.

Really ? Awww poop that sucks . Thank you for crushing my 18 Dex
Diehard feat , Towershield Barbarian dreams .

How did i miss that ?

[Red Fel]

How about a Dervish Defender Warder?

The Warder (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/path-of-war/classes/warder/) is a Path of War class which is smart defensive - that is, it uses Int for a lot of its features, and is defensively-oriented. The Dervish Defender (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/path-of-war/classes/warder/warder-archetypes/dervish-defender-warder-archetype/) archetype takes that a step further, turning you from an armored tank to an unarmored blender. You gain Int to AC, and can keep this AC bonus even against touch attacks or while flat-footed. The archetype is specifically designed for Warders who wear light or no armor and wield two weapons.

[Starbuck_II]

If Ranger is fine: from the comic book Wordscape Ranger Archetype: Devil Hunter or something forget name
It grants Untouchable: At 4th, while unarmored (no armor or shield) and unencumbered, she may add her Cha bonus to AC (and thus her CMD). In addition, +1 dodge at 6th and every 3 levels after (9th, etc). This replaces spells.