Armor Enchantment Question

[incog64]

Can armor enchancements, such as Mobility (MIC p 13), be cast on things that aren't armor and still provide the effect? If so, what are they? I am trying to save a feat slot, if possible.

Thanks in advance.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Can armor enchantments, such as Mobility (MIC p 13), be cast on things that aren't armor and still provide the effect? If so, what are they? I am trying to save a feat slot, if possible.

Thanks in advance.The Arms & Equipment Guide (A&EG) allows you to add armor enhancements (not enchantments, since objects are immune to those) to bracers of armor. Stupidly expensive, though.

You could also add armor enhancements to dastana bracers (also from the A&EG), which stack with both armors and shields.

The chahar-aina (Oriental Adventures) is worn with light armor and should be enhanceable in the same way.

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?602974-Chahar-aina-and-dastana

You might also want to check here: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?400840-List-of-Feat-Granting-Items-Locations-Grafts

[sleepyphoenixx]

The Arms & Equipment Guide (A&EG) allows you to add armor enhancements (not enchantments, since objects are immune to those) to bracers of armor. Stupidly expensive, though.

No more than any other armor? Bracers of Armor cost exactly the same as an armor or shield of the same enhancement level (minus the cost for the mwk item).
They're expensive for AC because they get no mundane base AC, but for armor enhancements it makes absolutely no difference.

A +1 Soulfire chain shirt and +1 Soulfire Bracers of Armor both cost you 25k gp, the only difference is that the chain shirt grants 5 AC instead of 1 and costs a couple hundred gp more. But if you're already getting 5+ armor AC somewhere else and just want the Soulfire (or Mobility, in OP's case) that doesn't really matter.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

No more than any other armor? Bracers of Armor cost exactly the same as an armor or shield of the same enhancement level (minus the cost for the mwk item).
They're expensive for AC because they get no mundane base AC, but for armor enhancements it makes absolutely no difference.

A +1 Soulfire chain shirt and +1 Soulfire Bracers of Armor both cost you 25k gp, the only difference is that the chain shirt grants 5 AC instead of 1 and costs a couple hundred gp more. But if you're already getting 5+ armor AC somewhere else and just want the Soulfire (or Mobility, in OP's case) that doesn't really matter.True, but it's still really expensive for the total AC cost. A +5 suit of chain shirt costs only a little more than a +1 bracer and grants 400% more AC bonus.

And even if you're getting an AC bonus from a magical effect (such as from inertial armor or greater mage armor), you still want that 0 ASF chain shirt if you can get it, just in case you get dispelled.

[incog64]

No more than any other armor? Bracers of Armor cost exactly the same as an armor or shield of the same enhancement level (minus the cost for the mwk item).
They're expensive for AC because they get no mundane base AC, but for armor enhancements it makes absolutely no difference.

A +1 Soulfire chain shirt and +1 Soulfire Bracers of Armor both cost you 25k gp, the only difference is that the chain shirt grants 5 AC instead of 1 and costs a couple hundred gp more. But if you're already getting 5+ armor AC somewhere else and just want the Soulfire (or Mobility, in OP's case) that doesn't really matter.

Two questions.
You can wear Bracers of Armor and light armor but the AC wont stack but I would still get any enhancement bonus from the bracers ie Mobility?

You can enhance a bracers of armor, +1 AC which costs $1,000, to a bracers of armor of +2, (+1 AC and Mobility enhancement at an additional cost of $3,000)?

[sleepyphoenixx]

True, but it's still really expensive for the total AC cost. A +5 suit of chain shirt costs only a little more than a +1 bracer and grants 400% more AC bonus.

And even if you're getting an AC bonus from a magical effect (such as from inertial armor or greater mage armor), you still want that 0 ASF chain shirt if you can get it, just in case you get dispelled.
True. It's mostly useful to get access to armor abilities like Soulfire if you can't wear armor for some reason, like being a monk or wearing a monk's belt. Otherwise you're pretty much always better off with chain shirt + dastana.


Two questions.
You can wear Bracers of Armor and light armor but the AC wont stack but I would still get any enhancement bonus from the bracers ie Mobility?

You can enhance a bracers of armor, +1 AC which costs $1,000, to a bracers of armor of +2, (+1 AC and Mobility enhancement at an additional cost of $3,000)?

Yes to both.

[Morphic tide]

...Wait, how does Enhancing a Dastana pair work out?

[Gruftzwerg]

I am trying to save a feat slot, if possible.

Dunno if you are aware of this nice list of feats (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?400840-List-of-Feat-Granting-Items-Locations-Grafts) that you can get via magic items and locations.


Two questions.
You can wear Bracers of Armor and light armor but the AC wont stack but I would still get any enhancement bonus from the bracers ie Mobility?

You can enhance a bracers of armor, +1 AC which costs $1,000, to a bracers of armor of +2, (+1 AC and Mobility enhancement at an additional cost of $3,000)?

As sleepyphoenixx said, both options are valid.

[sleepyphoenixx]

...Wait, how does Enhancing a Dastana pair work out?
The mundane base AC of the Dastana stacks with the chain shirt, but the +1 enhancement bonus doesn't. Any armor enhancements beyond that function normally though.

So you could have a +1 Soulfire chain shirt (~25k gp) and +1 Blurring Dastana (~4k gp) to get Blurring and Soulfire instead of a +1 Soulfire Blurring chain shirt (~36k gp) and get 1 AC more in addition to saving 6-7k gp in the process (and any future armor enhancements being cheaper too).

You can also still use the enhancement bonus for armor enhancements like Empyreal (BoED) that convert it to something else.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

The mundane base AC of the Dastana stacks with the chain shirt, but the +1 enhancement bonus doesn't. Any armor enhancements beyond that function normally though.An enhancement bonus to a piece of armor or shield increases the AC bonus it grants, so any enhancement bonus to the dastana bracers or chahar-aina should simply increase the bonus it grants, which stacks with the other things the items stack with.

[Darg]

An enhancement bonus to a piece of armor or shield increases the AC bonus it grants, so any enhancement bonus to the dastana bracers or chahar-aina should simply increase the bonus it grants, which stacks with the other things the items stack with.

The argument is that while the armor and dastana/chahar-aina stack, it's still an enhancement bonus to your armor bonus rather than just to specifically to that specific piece of armor. This view point arises from how the DMG words how it stacks with other bonuses (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm). The magic armor section makes it pretty clear it doesn't stack with other armor enhancement bonuses, especially as it specifically points out the 3 different other types of bonuses it does stack with.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

The argument is that while the armor and dastana/chahar-aina stack, it's still an enhancement bonus to your armor bonus rather than just to specifically to that specific piece of armor. This view point arises from how the DMG words how it stacks with other bonuses (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm). The magic armor section makes it pretty clear it doesn't stack with other armor enhancement bonuses, especially as it specifically points out the 3 different other types of bonuses it does stack with.Problem is, the armor pieces in question explicitly stack with other forms of armor and shields, which normally can't happen, either.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Problem is, the armor pieces in question explicitly stack with other forms of armor and shields, which normally can't happen, either.

A specific exception to one rule doesn't mean the other rules no longer apply. Dastana base AC specifically stacks with the AC of some armor and shields. Nothing else.
And dastana + chain shirt is already better than a breastplate in most cases, so they really don't need the buff.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

A specific exception to one rule doesn't mean the other rules no longer apply. Dastana base AC specifically stacks with the AC of some armor and shields. Nothing else.
And dastana + chain shirt is already better than a breastplate in most cases, so they really don't need the buff.Except the enhancement bonus increases the armor piece's AC bonus, which stacks with other similar bonuses. If a bonus stacks with others and is increased through some means, then it should still stack with those other sources, even if it's higher than it otherwise would be.

Or are you saying that the enhancement bonus of a chain shirt wouldn't stack with the bonus provided by the dastana bracers or chahar-aina? Because it's the exact same situation but in reverse.

[Khedrac]

You can wear Bracers of Armor and light armor but the AC wont stack but I would still get any enhancement bonus from the bracers ie Mobility?

This question is confusing because the "enhancment bonus" is the + to the item's armor bonus not the mobility effect. So yes, you still get the additional effects, e.g. mobility, but you don't get the "enhancement bonus" (so a normal chain shirt and bracers of armor +1 give an armor bonus of +4 not +5).
I think you knew this, but the way your question was worded and the first answer given could confuse someone less sure of the rules.

[Zarvistic]

In the OA update in dragon magazine 318 they clarify the dastana and chahar-aina. The enhancement bonus doesn't stack.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Except the enhancement bonus increases the armor piece's AC bonus, which stacks with other similar bonuses. If a bonus stacks with others and is increased through some means, then it should still stack with those other sources, even if it's higher than it otherwise would be.

Or are you saying that the enhancement bonus of a chain shirt wouldn't stack with the bonus provided by the dastana bracers or chahar-aina? Because it's the exact same situation but in reverse.


In general, magic armor protects the wearer to a greater extent than nonmagical armor. Magic armor bonuses are enhancement bonuses, never rise above +5, and stack with regular armor bonuses (and with shield and magic shield enhancement bonuses).

A +5 chain shirt and +5 dastana both grant a +5 enhancement bonus to armor AC. You only get one enhancement bonus to armor AC, they don't stack.

[loky1109]

A specific exception to one rule doesn't mean the other rules no longer apply. Dastana base AC specifically stacks with the AC of some armor and shields. Nothing else.
And dastana + chain shirt is already better than a breastplate in most cases, so they really don't need the buff.

There is no word "base" in dastana description.

With your logic, you could tale backler +5 in one hand, and tower shield +1 in another and get +9 shield AC total.


A +5 chain shirt and +5 dastana both grant a +5 enhancement bonus to armor AC. You only get one enhancement bonus to armor AC, they don't stack.

No. +5 dastana grants +6 shield bonus to AC that stacks with any other shield AC and with armor AC from some armors. +5 chain shirt grants +9 armor AC.
No one of them grants enchantment bonus to AC.


In the OA update in dragon magazine 318 they clarify the dastana and chahar-aina. The enhancement bonus doesn't stack.
That's fair point. But without this clarification them should stack.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

A +5 chain shirt and +5 dastana both grant a +5 enhancement bonus to armor AC. You only get one enhancement bonus to armor AC, they don't stack.Alternately, a +5 chain shirt and a +5 dastana grant a +9 armor bonus and a +6 armor bonus to AC which stack, because they're both armor bonuses that explicitly stack with each other.