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FinalJustice
2008-02-04, 02:38 PM
Hi there fellas, I'm making a 14th dwarf unarmed swordsage for a one-shot tonight, but my AC is stuck at 30, and this sucks. I already got:

Monk's Belt
Bracers of Armor +3,
+6 Dex 22, (+4 enhancement)
+5 Wis 20, (+4 enhancement again)
+1 natural armor, +1 deflection, +1 luck, +1 sacred, +1 insight (we use the suggested value table for those).

Suggestions anyone?

playswithfire
2008-02-04, 02:46 PM
Couple questions:
Are you straight swordsage 14 right now?
Would you consider multi/prestige classing?
What books are allowed?
What are you other stats?
Have you considered spending a feat to get light armor proficiency back so you can sell your monk's belt and bracers of armor, buy some nice mithral something and upgrade your deflection and/or natural bonuses with that gp?

RTGoodman
2008-02-04, 02:47 PM
Grab a potion of shield or shield of faith, and maybe one of barkskin or something to up the natural armor.

Fight defensively or whatnot.

Umm... play a Small race for a +1 size bonus. :smallconfused:


That's all I got. I'm sure there are others, though - the Magic Item Compendium is probably the place to look, if you have access to it.

Fuzzy_Juan
2008-02-04, 02:53 PM
the bracers of armor are inferior compared to a simple 'mage armor' spell...think about maybe a wand of mage armor. An unarmed swordsage is still allowed armor though aren't you? Is the monk's belt that important to the build, or could you maybe get away with some mithril armor, maybe celestial armor and some decent enchant on that.

You also have no shield bonus. A ring of force shield (essentially a ring that acts as a shield made of a small wal of force), a shield spell (another wand perhaps), or a dancing shield would be a decent investment.

There are also rings of protection if you don't have one yet. They stack with everything.

Alter self might also be abused...err...utilized, for forms like troglodyte that have a +6 natural armor bonus.

Haste makes you more difficult to hit I think...

other than that...there are spells like invisibility, blurr, and cloaks of displacement that can be better than small bonuses to AC since they have a chance of denying a strike from even landing. Check out which feats you are using and see if you can spare one for some defense...dodge being the smallest, though expertise is decent while sacrificing some to hit. Acrobatics grants you a better bonus while fighting defensively...

Spring attack and expiditious retreat (even more useful if you have a base speed >30)...it also helps to not be where they can catch and hit you...or force them to move more than a 5' step to even try.

that's what help I can give.

Person_Man
2008-02-04, 05:51 PM
If you're a Dwarf, its often easier to dump Dex, pump Con, and take 2 levels of Deepwarden (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20040807a&page=4). There's a maneuver that let's you roll a Concentration check (also Con based) for Ref Saves. Using this combo, you end up with higher AC, hit points, and Saves.

Also, I think people misunderstand what non-proficiency in armor means:


Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he or she is not proficient takes the armor’s (and/or shield’s) armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for nonproficiency with shields.

Solution: Wear armor with no armor check penalty. For example, a Mithral Chain Shirt +X. Now you suffer 0 penalties for non-proficiency. Wearing light armor will also give you your Wis bonus to AC without having to buy a Monk's Belt. If you want to increase your Unarmed Damage, there are many other ways (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=662842).

Tokiko Mima
2008-02-04, 09:31 PM
...

There are also rings of protection if you don't have one yet. They stack with everything.

...

Rings of Protection operate on a deflection bonus, and he already has one. They don't stack, sadly.

It's the most expensive option, but what you might also consider is buying magic armor spikes (they need to be +2 or better to make this work) and giving them the Defending (+1) property. You may then transfer their remaining enhancement bonus to your AC all the time while you attack with other weapons. A big bonus here is that the AC you get this way is untyped and applies in all situations, when flatfooted and against touch attacks.

As well, when you get in a grapple you can switch back the AC to enhancement bonus as a free action, giving you easy access to a light weapon right when you need it. It could also be useful if you're ever disarmed for some reason.

Nebo_
2008-02-04, 10:04 PM
You're not proficient with armour, but that doesn't mean you can't wear it. Buy a +x mithril chain shirt for no armour check penalty.