Meh. AC is useless at higher levels. I wouldn't worry much about it as more than a token defense, really.
Quote Originally Posted by ghashxx View Post
Adding another +1 to your armor is more expensive than grabbing a different item. And besides, that makes it just that much more expensive to add special effects to the armor later. Using the bracers of retribution from the BoED sounds like a solid bet if you're allowed to use that version. You'll get hit, but for less damage and they get hit too.

For concealment giving miss chance, making a custom item (shudder in fear) using Blacklight (Spell Compendium pg 30) would be nice. It's a 3rd level arcane spell that makes a 20' radius area of pure blackness that can't be seen through...except for the caster so long as you're inside the area. So long as this sucker is turned on you've got 50% miss chance against you, and since in melee they're inside the radius and can't see that means they don't get dex bonus to AC...FLATFOOTED OPPONENTS!!!
Maybe try and get this thing to only be a 5' or 10' radius to limit how much your allies get hit with it.
Get a couple of (relatively cheap) wands of Extended blacklight, and a 2000 gp Ring of the Darkhidden (from the MIC). You're permanently invisible to darkvision, and barring true seeing, that's the only way to see in a blacklight. That's 50% miss chance and inability to be targeted right there.

Getting a wand of mirror image and the blur enhancement on your armor (see MIC again) will give you stackable miss chances, as well; while blur won't stack with the blacklight/ring combo, mirror image does...kind of. The blacklight will affect all of your images, which don't all have to be in your space, meaning that they'll confuse the issue as to which space you're in. And if the cantrip is dispelled or negated, you still have a lot of images to use as decoys.

There's also blink and greater blink. They certainly don't stack, but that doesn't mean you can't use them both at different times. They do, however, stack with all of the other miss chances mentioned, and true seeing won't do much of anything without access to a ghost touch weapon.

There's also silent image and similar spells; create an illusion of a solid wall, and you can jump in and out of it to grant yourself concealment. Also helps when trying to Hide and effectively become invisible. Great for utility, too.

Also, there's Leomund's tiny hut; so long as you're willing to do some sniping, it should help considerably for keeping you out of sight (but not out of mind).

Obscuring mist, smokesticks and such are good ones as well, so long as you've got a way to pierce the concealment. I suggest some way to get touchsight.

You can always use a bullseye lantern and a pyrotechnics spell to blind enemies (and the lantern means there's no chance of blinding your party). Darkstalker is a great feat to add, as well.

The Cloak Dance feat (XPH) will let you (essentially) get a version of Hide in Plain Sight, if you have a decent Hide score. All you need is a cloak and the prereqs for the feat.

Speaking of the XPH, check out the concealing amorpha and greater concealing amorpha powers. They aren't pierced by true seeing, though I'm not sure about how it interacts with touchsight.

...

As far as ACTUAL AC bonuses go, stock up on small AC bonuses. Six +1s will be considerably cheaper than one +6. Armor, shield, natural armor, deflection, dodge, insight, morale, exalted, vile, and as many untyped bonuses as you can get. Psionics is good for several of them, and take a few levels in factotum and a few instances of Font of Inspiration if you've got a good Int score (as it's a cheap and easy way to get rather sizable bonuses to your saves, AC, and attack and damage rolls). You also get bumps to your skill monkey pursuits. Best of all, it costs no money and gives you more than just AC bonuses. Does cost some levels and feats, however.