[3.5] Armor with Max Dex Higher Than 6...

[Swiftest]

Hi all. The subject pretty much says it all. I've a character who will soon have 26 dex (when he hits level 8), and the mithral chain shirt he's wearing is starting to feel pretty constricting with that +6 max dex bonus. He's already losing one point of AC, soon it'll be two. Can you fellow playgrounders help me think of some ways of increasing max dex in armor?

I'm looking primarily for core ways as our DM limits us to the three core books plus SRD. Even non-core ways are a great start, however, as I can try to sell them to our DM -- he is not above being persuaded.

Right now I'm looking at padded armor (bleh) or just enchanting regular clothes with an armor enhancement bonus and carrying around a crafted wondrous item of continuous mage armor, but that smacks slightly of abuse to me (never did like the crafting rules for wondrous magic items). I'd love to have alternatives. Thanks!

edit: Incidentally, I'm sure some of you will wonder how a character, at a level lower than 8, could possibly achieve 26 dex. The answer lies in a +2 dex item and 22 starting natural dex based on the kobold race rules listed here:

link

[erikun]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119212

Mithral adds +2 to the max dex bonus, Nimbleness adds another +2. A Mithral Chain Shirt of Nimbleness has a max dex bonus of +8.

Also, there is padden armor, you know. There's also some armor in Races of Stone - Gnomish Cloth Weave? - that's something like +0 AC and +10 max dex.

[Eldariel]

Best High Dex armor in the game:

Celestial Armor [DMG]: +8 Dex, +5 basic armor bonus. It's a specific armor, but provided that you can further enchant it (or even buy it in its +1 guise), it's the best. Expensive outside the +1 version though.

Thistledown Padded [Races of the Wild] : +10 Dex, +1 basic armor bonus. Same as Mithril Full-Plate in reverse, über dex but no armor bonus to speak of. Great for high Dex types.

Nimbleness [Magic Item Compendium]: +1 enchantment that increases the Max Dex of the armor by +1 and decreases the ACP by -2. Great especially with Magic Vestment-spell from a friendly Cleric as that means you shouldn't buy a steady enchantment of over +1 (minimum to enchant the thing at all).


Other than that, Mithril Chain is honestly a fine armor. Decent composite AC and it doesn't hurt if you can't use all your Dex (honestly, you still get it to Initiative, ranged, etc.) really. No need to switch, but if you do want to, above are your armor options. Others are of course classes with stat to AC without armor, Monk's Belt and Bracers of Armor (oh, and Mage Armor from a friendly caster on these levels).

[Claudius Maximus]

Celestial Armor has a max dex of +8. Bit expensive at your level, though.

Edit: Ninja'd

[Thurbane]

There some kind of snakeskin armor in Underdark that is something like +1 AC and +9 max Dex...

[quick_comment]

Bondleaf Wrap has a AC of +1 and no max dex. Its in AE&Q

[ericgrau]

Once you hit 30 dex ditch the armor and wear bracers of armor instead. Goes up to +8, unlike armor enchantments which cap out at +5. And it's the same price per AC bonus. No max to dex. Alternatively a friendly caster can hit you with a mage armor for +4 AC and no max dex. And don't forget to get a ring of protection, amulet of natural armor and a dusty rose prism ioun stone to spread out your AC to get more for less gold. When upgrading, find the difference in price between the new item and the old for each source of AC. Pick the one that gives +1 AC for the least gold. In the case of the mage armor, it's optimal to wait until your ring & amulet are up to +3 before trading it in for bracers of armor +8. Or greater mage armor.

[Draz74]

Similar to some of these other suggestions, Tome of Magic has a special material called Shadow Weave or something that light armor can be made out of. It has drawbacks, though (1 more Armor Check Penalty IIRC, and dependence on ambient light conditions).

Celestial Armor is the best answer, though, especially if the DM tends to prefer Core.

[Sinfire Titan]

Once you hit 30 dex ditch the armor and wear bracers of armor instead. Goes up to +8, unlike armor enchantments which cap out at +5. And it's the same price per AC bonus. No max to dex. Alternatively a friendly caster can hit you with a mage armor for +4 AC and no max dex. And don't forget to get a ring of protection, amulet of natural armor and a dusty rose prism ioun stone to spread out your AC to get more for less gold. When upgrading, find the difference in price between the new item and the old for each source of AC. Pick the one that gives +1 AC for the least gold. In the case of the mage armor, it's optimal to wait until your ring & amulet are up to +3 before trading it in for bracers of armor +8. Or greater mage armor.

Bracers of Armor don't allow for the full +9 worth of magic abilities. For a melee character, that's pretty damn hard to replace. Also, Augment Crystals only work for armor, so Bracers lose another point. And no one buys +5/+5 armor if they are optimizing their AC (they just use Magic Vestment).

[Geddoe]

Twist Cloth Armor from Races of Stone has 1 AC, with no max dex bonus. And if you burn the exotic armor proficiency on it, it applies to touch attacks.

[Roderick_BR]

Geddoe said it. Twist cloth. Get just a +1 and add all the enchantments you want, then put some Bracers of defense for the actual AC bonus.

[dragonfan6490]

In Monte Cook's Book of Eldritch Might, there is an armor enchantment called Graceful, it's a +1 enhancement bonus and it makes it so that the armor has no max dex bonus. Problem solved forever.

Now that's if your DM will allow it, because its a third party source book, but it was written by Monte Cook, that's what sold it to my DM.

[AstralFire]

On the other hand, Monte Cook's considerably better as a roleplayer than he is at mechanics. :P But I'd allow it. He largely tends to veer on the weak side anyway.

[Curmudgeon]

With core books you're looking at Bracers of Armor plus a Monk's Belt. They're expensive, but the best alternatives available since you won't have nimbleness or thistledown available.

[hamishspence]

Main problem with many of these is that they are "exotic Armours" requiring a feat to use to full benefit.

Nightscale (Underdark) and Gnome Twist Cloth (Races of Stone) are both Exotic.

[Geddoe]

All exotic armor prof does for twist cloth is let it apply to touch attacks. Since there is no ACP, the proficiency doesn't change anything. If you don't care about touch attacks(and if your ac is high enough that you need no max dex, you don't), then you don't need the proficiency, since armor bonus doesn't apply to touch attacks normally anyway.

[only1doug]

All exotic armor prof does for twist cloth is let it apply to touch attacks. Since there is no ACP, the proficiency doesn't change anything. If you don't care about touch attacks(and if your ac is high enough that you need no max dex, you don't), then you don't need the proficiency, since armor bonus doesn't apply to touch attacks normally anyway.

+1

and it would only be 2 points of AC to touch attacks if following the other advice of only adding a +1 bonus and stacking the rest of the armour with other bonuses.

[hamishspence]

it is a bit odd to call them "exotic armours" but for there to be no penalty for using it non-proficient.

[only1doug]

it is a bit odd to call them "exotic armours" but for there to be no penalty for using it non-proficient.

I can see why they work, to a certain degree any armour is armour, the twist cloth can be used as a light armour for no penalty (light armour proficiency) but in order to get the special benefit you need to be trained in its use (exotic armour proficiency).

[hamishspence]

But Nightscale has no specific proficiency-only benefit. +2 AC, +10 max dex bonus, no ACP.

[BenTheJester]

Instead of having a +0 AC, +10 max dex armor, can't you just enchant a normal piece of clothing?

[ZeroNumerous]

Instead of having a +0 AC, +10 max dex armor, can't you just enchant a normal piece of clothing?

Twist Cloth gives +1 AC and has no max dex. There's really no reason -not- to be wearing it unless you can't due to class abilities.

[Quietus]

But Nightscale has no specific proficiency-only benefit. +2 AC, +10 max dex bonus, no ACP.

That's less the fault of Nightscale, and more the fault of the designers who poorly decided to create a large number of armors (or ways to enchant/enhance armor) to reduce ACP, and thus make proficiency unnecessary.

As to the OP, do you have a friendly Wizard in the party? If so, make a deal with him; Buy a level 1 Pearl of Power (1k), and give it to him, with the understanding that he prepares Mage Armor with it and casts it on you. Possibly buy two, at your level, since it won't last all day yet. You won't get caught with your pants .. err, armor... down all that often, only toward the end of the night shift, and that length of time will decrease as your Wizard buddy levels.

[Elfin]

Celestial Armor- DMG.
+3 chainmail with 30ft speed, max dex +8, and fly 3(?) times per day. And only around 22k gp.

[Coidzor]

What? I thought that was just Flight 1/day.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

+1

and it would only be 2 points of AC to touch attacks if following the other advice of only adding a +1 bonus and stacking the rest of the armour with other bonuses.

Magic Vestments.

[BenTheJester]

What? I thought that was just Flight 1/day.

It is.








[extra words]

[Tokiko Mima]

Personally, for High Dex characters, I like to wear thistledown padded armor AND Bracers of Armor. The +1 armor bonus on the Thistledown Padded won't stack with the Bracers of Armor's armor bonus, but you will get the highest value of the two (almost always your Bracers of Armor value), and thistledown padded will give you an armor enhancement bonus that will add to your total AC.

I also like to add the Ghost Ward (MIC) Armor Property, so I can add the armor's enhancement bonus to my Touch AC, making the combination of +10 DEX, +5 armor enhancement, +5 deflection bonus, plus whatever spell buffs you have that apply to Touch AC. It means anyone hitting you with Orb spells will be having to use a round or a Quickened slot on True Strike, and it completely kills the advantage of Wraithstrike.

Also, be sure and check out the rules in the 3.0 Arms and Equipment Guide. There's a sidebar on adding armor properties to Bracers of Armor.

You might also want to look into having an animated light mithral shield constructed. With no ACP or ASF chance there's no penalty for using one, and you can optimize your shield enhancement bonus as well. One of my characters deploys one of these type of shields with a Wand Bracelet (MIC) that has the Time Buttress armor enhancement. She uses it when she realizes that the next round her foe is going to kill her, she doesn't have a way of stopping it, and only one round to prepare before doom. It's comes in handy more often than you would think!

[VirOath]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119212

Mithral adds +2 to the max dex bonus, Nimbleness adds another +2. A Mithral Chain Shirt of Nimbleness has a max dex bonus of +8.

Also, there is padden armor, you know. There's also some armor in Races of Stone - Gnomish Cloth Weave? - that's something like +0 AC and +10 max dex.

I cannot have you defacing one of my favorite armors! This demands a duel!

But Gnomish Twistcloth is an AC +1 cloth armor with Null Max Dex (In other words, no limit, just like clothing.), no ACP, no ASF. Proficiency with it (Requires a feat) gives your armor bonus to touch AC.

And on Exotic Armors. Almost all have some secondary benefit besides the armor itself. Interlocking plate adds to armor when you meet certain conditions, but it needs the feat to use right. Gnomish Shield Cloak is a shield without ASF or ACP that adds to touch AC with the feat.

In fact, those two are pieces of the way to get your Touch AC sky high... (The Gnomish stuff that is)