Armor query - help with restrictions

[Zieu]

Alrighty, so yesterday I was asked to step into a campaign as a level 5 fighter. I'm drawing up the character sheet now, got all my stats, and I'm on armor now. However, I've been given a very specifc (and very restrictive) pair of requirements for both purchasing armor and the capabilities I'll once I get the armor -- that is to say, the armor can't limit me in a certain way:

- I have 9000gp, of which no more than 1/4 (2250gp) can be spent on any one given item.
- I need to maintain a 30ft land speed - party's got traveling to do, so we can't be hindered by one person going 20ft

I've been looking through various types of armor materials that reduce the armor category, which I assume means heavy to medium, medium to light? The problem is that I can't find a material that gets me from medium to light for 2,250gp while still giving a moderate AC bonus.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help.

[Wonton]

Those are fairly limiting restrictions. Your best armor in-core is a +1 Chain Shirt....

Out-of-core... Duskwood is in Magic of Faerun, and a duskwood breastplate IS light armor, but it's +3,000 gp, so there's almost no point to using it over mithral. Blue Ice from Frotsburn is also too expensive (3,000 gp for medium armor). Glassteel is Races of Faerun... but it's also very overpriced.

Time to start thinking laterally - you could take your full plate off for travel? It takes a while to put on, but that only matters if when you're ambushed or something. Also, a Ring of Arming (5,000 gp) later on removes that issue.

A +10 bonus to speed would also solve your problems... there might be a way to get one for under 2,250 gp.

[Zieu]

Yeah, I feel as if there's a feat that increases land speed, but I may be thinking of a Ranger's class feature instead....I'll have to go check.

If nothing else, the traveling armor-less idea may work - nothing like a buck naked fighter hack 'n slashing a bandit ambush Surely some kind of intimdate bonus/fear check there...hmm...

[senrath]

There's also the Tooth of Savnok (2000gp) from Tome of Magic, which gives you the Dwarf's ability to not be hindered by armor. The downside is, while the tooth is in your mouth, you can't willingly remove any item that gives you an AC bonus.

[Lin Bayaseda]

Simple compromise - get two armors.

A chain shirt (+4 ac) for traveling overland, and a full plate (+8 ac) for dungeon exploration. Both together only cost 1,600 gp.

[Zieu]

Simple compromise - get two armors.

A chain shirt (+4 ac) for traveling overland, and a full plate (+8 ac) for dungeon exploration. Both together only cost 1,600 gp.

You know, this hadn't occurred to me at all. It sounds perfect.

[John Campbell]

Get a horse.

[Devils_Advocate]

A +1 chain shirt, an amulet of natural armor +1, and a ring of protection +1 together provide 7 points of AC for 5250 gp. A +1 mithral breastplate and a ring of protection +1 together provide 7 points of AC for 7200 gp. (If I've done my math right.) Why would you want the breastplate again?

This is how AC works in 3.5. Characters arbitrarily don't automatically become better at dodging targeted attacks as they level up, although they arbitrarily do become better at making targeted attacks and at dodging area attacks. But there are more relatively cheap bonuses to armor class than there are to attack bonuses and saving throws, which compensates for the lack of, say, dodge bonuses built into levels. So having AC work differently from other key stats just serves to make the system needlessly convoluted, mostly. And to throw things out of whack if the WBL guidelines aren't followed closely enough.

So yeah. Buying several relatively cheap items is a hoop that you're meant to jump through to get optimal AC for a given level of wealth, whether or not it's mandated by your DM.

[Psyx]

Get a horse.

^This.

Or just but Called platemail - although I'm not sure of the cost on that.

[Zieu]

A +1 chain shirt, an amulet of natural armor +1, and a ring of protection +1 together provide 7 points of AC for 5250 gp. A +1 mithral breastplate and a ring of protection +1 together provide 7 points of AC for 7200 gp. (If I've done my math right.) Why would you want the breastplate again?

Snip.

That first suggestion might work out, although I'd have to check the price on an amulet of natural armor (can't be more than 2250). The second part definitely wouldn't work because I checked out mithral, and it costs 4000gp to apply to a medium armor. That's a no-can-do. But I'll look into the amulet thing, most definitely.

[Lycar]

There is something called 'Sectioned Armour' in the Planar Handbook (of all places).

It is basically a masterwork Full Plate that you can take parts off of to strip it down to a medium armour (works like a Breastplate with a worse ACP penalty) and light armour (essentially Studded Leather with an atrocious ACP).

The problem is the price tag of 3000 gp, but maybe your GM is feeling generous.

Otherwise, yeah, travel Light, fight Heavy. ;)

Lycar

[Crow]

Get a horse.

I'm going to go with this one as well.

If the group is worried about their travel speed, then they might be worried about keeping their encumberance down as well, and horses help with that. Especially when you start getting loaded down with loot.

Otherwise I guess you could do a one-level dip into barbarian.

Carrying a chain shirt AND a set of full-plate is 75 lbs. That doesn't leave you a lot of wiggle room for light load unless you've maxed out your strength.

[gbprime]

Otherwise I guess you could do a one-level dip into barbarian.

This.

Your speed wearing chainmail or breastplate would be 30. And taking level 1 as barbarian would give you better skill points too.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Get a horse, wear fullplate end of story.