It's Like Wearing Nothing at All

[jagadaishio]

What materials, methods of crafting, and enchantments should I used to get a suit of full-plate without an armor check penalty?

[OMG PONIES]

I know that if you have the dragonblood subtype, the dragonscale husk class feature (replacing heavy armor proficiency for any class that would grant it) from Dragon Magic gives you a +8 bonus to AC. I don't know about armor check penalties, but it allows a max dex of +2.

[quick_comment]

Dragonscale husk sucks, alot.

[SurlySeraph]

Mithral.
Remember that Masterwork armor decreases armor penalty by 1.
The Nimbleness enchantment, which increases max dex by 2 and decreases armor penalty by 1.
I don't think you can get full plate with no check penalty, but I know you can get breastplate with no armor penalty this way.

[Kylarra]

If you can convince your DM to allow 3rd party, weightless.

[Faleldir]

Mithral.
Remember that Masterwork armor decreases armor penalty by 1.

All mithral armor is masterwork; the masterwork bonus doesn't stack.

[only1doug]

I know that if you have the dragonblood subtype, the dragonscale husk class feature (replacing heavy armor proficiency for any class that would grant it) from Dragon Magic gives you a +8 bonus to AC. I don't know about armor check penalties, but it allows a max dex of +2.

DSH replaces heavy and medium proficiencies (maybe light as well) and grants a +6 armour bonus to AC (increasing with class level in class granting Heavy armour proficiency) it also grants increasing levels of energy resistance (increase again based on class levels).

Dragonscale husk sucks, alot.

not true, Dragonscale husk sucks alot, under most circumstances.

in the right conditions it can be reasonably good.

e.g.
gestalt game: fighter class // caster class, 0% spell failure with decent AC + energy resistances.

Vow of Poverty + Dragonscale husk should also be fairly reasonable (if you really wanted VoP).

d

[Choco]

I think there are 2 feats in Races of Stone, methinks they were Heavy Armor Optimization and Greater Heavy Armor Optimization. Take both of those and you got a +2 to AC and ACP is reduced by 3. Then with masterwork armor that reduces ACP by another 1. Take the Armor Focus (full plate) feat and you get the ACP reduced by another 1. Mithral reduces ACP by 3. Certain classes, like the Reaver, have class features that ignore ACP up to a certain amount. Halfweight armor (from the drow book, faerun setting) may also reduce ACP (book says the armor is half weight and considered light in all ways other than protection it provides, so I'm guessing it could also reduce ACP). That is all I can think of off the top of my head, by combining those you should be able to get rid of the full plate armors 6 ACP, though some of those don't combine so watch it.

edit:

K, so if you take the 2 feats I mentioned, masterwork armor, and armor focus(full plate), your ACP gets reduced by 5. Then you just take a dip into Reaver until you get its "ignore ACP of 1" ability, and you took care of a set of full plate armors ACP entirely, and you get +2 to AC on top of that! BUT WAIT!! THERE'S MORE!! Do it this way and you ALSO get to keep your 0 ACP when fighting within AMFs ABSOLUTELY FREE!!

[Blackjackg]

You didn't ask for feats, but in Heroes of Battle, there's the Guerrilla Warrior feat that reduces armor check penalty of light and medium armor by 1. And if your full plate is mithril, it counts as medium armor.

[quick_comment]

If you only want no ACP for hide and move silently, you can get armored stealth from ruby knight vindicator.

[Rhiannon87]

Illthidwrought halfweight armor from FR Underdark. One of the fighters in my group has it; her armor functions like it is both mithral and adamantine (it's adamantine halfweight). I'm at work and thus can't reference the book, but it's quite good for the cost.

[Zincorium]

Halfweight armor (which becomes cheaper on Illithid-wrought armor but the two are seperate things) does not function just like mithral armor. It makes any armor count as light. No improved dex bonus. Useful for the purpose of class features requiring light armor, but not as good as mithril for a fighter.

And illithidwrought is nonsensical for a non-psionic character.

[Coidzor]

So is the mithral bit's -3 to ACP both a -2 from material and a -1 from MW then? or does MW contribute summat?

...<_< >_> What does Dwarvencraft do to armor again? It's like a step up from masterwork, isn't it?

[Choco]

...<_< >_> What does Dwarvencraft do to armor again? It's like a step up from masterwork, isn't it?

Dwarvencraft items count as masterwork, plus they also get +2 hardness, +10 HP, and +2 to all saves.

[Coidzor]

Well that's useless for our purposes, sorry to bring it up.

[AstralFire]

Illthidwrought halfweight armor from FR Underdark. One of the fighters in my group has it; her armor functions like it is both mithral and adamantine (it's adamantine halfweight). I'm at work and thus can't reference the book, but it's quite good for the cost.

Glassteel is sufficient.

I really don't know what they were thinking when they published that material. (FR, Adamantine+Mithril in one package.)

[Rutskarn]

Have the illusionist trick your character into thinking he's wearing full plate with no weight, when he's actually just nekkid. The placebo effect will take care of the rest.

[SinsI]

Throw away the full plate and wear +8 robes of protection.

[Epinephrine]

It's not a material or enhancement, but the feat Heavy Armour Specialization, from RoS? Adds 1 AC and reduces the armour check penalty.

[Random832]

"Like Wearing Nothing at All"

Well, to get the _full_ effect as if you were wearing nothing at all, you need a ring of invisibility

[aje8]

Mithral is the best way..... you can get quite good mithral medium armor with 0 Armor Check penalty pretty easily.

[ZeroNumerous]

Mithral Hellforged Full Plate is a mere ACP -2. You'd need Greater Heavy Armor Optimization to bring it down to ACP -0.

[Blackjackg]

Mithral Hellforged Full Plate is a mere ACP -2. You'd need Greater Heavy Armor Optimization to bring it down to ACP -0.

Except that mithril full plate is medium armor.

EDIT: There is also the Dread Commando prestige class from Heroes of Battle. At level 2 you get a +2 reduction in ACP, and at level 4 it goes up to +4.

[AstralFire]

Except that mithril full plate is medium armor.

It's generally accepted that feats modifying or improving a specific class of armor are based off of its original type, while those relating to your ability to wear it without being hampered are based off of its final type.

[Blackjackg]

It's generally accepted that feats modifying or improving a specific class of armor are based off of its original type, while those relating to your ability to wear it without being hampered are based off of its final type.

I was not aware of that. Is it actually official somewhere, or just Board consensus?

[AstralFire]

I was not aware of that. Is it actually official somewhere, or just Board consensus?

Well, it's more or less official that Mithral whatever uses armor proficiency of the lower armor type. In this specific case, though, Heavy Armor Optimization isn't keyed to a specific armor type, just a broad armor class. I thought it worked like Shield Specialization, only for any 'heavy armors'. Looking at it closely, I'd say the DM would be perfectly logical ruling in either direction here.

[AmberVael]

I was not aware of that. Is it actually official somewhere, or just Board consensus?

I believe it is thought of that way due to how the rule reads.
I quote:

Most mithral armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light.

I interpret it as being like Powerful Build- yeah, with powerful build you get some of the benefits, but you're not actually becoming large. The same thing is being implied here- you gain benefits of wearing a lighter armor, but it isn't actually lighter armor.

Though I suppose I could be wrong.

[ZeroNumerous]

Except that mithril full plate is medium armor.

Fine. Make it out of Leafweave which brings it up to -3 instead of -2.

[AstralFire]

That's a much better way to put it, thank you Vael. Really, it pretty much works out to 'whatever gives the player an advantage'.