Best Armor Class

[ScionJustice]

What are the best ways to have a good armor class at levels 3, 7 & 10.

[Khairn]

uhmm ... carry a shield, wear armor, try to get some magical items, get some caster to give you a buff, chose some defense oriented feats and try fight smart.

I think that about covers it.

[pawsplay]

That depends. What books are you using, and how much are you willing to offend human decency?

[Theroc]

Well, a level 1 Warforged can have 21-ish AC.

Adamantine Body Feat(Gives +8 Armor bonus to AC and allows +1 dexterity modifier[as well as DR 2/Adamantine]) and then a heavy shield adds another +2.

A Level 3 Lizardfolk(earliest starting level for them) gain +5 Natural armor bonus...

I'm not sure how optimal those options are, but those are some pretty basic upfront boosts.

[Darklone]

Psychic warrior: Armor, Force screen, Thicken Skin, Vigor (not AC, but hitpoints) and that Deflection power. AC higher than 25 at level 3, assuming enough Wisdom for power points and time to prepare.

[Starbuck_II]

Get a Cleric who worships same Diety as you cast DMM Persist Recitation. That means while within 20 feet of the Cleric you have +3 AC, hit, and saves.

I say Persist so it lasts all day.

The Cleric could prepare/cast every battle, but that is spell slot costly.

[Theroc]

Originally Posted by Darklone

Psychic warrior: Armor, Force screen, Thicken Skin, Vigor (not AC, but hitpoints) and that Deflection power. AC higher than 25 at level 3, assuming enough Wisdom for power points and time to prepare.

Sounds like a Psychic Warrior Warforged might be a good bet.

[Rhun]

Originally Posted by ScionJustice

What are the best ways to have a good armor class at levels 3, 7 & 10.

While all the suggestions everyone has made are great, it really comes down to what type of character you are going to be playing. Shield and armor are terrific, but if you want to play a wizard they really don't help much.

What type of character are you playing?

[ScionJustice]

I'm really looking for any way to improve any characters AC. I was wondering if there were any good tricks out there that I had missed or things I didn't think of.

[Sadrik]

Trick:
Enchant armor spikes with the "defender" property.

[Sharkon]

Let me tell you that once in a campaign my friends told me they wanted a tank in the front lines so i made a fighter-kensai with improved combat expertise, some other feats that grant you AC, magic shield and armor and since the kensai improves his weapon on his own i put the defending ability upon it (dm's guide). At lvl 12 i had 53 AC

[StreamOfTheSky]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

That depends. What books are you using, and how much are you willing to offend human decency?

By that I assume you mean to ask, "Are you allowed to use the Alter Self spell as written, with no restrictions?" Cause at least for level 3, that is DEFINITELY the way to go for crazy AC. Lizardfolk, Troglodite, or whatever you can find in a monster splatbook.

As a caster dabbling in combat buff spells, you'll probably want to go for combat expertise feat, Cautious trait, and Quickstaff weapon style feat (+2 AC [on top of the normal amount] when fighting defensively w/ a quaterstaff).

Character Traits :: d20srd.org

Originally Posted by Sharkon

At lvl 12 i had 53 AC

But could you actually hit anything, or otherwise force enemies to attack you or punish them for not doing so? Getting a big honkin' number is a fun exercise, but if it leaves you with a negative attack modifier and no hope of doing anything, enemies can just ignore you and kill the squishies.

[ScionJustice]

Originally Posted by Sadrik

Trick:
Enchant armor spikes with the "defender" property.

That's awesome.

[Sharkon]

Originally Posted by Sadrik

Trick:
Enchant armor spikes with the "defender" property.

Can you tell me, in which book is this ?

[Starbuck_II]

Originally Posted by sharkon

can you tell me, in which book is this ?

dmg.

[Darklone]

Originally Posted by Theroc

Sounds like a Psychic Warrior Warforged might be a good bet.

Yupp. And all this AC we listed does not yet decrease it's attack options.

[pawsplay]

Keep in mind, Pun-Pun is a level 3 build. I think the suggestions could be a lot more targeted if we knew the theme and the allowed books.

[insanogeddon]

Cleric

Gnome (lets face it the damage of cleric spells like harm or destruction blows any buff monky melle cleric out of the water.

+1 Size
+1 Dex
+1 Dodge

+2 to + 7 Heavy shield and 'Magic Vestment'
+8 to +13 Full Plate and 'Magic Vestment'

+2 to +5 Shield of Faith

+2 to +5
With the Plant domain for barkskin !!

With one splat book: complete warrior add the divine feat 'divine shield':
untyped chr bonus to AC for a turn attempt.

With one Race Book: Races of Stone 'Titan Fighting" if bigger than you =
+4 dodge bonus to your dodge target instead of +1 dodge.

eg: level 3

+1 size, +1 dex, +4 doge thru titan fighting, +2 shield, +8 plate, +2 shield of faith, +2 barkskin

= 30

level 9 (as above) but +4 shield with magic vestment, +10 plate with magic vestment, +3 shield of faith, +4 barkskin, +4 unnamed charisma (chr 14, Eagles Splendour +4, Divine Shield)

= 45

and neither stops your effectiveness as a healer, turner or ranged deadily controlling decimating threat (entangle, spiritual hammer, silence, blindness, defic vengance, hold person, poison, plane shift, slay living, wall of thorns)


Corny but you can add armour spikes of 'defence' if you are "using the weapon" = attacking.. could add 'defence' to to your weapon and shield spikes if you really want and 2 H weapon attack if you want to be useless but unhitable) and add the 3 plusses all to your AC.