What AC is good for ~14th level?

Lord Ben · Apr 22, 2002

Okay, I've been DMing the Temple of Elemental Evil and my players are at the end of it now. They are all around 14th level and I'm having problems hitting any of them with the melee attacks of the different guards.

Player 1 - Cleric with two magic vestments per day and around AC34 for 14 hours a day.

Player 2 - Archer (fgt/order of the bow) with AC28. Player one and two stay in back and use spells and a bow.

Player 3 - Falchion wielding fgt/bbn with an animated shield and about AC35

Player 4 - Barbarian with AC30

They usually activate haste immediately, and then all their AC's shoot through the roof. I've found ways to counter it, but I was wondering if it's normal. Almost everyone has at least +4 or +5 armor. Touch attacks, breath attacks, and spells all still affect them which is okay. And they DID spend lots of their hard-earned loot on the sweet armor so I don't mind much. I was just wondering if it's normal or not, I've never DM'd high-level PC's and it's a little daunting.

Crothian · Apr 22, 2002

I'm Bard13/Lasher4 with a 17 AC. Our 17th level Druid has an AC of 18. The 16th level barbarian has AC 19, and the 17th level monk is like AC 26. Admitiddedly, though, we are all on the low end.

Nareau · Apr 22, 2002

I'd say 30 is good for that level

In my RttToEE campaign, the Rog3/Mnk5 has a base AC of 21 (+5 Dex, +3 Wis, +1 Amulet of Nat. Armor, +1 Ring of Prot., +1 Monk AC). That's AC 21 Flat Footed, and 19 Touch. The Sorceror usually casts Mage Armor on him, kicking it up to 25.

Once he gets the Boots of Speed he wants, the Haste effect will push it up to 29. He's also looking at Dodge, so it's up to 30. And that's without wearing an ounce of armor.

Even now, with the Sorc. casting Mage Armor and Haste on him during a battle, he's an 8th level character with a 30 AC. So I wouldn't be surprised if that went up another 4-5 points over the next 6 levels.

Good luck hurting these PC's! I'm going to be facing the same challenge in the coming months. I think one of the best answers is a resounding "Dispel Magic!!!"

Lord Ben · Apr 22, 2002

Does a dispel targetted on a person affect their items? I also enjoy customizing NPC's with feats like knockdown, etc. Also, I tend to give all NPC's with class levels potion of heroism. Those things help a lot. Trip attacks are nice when you have bigger sized NPC's. I should try the large and in charge feat. Or a war cleric with anti-magic field and some Stone-Giant buddies, that would put a dent in them.

I had an Ogre Barbarian last night roll a nat 20 while doing a power-lunge with Rhino Hide armor last night. He did 111 points of damage!! Yikes... The pc THOUGHT that 150hp was a lot...

Shin Okada · Apr 22, 2002

IMHO your PCs have better than average AC. But I do not think their AC is ridiculously high. A 14th-level PC supposed to have 150,000 gp worth of gears anyway.

Shin Okada · Apr 22, 2002

Lord Ben said:
Does a dispel targetted on a person affect their items? I also enjoy customizing NPC's with feats like knockdown, etc. Also, I tend to give all NPC's with class levels potion of heroism. Those things help a lot. Trip attacks are nice when you have bigger sized NPC's. I should try the large and in charge feat. Or a war cleric with anti-magic field and some Stone-Giant buddies, that would put a dent in them.

I had an Ogre Barbarian last night roll a nat 20 while doing a power-lunge with Rhino Hide armor last night. He did 111 points of damage!! Yikes... The pc THOUGHT that 150hp was a lot...

Dispel Magic targeted on a person may dispel all the spells cast on him and his gears. So this trick may work against that cleric who is using Magic Vestment spells. But to (temporally) nullify a permanent magic item, you must target that magic item.

A monster with high DR can cast Dispel Magic on PC's main weapon and nullify it. It is a good trick. Especially if that monster can use Dispel Magic at will.

novyet · Apr 22, 2002

Wow, my Ac was on the low end then. At level 20 when we retired our old pc's, I was at AC 26 (30 when hasted).

Jeremy · Apr 22, 2002

At level 20 when Fox retired her AC w---No. I'd better not...

milo · Apr 22, 2002

Send a forsaker with adamantine armor and weapons at them. Have the spellcaster slap an anitmagic field on an item and sneak it into the forsakers backpack. When he charges in no more magic armor.

Lord Ben · Apr 22, 2002

One of the PC's at 15th level has the following items:

Dex Bonus - +3
+3 Dwarven Platemail - +11
Ring of Protection +2
Amulet of Nat Armor +2
+2 Animated Shield - +4

Total Value of his equipment listed is only 64,000gp with a gloves of dex +2, plus 8k for the boots of speed. What 15th level fighter (highest in party due to deck of many things) can't afford 64,000gp worth of defensive items to keep him alive and still afford to buy a good keen Falchion.

That's AC32 without anything special. When he's hasted he has AC36, and when he's moving up to attack the Large creatures in the Module he has AC40 for AO's. Luckily for me he doesn't use expertise (except as a prereq) and he rarely remembers the dodge bonus.