Armor bonus question (Stacking Rules)

[Kazuel]

I have a character who has an Amulet of Natural Armor +2, at the end of this last gaming session he was given a monster template from the underdark called Mineral Warrior. This template grants a +3 Natural armor bonus. Do these stack or do I need to start looking for a new amulet? Thanks in advance.

 

[kenobi65]

Like most named bonuses, natural armor bonuses don't stack. So, since your PC now has a +3 natural armor bonus by himself, the +2 amulet doesn't do anything for you.

 

[Deadguy]

Amulet of Natural Armor: This amulet, usually crafted from bone or beast scales, toughens the wearer’s body and flesh, giving him an enhancement bonus to his natural armor bonus of from +1 to +5, depending on the kind of amulet.
Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, barkskin, creator’s caster level must be at least three times the amulet’s bonus; Price 2,000 gp (+1), 8,000 gp (+2), 18,000 gp (+3), 32,000 gp (+4), or 50,000 gp (+5).

The Amulet echoes the original barkskin spell, and grants an enhancement bonus to natural armour. So treat it exactly as you would the enhancement bonus to armour, and the two are additive, i.e. your character's natural armour is now +5. As I recall, this is a chnage in 3.5 from 3.

 

[Lasher Dragon]

Actually, you may want to dig deeper... I believe I read that in 3.5 it DOES stack, being a Natural Armor bonus and an Enhancement to Natural Armor

 

[Pyrex]

(I don't have Underdark, so this is IIRC).

In 3.5, The AoNA provides an Enhancement Bonus to Natural Armor.

The template (IIRC) provides a Natural Armor bonus.

The bonuses stack.

Ex:
A human (Dwarf, whatever) typically has a Natural Armor bonus of +0. If he puts on the Amulet he has a NA bonus of +0 and an Enhancement to Natural Armor of +2 for a total of +2.

Once he acquires the template, he now has a Natural Armor bonus of +3 and an Enhancement bonus to that Natural Armor of +2 for a total of +5.

Ex2:
A Gargoyle has a Natural Armor bonus of +4. If it were to aquire the template (which grants a Natural Armor bonus of +3) his AC does not increase, as the two Natural Armor bonuses don't stack.
If the Mineral Warrior Gargoyle puts on his amulet he now has a +4 Natural Armor bonus (the +4 from Gargoyle overlaps the +3 from the template) and a +2 Enhancement bonus to Natural Armor from the amulet for a total of +6.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Unless, of course, that the template states that you increase a creature's Natural Armor.

For example, the Half-Celestial:

Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +1 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).

AR

 

[Yair]

I'm with the majority: enhancement to natural armor and natural armor stack, so you get a +5 in total. Congradulations!

 

[dcollins]

Yeah...
In 3.0: The amulet/barkskin gives a "natural armor" bonus, so they would not stack. Total result +3 AC.

In 3.5: The amulet/barkskin gives an "enhancement to natural armor" bonus, so they would effectively stack. Total reult +5 AC.

Personally I prefer 3.0 here because this seems like an effort to break down the very rationale for the whole stacking rule in the first place.

 

[kenobi65]

I stand corrected, though I agree that the 3.0 rule on it made more sense. But, there it is.

 

[Kazuel]

thank you all for the responses. Cleared stuff up.