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Barkskin *Might* Be the Worst Spell Description I've Ever Read
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<blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 7510387" data-attributes="member: 7006"><p>What the spell really needs is just a longer description... wherein the spells specifies quite succinctly:</p><p></p><p><em>This spell is intended to only be used while Wildshaped.</em></p><p></p><p>Because truth be told, that's what it is. It is not intended to be the druid's equivalent to <em>Mage Armor</em>. If it was... if it was meant to be a spell a druid used as their "armor" all the time in replacement of normal armor... it wouldn't cost a 2nd level spell, it wouldn't only last an hour, and it wouldn't require concentration.</p><p></p><p>I think their intention is that they expect druids in their normal humanoid form to <strong>already</strong> have an AC of 16. They will be wearing Hide Armor (AC 12), have quite likely a +2 bonus due to DEX (AC 14), and use a shield (AC 16). So <em>Barkskin</em> in their humanoid form accomplishes nothing.</p><p></p><p>It's only when they then wildshape and normally see their AC in animal form drop 2 to 5 points that druids would go "Hey, what the?!?" So <em>Barkskin</em> is a way to let them keep their AC 16 in their animal form at least for a little while.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, the spell description doesn't point any of this out. And actually the way they write it, they make it sound like it *is* meant to be an armor replacement because of it saying "regardless of the armor the creature is wearing." Since animals don't wear armor and humanoids do... the spell infers that its a spell that could be used during the time a PC would be wearing armor. When in point of fact, it should <strong>never</strong> be used while a PC could be wearing armor.</p><p></p><p>Had the spell been called <em>Natural Beast Armor</em> and it pointed out that it was meant to be cast just prior to wildshaping... I don't think any of these issues people have with the spell and its wording would have been nearly as acute.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DEFCON 1, post: 7510387, member: 7006"] What the spell really needs is just a longer description... wherein the spells specifies quite succinctly: [I]This spell is intended to only be used while Wildshaped.[/I] Because truth be told, that's what it is. It is not intended to be the druid's equivalent to [I]Mage Armor[/I]. If it was... if it was meant to be a spell a druid used as their "armor" all the time in replacement of normal armor... it wouldn't cost a 2nd level spell, it wouldn't only last an hour, and it wouldn't require concentration. I think their intention is that they expect druids in their normal humanoid form to [B]already[/B] have an AC of 16. They will be wearing Hide Armor (AC 12), have quite likely a +2 bonus due to DEX (AC 14), and use a shield (AC 16). So [I]Barkskin[/I] in their humanoid form accomplishes nothing. It's only when they then wildshape and normally see their AC in animal form drop 2 to 5 points that druids would go "Hey, what the?!?" So [I]Barkskin[/I] is a way to let them keep their AC 16 in their animal form at least for a little while. Unfortunately, the spell description doesn't point any of this out. And actually the way they write it, they make it sound like it *is* meant to be an armor replacement because of it saying "regardless of the armor the creature is wearing." Since animals don't wear armor and humanoids do... the spell infers that its a spell that could be used during the time a PC would be wearing armor. When in point of fact, it should [B]never[/B] be used while a PC could be wearing armor. Had the spell been called [I]Natural Beast Armor[/I] and it pointed out that it was meant to be cast just prior to wildshaping... I don't think any of these issues people have with the spell and its wording would have been nearly as acute. [/QUOTE]
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