D&D 5E Best AC in game (without using any armor)?

[hejtmane]

Create a Draconic Sorcerer X/Barbarian 1 with starting Con and Dex scores of 16 (assuming a human variant).

Every time you get to increase an ability score, increase Con and Dex until they reach 20.

Final AC: 10 + 5 (Dex) + 5 (Con) + 2 (shield) = 22

Since you are a X level sorcerer you also have a great supply of Shield spells (AC 27).

Congratulations, you now have someone that a Balor (still) has trouble hitting (after all the edits)!

Edit: If you add Haste to the mix, max AC becomes 29!!

Without magic you can get to 24 on a Barbarian con dex max +shield =22 once you reach 20 level Barb you get 24 con jumping you to 24 AC

1 Level barbarian then blade singer can get you to 20 +5 =25 (no shield) + Shield spell should get you to 30 same with MonkBS dex wisdom int max =25 + shield spell
Also get to 30 with Barb 20 + Shield defensive Duelist feat finesse weapon +6

Next one 1 level Barb or monk + BS plus Defensive Duelist feat + finesse weapon at 17th level add +6 proficiency bonus 31

There are more I am sure I am missing

Easier to do in non point buy with good dice roles

I also forgot to add if you have a friendly cleric + 2 shield of faith stacked on top bumps all those up

Yes it can get crazy stupid but some of it is not so easy to make happen

 

[philosophers_stoned]

A smart and balanced DM casts spells.

Finally, someone got it.

 

[Sacrosanct]

It's all theorycrafting anyway, since hardly anyone actually plays their PCs all the way up to level 20. That's the thing about these types of conversations, they are largely all just theory. I like my PCs to fit my theme all the time, and not feel like I have to slog through months worth of gaming just to get my PC to a point where I want them. Especially since once they get there, most people usually start out with new PCs in a new campaign anyway

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

...since hardly anyone actually plays their PCs all the way up to level 20

I still hold out hope that 5th edition will manage to make this long-held truth no longer true for those that actually try to play all the way up to level 20, instead of assume that because they didn't with some other edition that they can't with 5th edition in spite of all of the changes meant to enable exactly that.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Sorry if somebody already said this in this thread, but does Mage Armor stack with Unarmored Defense? If so a Monk with Warlock: 2 has a pretty good AC.

 

[Ahglock]

It's all theorycrafting anyway, since hardly anyone actually plays their PCs all the way up to level 20. That's the thing about these types of conversations, they are largely all just theory. I like my PCs to fit my theme all the time, and not feel like I have to slog through months worth of gaming just to get my PC to a point where I want them. Especially since once they get there, most people usually start out with new PCs in a new campaign anyway

The Max AC is at level 20 maybe, but well above the average can be almost from level 1.

As a DM I found AC to be a fairly simple element to deal with while still allowing he high defense PC to shine in that arena.

 

[hejtmane]

It's all theorycrafting anyway, since hardly anyone actually plays their PCs all the way up to level 20. That's the thing about these types of conversations, they are largely all just theory. I like my PCs to fit my theme all the time, and not feel like I have to slog through months worth of gaming just to get my PC to a point where I want them. Especially since once they get there, most people usually start out with new PCs in a new campaign anyway

I hate playing the same levels over and over again in fact I hate the first 3 levels of D&D thank goodness they go quick. What fun is it to play the same monster ranges all the time we try to get to the upper levels and even 20th level. To each their own I just find that crazy

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Sorry if somebody already said this in this thread, but does Mage Armor stack with Unarmored Defense? If so a Monk with Warlock: 2 has a pretty good AC.

Does Mage Armour give a flat bonus, or is it just another alternate "Your AC equals . . . " calculation?

 

[hejtmane]

Sorry if somebody already said this in this thread, but does Mage Armor stack with Unarmored Defense? If so a Monk with Warlock: 2 has a pretty good AC.

No and scorer natural 13 does not stack either it is in the PHB I can not remember the page I have to go dig it up again

 

[hejtmane]

Me personally, I had trouble hitting AC 16-18 with a +11 to hit in the last session I ran... but that's a story for a different thread.

Been there more times than I like