D&D 3E/3.5 Dragon Magic (3.5): Dragonscale Husk... what type of bonus ?

[JiCi]

In Dragon Magic (3.5), there's an alternate class feature called "dragonscale husk", which replace the heavy armor proficiency for the ability to grow thick scales that grant you a bonus to AC.

The main problem is that it says "Your scaled hide grants you a [???] bonus to your Armor Class..." without specifying which type of AC bonus it grants. I know that you can stack AC bonuses of different types, like you can have a Deflection, Shield, Armor, Natural Armor and Untyped bonus all at once, but it would be kinda broken to just leave it as an untyped bonus.

My guess is that, since you cannot enhance it like a regular suit of armor nor that it grants you an Arcane Spell Failure, I would assume that the Dragonscale Husk gives you a Natural Armor bonus and not an Armor bonus. While it does restrict your movement, it would be normal for any creature with thick hide.

What do you guys think ?

 

[Thanee]

I would treat it as an armor bonus.

Bye
Thanee

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I clarify it in my games to be an armor bonus. Think of it like a warforged character's composite plating.

 

[JiCi]

I clarify it in my games to be an armor bonus. Think of it like a warforged character's composite plating.

I see your point, but the fact that you can't enhance it like armor, or a warforged composite plating, really confuses me into thinking that this is a natural armor bonus, but it says that no feat, including Improved Natural Armor, can increase the bonus.

Yet it would make sense to make it an armor bonus, so that one cannot have that plus a pair of bracers of armor.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Exalted AC bonus from the vow of poverty feat, while not an armor bonus, explicitly doesn't stack with it and is thus close enough for comparison. You also cannot self-improve exalted AC. Both it and dragonscale husk improve with level on their own.

 

[JiCi]

Exalted AC bonus from the vow of poverty feat, while not an armor bonus, explicitly doesn't stack with it and is thus close enough for comparison. You also cannot self-improve exalted AC. Both it and dragonscale husk improve with level on their own.

Oh, yeah, that's right. I kinda forgot about this.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Exalted AC bonus from the vow of poverty feat, while not an armor bonus, explicitly doesn't stack with it and is thus close enough for comparison. You also cannot self-improve exalted AC. Both it and dragonscale husk improve with level on their own.

Forgive me- I'm working without my books at the moment- but as I recall, the Exalted AC bonus from VoP doesn't stack with armor bonuses because you're prevented from wearing armor in general. However, I don't recall there being a limitation against it working with armor bonuses from other sources, e.g. Shield spell, Inertial Armor etc.- please do correct me if I'm wrong.

The Dragonscale Husk sounds kind of like a Natural Armor that simply has an exception to INA built in...sort of like a paradoxically Untyped Natural Armor.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

The last line of the exalted AC bonus entry reads: "This does not stack with an armor bonus."

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Thanks!