Ulimate Monk Armor....?

[Nail]

I'm currently designing a Mnk 16...and I was left absolutely aghast at their poor ACs in toe-to-toe melee. Yuck! The lack of armor (and shield) really hurts.

So, I'm thinking of buying/having created a magical robe that would help.....but after I finished the first draft, I thought I'd ask for opinions. Here it is:

Robe of the Monk: +4 Armor AC, +2 Deflection AC, +2 Natural Armor AC, +2 Luck AC, +2 Sacred AC; only useable by monks.

Price: +4 Armor AC: (4*4*1000=) 16,000gp
+2 Natural Armor AC: (2*2*2000=) 8,000 gp
+2 Defection AC: (2*2*2000=) 8,000 gp
+2 Luck AC: (2*2*2500=) 10,000 gp
+2 Sacred AC (2*2*2500=) 10,000 gp

---->Slotted item, all magical properties are "similar":
price is simply sum of property costs = 52,000 gp

---->Monks only, magic item restriction reduces cost 30% = 36,400 gp

.....wow, that's cheap for +12 to AC....or is it?

Notes:

• The example given for "different abilities" specifically calls out attack, save, & AC bonuses. It says that one item with two or more of these has "different" abilities, and therefore is priced a x1.5. ....but that implies that any one of those, taken as different types, is *not* a different ability.
  
• I left out insight bonuses...not sure how to price that. Is that 5000gp times bonus squared? Where do I look that up......
  
• I'd love to hear of other ways to boost AC....as long as it doesn't involve multiclassing. And yes, I've already got Dex and Wis -boosting items, thanks.
  
• Yep, this is chessy. If that's your only comment: thanks, you can move on now.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Nail, I assume you're statting this robe out as a player?

If so, I suggest that you ask your DM about the "item restriction cost reduction." I as a DM (and some others, judging from the posts that come up every so often,) do not use those guidelines for determining creation cost, but rather, only for reducing the market value of a specialty item when sold.

You might also speak with your DM about your interpretation of placing multiple effects on a single item. I'm currently under the (perhaps mistaken?) impression that you'd still multiply the cost of all the subordinate effects by 1.5 on your robe.

 

[Greybar]

wow, that's cheap for +12 to AC....or is it?

Yeah, that is cheap. All of the secondary abilities essentially require no "slot" on the body, and thus should cost 2x as if they were multiple items. Then you can go back and say they're similar and discount 75% (off the 2x), as per the SRD. See also this articles from Sean K Reynolds about magic item creation.

Also, anytime you have the luxury of saying "this item only works for me" and getting it cheaper as a result is going to be nice.

One disadvantage is that many of those boosts will overlap with area effects provided by your fellow party members (like a Cleric or Bard giving you a Sacred or Luck bonus). So while a Prayer (off the top of my head) gives everyone else in the party +2 AC, yours won't get any better. Similarly if you get a +2 Amulet of Natural Armor then it won't help you, etc. If this is a stand-along badguy then that's not an issue, of course.

john

 

[htetickrt]

If it's in character, take a Vow of Poverty [BoED]. That should get you to the mid 40's, though your damage output might drop. No multiclassing required.

And hey, if you can achieve Sainthood as well, you're looking at 55 or so without a single item. Plus you'll have DR and SR and energy resistance.

 

[CRGreathouse]

Yeah, that is cheap. All of the secondary abilities essentially require no "slot" on the body, and thus should cost 2x as if they were multiple items. Then you can go back and say they're similar and discount 75% (off the 2x), as per the SRD. See also this articles from Sean K Reynolds about magic item creation.

The multiplier is x2 (+100%) in 3.0, x1.5 (+50%) in 3.5.

"Similar" is generally not applicable; an example of similar abilities are spells on a staff that all use charges from the same pool. Bonuses to different parts of AC are dissimilar and increase the price as above.

Generally, DMG text notwithstanding, D&D designers have suggested no change or a price increase for an item only useable by a small subset of classes/races/whatever, since it's actually more useful to the character (can't be stolen and used against him).

 

[Plane Sailing]

What can you get if you combine

Bracers of armour
Amulet of natural armour
Pearl of Wisdom
Gloves of dexterity?

Since all of those things can add directly to your monkish AC without attempting to create a fancy new magic item.

 

[DanMcS]

I'm currently designing a Mnk 16...and I was left absolutely aghast at their poor ACs in toe-to-toe melee. Yuck! The lack of armor (and shield) really hurts.

You're not quit there yet, then, because my monk has the best armor class in the party by several points. That's at 11th level, but it's going to get worse.

So, I'm thinking of buying/having created a magical robe that would help.....but after I finished the first draft, I thought I'd ask for opinions. Here it is:

Robe of the Monk: +4 Armor AC, +2 Deflection AC, +2 Natural Armor AC, +2 Luck AC, +2 Sacred AC; only useable by monks.

Price: +4 Armor AC: (4*4*1000=) 16,000gp
+2 Natural Armor AC: (2*2*2000=) 8,000 gp
+2 Defection AC: (2*2*2000=) 8,000 gp
+2 Luck AC: (2*2*2500=) 10,000 gp
+2 Sacred AC (2*2*2500=) 10,000 gp

---->Slotted item, all magical properties are "similar":
price is simply sum of property costs = 52,000 gp

---->Monks only, magic item restriction reduces cost 30% = 36,400 gp

.....wow, that's cheap for +12 to AC....or is it?

You have to double the costs of everything but the most expensive trait, since you're making them all fit in one body slot. Or maybe 1.5 them; don't have the books handy. So either 70k or 88k, less any "magic item restriction", but not 52.

Better to pick up the appropriate normal items, which you can get at mostly those listed prices. Bracers of armor +4 16k, amulet of natural armor +2 8k, monk's belt gives a +1, ring of deflection costs the same as the natural armor, I'm not sure what other items you could get. But yeah, essentially you're better off with the mix and match approach, moneywise. If you end up with a 20 dex and 18 wisdom (with items), that's a 28 AC; 24 touch, 23 flatfooted. You can push that up higher if you know of regular items that grant luck and sacred bonuses.

Note that you can get a wand of mage armor for what, 750 gps, so that may be more cost-effective for you in the short term than the bracers of natural armor +4. Especially if you're short on cash. You'll have to have a companion use the wand on you, but that should be all right, cast by a 1st level caster it'll last 1 hour.

 

[LazarusLong42]

Yeah, with the "no new slot required" multipliers, this thing comes out to 70K. Were it my game, I wouldn't allow the "monk only" discount on it either. I would probably also put a 50% or so cheese surcharge on it (OK, I wouldn't call it a cheese surcharge, but someone--probably a relatively powerful mage-type guy--has to research how to make this new cool thing, and figure out how to get all these different AC bonuses into one item. Without blowing it and himself up.) Still, 105k is less than bracers of armor +12 (144k if you ignore epic rules, or 1.44M if you don't.)

 

[RigaMortus2]

Just curious, but have you considered what would happen to your AC if this single piece or armor was every stolen, destroyed or disjunctified?

 

[Oscar carramiñana]

If it's in character, take a Vow of Poverty [BoED]. That should get you to the mid 40's, though your damage output might drop. No multiclassing required.

And hey, if you can achieve Sainthood as well, you're looking at 55 or so without a single item. Plus you'll have DR and SR and energy resistance.

try this build and combine with the Vow of poverty, are really avesome
human swashbuckler3/mnk6/duelist7
You apple three stats to ac: dex, wis, int, plus combat expertise, Vow feats, exalted armor and class abilities maybe you have near 80 AC