Wizards and Armour

[yenrac]

I'm failing to see any arcane failure for armour clad Wizard
i know spending the feats area hassle , but a armour clad wizard can be powerful , if not good for RP

 

[NorthSaber]

Wizards in armor are a decent option, but there are two things to consider: one, each feat is approximately worth +1 to AC (except Armor Proficiency: Leather which is a good buy as it effectively gives +2 to AC); two, the armor proficiency and specialization feats require Str and Con, which are pretty much dump stats for the Wizard (i.e., you want a high Int and Wis, probably Con at 13, so there won't be enough points for Str too).

Since there aren't really that many good feats, I expect many wizards to take up to hide armor (2 feats, Str 13, Con 13), as it still gives the full Int bonus to AC. Still, this will require some investment in Str, which could otherwise be left all the way at 8...

In short, it's a big investment, considering point-buy is the standard now, so most wizards won't bother - but for those that do, it's a valid option.

 

[lukelightning]

Want to wear armor, sure, go ahead!

It's not like in 3e where you could add a zillion spell buffs to protect you on top of your armor.

 

[mach1.9pants]

How is a wizard wearing armour 'not good for rp'? It might not be within your preconceptions of a wizard but it won't stop good roleplaying.

 

[Mistwell]

I'm failing to see any arcane failure for armour clad Wizard
i know spending the feats area hassle , but a armour clad wizard can be powerful , if not good for RP

You add your Intelligence to your AC unless you wear armor heavier than light.

So if you want to devote all those feats to get a slightly better AC, go for it. It won't be unbalancing, and you will be giving up a lot of good feats to get it.

Now there might be an argument for wearing the heaviest armor without proficiency and accepting the penalty that comes with it. I have not looked at the numbers, but I suspect magic heavy armor might sometimes outweigh the harm from wearing armor you are not proficient in.

 

[Daniel D. Fox]

Since spell damage and spell defenses has been equalized across the board with other classes, there isn't a reason to have spell failure in armor.

 

[Alkiera]

Yeah, the real limitation now is the stat requirements on the feats, not the fear of spell failure. Didn't really see any cloth magical armors in the items section that thrilled me; I'd guess Armor Prof(Leather) is going to be very popular among adventuring wizards. +2 AC for the cost of a feat is pretty hard to beat, since it stacks with your impressive intelligence bonus, and gets you up into the same AC category as the leaders. That will shift a bit around 15 as masterwork heavy armor progresses faster, but you'll still be within a few points, as opposed to the Fighter with AC 35+ and the Wizard with AC of 20 in previous editions.

In 4e, 14(godly plate) +6 enh + 2 heavy shield = 22, vs 4(epic leather)+6enh +9 (28 int) = 19. And the wizard doesn't have to put up with check or movement penalties. Not bad, 15% difference in enemy miss rate, if you work at it. If you invest 2 more feats on hide armor and armor spec(hide) you can get an additional +2, putting you up there with the plate wearer who spent no feats.

In 4e, more than ever before, there is no reason to go above light armor if you are int or dex-based, and every reason to wear leather armor if you can afford the feat.