doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
I agree. Light Armor + 1 AC = Mage Armor.
That flat +1 bonus to AC that also allows for full Dexterity, is worth 2 points, about the same as a Shield.
If someone already has Light Armor, then the +1 AC is worth 2 points. If someone is gaining both Light Armor and the +1 AC, then it is worth about 5 points.
In other words, Mage Armor is really worth about 5 points. More than 4.
So, a feat that gives Ability Score +1 and Mage Armor is an appealing feat, worth about 9 points, where a standard feat is 8 points.
No, you’re ignoring vital data.
There are only two classes that don’t have light armor or better, and both of them have Mage Armor already on their spell list.
So it’s always just a +1. The fact that it allows full Dex is irrelevant, because so does adding +1 onto some light armor.