[A&EG] Armor enh. goes up to +8 now

[Gumby]

With non-epic rules, yet. Also, +13 is the new max for enhancement + ability. Page 130:

(sidebar on enchanting bracers of armor)Just as magic armor can never exceed a +8 enhancement bonus, bracers of armor can never provide more than a +8 armor bonus. However, special abilities can increse the effective bonus as high as +13 (bracers +8 with an ability valued at +5, such as heavy fortification).

I wonder whether 3.5E (which I assume is the impetus behind this change) will let weapon enhancement bonuses go to +8 as well, or whether weapons will be stuck at +5, and that this is an attempt at balancing AC against BAB.

Edit: Or it could just be a really, really, really, really bad typo.

 

[Crothian]

Interesting, I'd think typo just because going up to a max of +13 is just such a wierd number to cap it at.

 

[Gumby]

It is odd. Yet the sidebar is internally consistent, which implies that the +8/+13 was consciously done. And there's never been any non-epic armor ability greater than a +5, so (+8) + (+5) does = 13. But then that poses the question, "why +8?"

 

[Crothian]

Do they have a table pricing this?

 

[Gumby]

Eating with the right hand, risking paper cuts with the left...

The sidebar's purpose is to detail the further enchanting of bracers of armor, and the rules listed in the sidebar follow the normal, non-epic progression of bonus squared x 1,000 gp. The sidebar details the prices of the bracers of armor and the list goes up to +13 (169,000 gp).

While the sidebar does mention that "just as magic armor can never exceed a +8 enhancement bonus, bracers of armor never provide more than a +8 enhancement bonus," the price list in the sidebar is specifically referring to ability-enchanted bracers of armor.

On page 156 (part of the appendix), there are new treasure lists for the various spiffy new magic and non-magic thingies listed in the A&EG, including magic armor. The enhancement bonuses top out at +5. Which makes me wonder if somebody on the A&EG team (apparently it was written by four people) just really likes magic armor, and snuck in that sidebar without telling anyone else.

Edited for clarity.

 

[Caliban]

With non-epic rules, yet. Also, +13 is the new max for enhancement + ability. Page 130:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(sidebar on enchanting bracers of armor)Just as magic armor can never exceed a +8 enhancement bonus, bracers of armor can never provide more than a +8 armor bonus. However, special abilities can increse the effective bonus as high as +13 (bracers +8 with an ability valued at +5, such as heavy fortification).
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I wonder whether 3.5E (which I assume is the impetus behind this change) will let weapon enhancement bonuses go to +8 as well, or whether weapons will be stuck at +5, and that this is an attempt at balancing AC against BAB.

Edit: Or it could just be a really, really, really, really bad typo.

I think that perhaps it meant "Armor Bonus" instead of "Enhancement Bonus".

Because normal Bracers of Armor are maxed at a +8 armor bonus, and Plate Mail is a +8 armor bonus.

The "+13" limit would then be a "+8 armor bonus with a +5 enhancement" limit, which is what we have now with plate mail.

Unless they are eliminating the Armor Bonus in 3.5, which seems unlikely.

 

[dcollins]

Hmmm. My first guess is actually that there's a typo, and the first number should be "+5" instead of "+8". Thus it would read: "Just as magic armor can never exceed a +5 enhancement bonus, bracers of armor can never provide more than a +8 armor bonus," and everything else would remain exactly the same, the intent being that you can go +5 over the max enhancement for both magic armor and bracers via special abilities.

But Caliban's got a good theory, as well.

 

[Marshall]

I think Caliban has it right in that the "+8 enhancement" should be "+8 armor" bonus.

But if I read this right, I can now have Bracers of Armor(Heavy Fortification) for about 25kgp.

Bracers +0 is no cost. And apparently I can't/don't need the +1 enhancement bonus to tack on the Heavy Fort enhancement.

 

[Janos Antero]

And there's never been any non-epic armor ability greater than a +5

Actually Proof against Transmutation is +6 from Magic of Faerun.

 

[Taren Seeker]

I think Caliban has it right in that the "+8 enhancement" should be "+8 armor" bonus.

But if I read this right, I can now have Bracers of Armor(Heavy Fortification) for about 25kgp.

Bracers +0 is no cost. And apparently I can't/don't need the +1 enhancement bonus to tack on the Heavy Fort enhancement.

The problem with that theory is that the A&EG breaks it's own rule then. Don't they have heavy armors that have a +9 armor bonus?

But Bracers of Heavy fort...w00t!1!! Even if you have to take the +1 it's only 36k. And you never know when that shadow is going to come after you...