Adventurer's Vault masterwork armours

[Lord Sessadore]

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At 30 a rogue can hope for about 24-26-28 dexterty depending on epic destiny and starting score. So lets go with the 26 which grants a Dexmod of +13, Leather armor +6 without masterwork qualities is 8 AC plus the 13 dexmod 21 ac from armor and stat Plate Mail +6 is 14 ac... meaning the light armor wearing rogue has 7 more ac from his armor than the fighter without factoring in masterworks

If you go for top of the line masterwork for both in AC pursuits you end up with starleather +6 granting 10 AC + the 13 for 23 ac from armor and stat and the level 6 godplate granting 20, for well 20, that brings the disparity of AC down from 7 to 3. 7 difference is pretty harsh, 3 is at least not too crazy, and that is assuming a starting stat of 18 with a +2 stat epic destiny or a 20 and no stat epic D. Though I imagine most rogues would want to take hide feat to get voidhide and the +2 fort bonus it offers for the same ac as starleather.

Seems you forgot that 10 is a +0 mod there. 26 gives you a +8 Also, to have a 26 at level 30, all you need is an 18 to start and increase it at every opportunity, you don't need a boost from your epic destiny.

So then in the non-masterwork example, the rogue has 8 AC from +6 leather, +8 Dex, which gives him 16 AC from armor and stat. The plate-wearer with +6 plate has, as you said, 14 AC from armor, putting the rogue ahead by 2. The rogue could upgrade to hide for an extra +1 and the plate wearer could add a heavy shield for an extra 2, putting the plate wearer behind by a total of 3.

With masterwork, the rogue has 10AC from +6 starleather, +8 Dex, giving 18 AC from stat and armor. Mr. Plate has +20 AC from +6 godplate, totalling 20 AC from stat and armor. This puts the plate-wearer ahead by 2. If the light armor wearer went with hide instead, they'd only be 1 behind, but the plate wearer can add a heavy shield for an extra 2.

Sorry to pick on your math, but yes, your point still stands. Without masterwork armor, the light armor wearers will outstrip non-Dex or non-Int based defenders. That just doesn't seem right, does it?

 

[Lord Sessadore]

Masterwok Armors also MUST be found as loot. (PHB212) This makes them much different from regular armors, and a lot more rare (as rare as the DM wants).

I checked, the closest thing it says to what you're saying is, and I quote, "These masterwork armors never appear except as magic items, and even then only at the highest levels." At the end of the paragraph it also states, as Ibixat said, that the price of masterwork armor is included in the cost of magic armor.

The book doesn't say that you can only find them as loot. It says that masterwork armor is only magical. So unless the book states somewhere that magic items can only be found as loot and never purchased (which it does not - not that that stops a DM from saying that's how his/her world works, of course), then you can certainly purchase masterwork armor. Not only that, but the price is included, and the math is balanced on the assumption that you have such armors. Basically, if your players don't get masterwork armors when they're at a high enough level, you're gimping them.

 

[Bond James Bond]

As said before, the new masterwork armor mainly just smooth out the already exisiting scale of armor progression.

And masterwork armors are required by the game as they are the only way to compensate for the fact that light armor users can add their (ever increasing) int or dex to their AC, and heavy armor useres can`t.

So whats the big issue?

 

[HarbingerX]

The book doesn't say that you can only find them as loot. It says that masterwork armor is only magical. So unless the book states somewhere that magic items can only be found as loot and never purchased (which it does not - not that that stops a DM from saying that's how his/her world works, of course), then you can certainly purchase masterwork armor. Not only that, but the price is included, and the math is balanced on the assumption that you have such armors. Basically, if your players don't get masterwork armors when they're at a high enough level, you're gimping them.

First column, third paragraph PHB p. 223 says that you can 'sometimes' buy magic items, usually only low-level. Anything higher will involve travelling to a fantastic location.

DMG p. 155 says basically it's up to the DM if they want players to be able to buy magic items.

So you're right, but the default assumption is that it's a very limited market.

 

[Lord Sessadore]

Yes, true. But it never says "magic items are not for sale, and can only be found as loot." My point is, if you can buy +6 plate, you can buy +6 godplate, and by rights, that +6 plate SHOULD BE godplate, or some equivalent masterwork armor. Anything else is gimping your players.

I totally agree that you shouldn't be able to walk into the market in some random town and buy godplate. But if you find a seller in the City of Brass, it had darn well better be +6 godplate, not just normal plate.

 

[Whimsical]

Yeah. Choosing to have your +6 plate armor made out of steel is like choosing to buy a fine flatware set made from the plastic knives, spoons, and forks taken from various fast food restaurants. It's just not done.

 

[Harr]

Just consider the AV masterwork armors as errata to the PHB masterwork armors - just erratta without having to admit to the errata-ing... a case of "stealth-errata", if you will.

And of course you can have players buy all the masterwork they want if you feel like it, don't be silly.

 

[eamon]

Just consider the AV masterwork armors as errata to the PHB masterwork armors - just erratta without having to admit to the errata-ing... a case of "stealth-errata", if you will.

And of course you can have players buy all the masterwork they want if you feel like it, don't be silly.

In support,
p.214 bottom right:
"The cost of masterwork armor is included in the cost of magic armor of 16th level or higher".

Obviously, the idea is that variously high-level magic armors are normally made masterwork. I'd assume the same principle holds for the AV armors; the masterwork price is included in the magical price. (And yes, a +3 scale used to be rather underarmored compared to a hide-armor wearer at those levels).

 

[Doctor Proctor]

Heck, all your players need to do is walk down to the store and buy a standard set up plate, and then can enchant it to be +6 Godplate. As others have said, all magic armor above a certain point is Masterwork Armor. So your players don't really have to "buy" it per se, they can just enchant it.

The new AV armors are really on there to give you more options. Give up a few AC points on your plate armor and you can have Resist All 5. Or you go with Godplate for max AC and just hope you don't get hit.

 

[Ibixat]

Heck, all your players need to do is walk down to the store and buy a standard set up plate, and then can enchant it to be +6 Godplate. As others have said, all magic armor above a certain point is Masterwork Armor. So your players don't really have to "buy" it per se, they can just enchant it.

The new AV armors are really on there to give you more options. Give up a few AC points on your plate armor and you can have Resist All 5. Or you go with Godplate for max AC and just hope you don't get hit.

With ongoing damage effects the way they are I think the resist 5 all is the only way to go. I Wonder how much more damage that will block on it's own compared to the difference in hit rate though, anyone want to math it up? I'm too tired to do that stuff.