Bracers Of armor and Nat armor

[Benimoto]

My only problem with bracers of natural armor for the same price as the bracers of armor is that it leads to an AC increase for "tank" type characters over characters for whom this type of custom equipment is unavailable.

Normal tank types ignore both the bracers of armor and the amulet of natural armor for the reason that they're already wearing armor, and find the amulet of health a more effective amulet, generally.

Bracers of natural armor would change your normal level 10 tank's AC from 30 (+10 armor, +4 shield, +2 dex, +2 deflection, +2 misc) to 32 through 34, depending on the size of amulet he could afford.

In other words, it essentially lowers the cost of buying AC increases by allowing another bonus in.

 

[Question]

I prefer to think of the amulet of nat armor is a huge mistake.

Lets see, its a AC increasing item, that doesnt affect spells, or touch attacks, etc.

On the OTHER hand you have a CHEAPER item that gives you more HP for -everything-....poisons, spells, traps, whatever, and it constantly scales as you level up.

As a fighter, which am i going to take? Hell, as a wizard, or rogue, or whatever else, what am i going to take?

The only time i see someone taking amulet of nat armor is if :

-They are playing undead, or some other race with no con score

-They dont know that the amulet of health is a better choice

Its like that weird armor material in either races of the wild or arms and equipment guide that, when made into chainmail like armor, grants you DR 3/piercing, and it costs a ton more than admantine armor(which is DR 3/-......).

 

[Moon-Lancer]

its expensive becuse its a enhancement to natural armor. Thus stacks with natural armor.

bracers that stacked with mundane armor would be pritty expensive.

 

[Question]

As most PCs do not have base natural armor bonuses anyway, this is largely irrelevant, and even if you are playing a LA race or template with armor bonuses, that is already taken into account with the LA.

 

[Bad Paper]

I had considered allowing a Shirt of Natural Armor, then decided not to. But now, I don't know. Probably should. Makes more sense than bracers.

 

[werk]

As most PCs do not have base natural armor bonuses anyway, this is largely irrelevant, and even if you are playing a LA race or template with armor bonuses, that is already taken into account with the LA.

You've made several comments to this effect. Do you think that a human wearing an amulet of natural armor does not benefit from it?

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[IcyCool]

The only time i see someone taking amulet of nat armor is if :

-They are playing undead, or some other race with no con score

-They dont know that the amulet of health is a better choice

Chalk me up in that second category then. Because I've always felt that not getting hit is the best strategy. Those extra HP won't help you when the power attacker hits with his iterative attacks...

 

[Question]

You've made several comments to this effect. Do you think that a human wearing an amulet of natural armor does not benefit from it?

:\

The argument was that the enchantment bonus stacks with existing natural armor.....which IIRC no LA 0 races have.

A level 20 PC with a +4 amulet of natural armor has a 20% chance of avoiding physical attacks ONLY. The level 20 PC with a +6 amulet of health has 60 more hp to survive everything damaging thrown at him, has +3 more fort save, better chances of making con checks and +3 bonus to con based skills.

Unless your DM does nothing but throw raging, power attacking barbarians where a difference of 1-4 on the roll can mean life and death, the amulet of health is significantly better.

 

[irdeggman]

The argument was that the enchantment bonus stacks with existing natural armor.....which IIRC no LA 0 races have.

Shifter (Beasthide) gets +2 nat armor bonus when shifting.

 

[Stalker0]

Unless your DM does nothing but throw raging, power attacking barbarians where a difference of 1-4 on the roll can mean life and death, the amulet of health is significantly better.

It is better...in the non raging power attacking situation you mentioned. Having a generally amount of hp is always a good thing. But do not underestimate how much hp you can save with a +5 to your AC. The nat armor does scale with level...because the higher you go the more a creature does per attack. Creatures can easily start doing 40+ damage per hit at these levels, and often much much more than that. The ability to negate even one hit can be nearly all of those 60 hp you mentioned. And also, AC makes your hp more efficient. You need healing less, and it allows to last longer until your cleric buddy can come save you.