D&D (2024) Bracers of Defense vs Ring of Protection +1

[Clint_L]

If you’re going to be tanking a fair amount I would say going to level 3 monk would be a very tempting option. Even with just three levels and your dex of 16, deflect attack will reduce a physical hit by 12 on average, which is huge for concentration checks. And you’d also have the level 2 bonuses to defence and mobility.

I have found my monk to be an excellent tank with the new rules.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

I'd personally keep the Ring and the Bracers and end attunement on the Wand of Fear. The Bracers are "always on" while it sounds like your character does not use the Wand as much as the Staff.

Also, wow, that is a lot of magic items to have at 8th level!

 

[ECMO3]

Do you plan to keep both items? If you know what you're going to be facing and have an hour to prepare, you can swap in the item that will serve you best against that foe.

We have a portable hole with all kinds of crap in it (including some extra rings of protection already) so we already do this kind of. It is pretty much what I want as standard.

With regard to concentration: For a hit that does 21 damage or less, given your base AC and Con bonus, +1 to your concentration saves is worth somewhere between 1.25 and 1.75 AC*. On higher-damage hits, the relative value of the bracers goes up. On the other hand, area effects and spells usually target saves rather than your AC, and in that case the bracers get you nothing at all, while the ring pulls double duty -- first improving your chance to halve or negate the damage, and then improving your chance to hold concentration against the damage you do take.

*Assuming the monster's attack bonus is between +6 and +10. The higher the monster's attack bonus, the less effective the bracers are relative to the ring. Reducing a 50% hit chance to 45% prevents one hit in 10, but reducing a 70% hit chance to 65% prevents only one in 14.

Great points! Thanks.

 

[ECMO3]

Really depends on the threats you face.

If you are the frontliner and get attacked a lot, one less hit every 20 rolls is nice.

I do take melee attacks, but our "front liners" per say are a single class monk, a Druid in heavy armor and a Cleric in heavy armor.

We don't really have anyone in the classic tank style, but those three usually block the choke points if it is one of those battles. Our only "squishy" is a Rogue with a 10 Constitution. Everyone else at least doesn't run from melee.

Maintaining concentration on summining fey should be a non issue, as you want to cast it in the special no concentration version anyway. Just recasting HM is also no big of a cost.

Due to the multiclass it will be a long time before I get that (level 16: Ranger 11/Monk 1/Glamour Bard 4). I will get Summon Fey with concentration at level 11 (Ranger 9/Monk 1/Bard 1). Even when I get Fey Reinforcements, there is value to having an hour duration instead of a minute, most notably on the action economy in the first round of combat ....... when you can put a second one on the battlefield

Right now I lose concentration on HM all the time, every time I do I say: "crappy spell anyway". I'm not really doing anything to preserve it though like I would (and do) with a better spell like Silence, Spike Growth or later on Summon Fey.

 

[ECMO3]

If you’re going to be tanking a fair amount I would say going to level 3 monk would be a very tempting option. Even with just three levels and your dex of 16, deflect attack will reduce a physical hit by 12 on average, which is huge for concentration checks. And you’d also have the level 2 bonuses to defence and mobility.

The problem with DA is the reaction, which I won't have a lot of. I have Shield spell already and once Beguiling Twist comes online that is going to be gobbling up a lot of my reactions. So DA would only be used when I did not use BT and when I am not going to shield it (or don't have slots to shield)

Bonus action dodge would be really good, but probably not as good as the extra spell slots, Beguiling Magic and Mantle of Inspiration I get with 3 more Bard levels.

I have found my monk to be an excellent tank with the new rules.

Our single class Monk is tanking pretty well

 

[ECMO3]

I'd personally keep the Ring and the Bracers and end attunement on the Wand of Fear. The Bracers are "always on" while it sounds like your character does not use the Wand as much as the Staff.

You don't want to do that as a Fey Wanderer. Wand of Fear and Pipes of Haunting are among the best magic items in the game for a Fey Wanderer.

I use the Wand once or twice a day depending on how many charges it has after my long rest, right now it is not a big deal, but at Ranger 7 with Beguiling Twist it is going to be huge. If I burn its daily uses I can always swap it out on a Short Rest.

Also, wow, that is a lot of magic items to have at 8th level!

We have a lot more than that. We are playing a remake of a 1980s Gygax adventure and the DM used what was in the adventure and updated it for 5E. It has a TON of magic items.

My character is about average for the group and I have multiple scrolls and potions, an elemental gem and a ring of fire resistance in addition to what I mentioned above.

We have a portable hole that we have a bunch of stuff stored in, including great items we are NOT using like a Flame Tongue Longsword, Wand of Paralyzation, multiple Rings of protection, the aforementioned Bracers (the single class Monk is wearing his own set), a veritable pile of +1 maces, a +2 War hammer, 5 or 6 suits of armor, including Plate +1 (both heavily armored PCs have Plate +2), several shields +1 and a ton of random potions and scrolls.

None of it is crafted or bought, we have found everything in the dungeon, including the Portable Hole. It is probably the most magic I have ever gotten in a 5E adventure. Of note most of that stuff we took off of enemies and it was nearly impossible to hit some of them (as high as 26 AC).