Character Builder AC Calculation error?

[babinro]

During our session yesterday, we ended manually calculating the AC or our Chainmail wearing Half-Elf Mantle of Impulsiveness Ardent only to find that we kept getting a lower result from what the character builder states. The same was true with my Chainmail wearing Dwarven Battlerager Fighter. In both cases, we were 2 AC below what the builder stated. In the case of our Psion and Monk (light armor characters), it seemed to add up perfectly.

Can anyone tell me where we went wrong? Or failing that..if the character builder simply calculates heavy armor incorrectly?

Details as follows:
Level 11 characters: (+5 AC from 1/2 level bonus)
Chainmail Armor: +6 AC
+3 inherent bonus to all defenses: +3 AC
Ardent wields a double scimitar (Defensive +1 AC)
10 Base AC

Add this up for 25AC, and yet the character builder says 27AC.

The Fighter has identical bonuses less weapon since he uses a Mordenkrad and thus adds up to 24AC as per our calculations but 26AC according to the builder.

Neither character has feats or magical items that would modify AC permanently. Neither has a shield equipped let alone in their inventory. This is also just a standard campaign design character...nothing special like Dark Sun rules.

 

[samursus]

Look into Masterwork armour in PHB I think. Once you start using +3 or better armour, the base armour changes. For example: the +3 armour in question would be Braidmail (+8 AC bonus). I believe this was done to address a math issue at higher levels. The CB would automatically assign the proper Masterwork armour for the appropriate "+".

*Braidmail is in Adventurer's Vault; PHB only had Forgemail (+9 AC) and Spiritmail (+12 AC). AV filled in most of the missing gradations

 

[WalterKovacs]

The reason is because a light armored character is probably upping their Dex or Int (or appropriate replacement stat for a warden or druid, etc) and so to balance heavy armor with light armor, it gets a fixed bonus from masterwork. The characters is light armor, if it's +3 enchantment, will have a +1 to one of the NADs (masterwork cloth -> +1 will, masterwork leather -> +1 reflex, masterwork hide -> +1 fortitude). There are options for similar bonuses in heavy (you can give up the extra AC boost to go with a different masterwork property that gives will for chain, fort for scale, and resist all X for some masterwork plate armor.

 

[babinro]

Look into Masterwork armour in PHB I think. Once you start using +3 or better armour, the base armour changes. For example: the +3 armour in question would be Braidmail (+8 AC bonus). I believe this was done to address a math issue at higher levels. The CB would automatically assign the proper Masterwork armour for the appropriate "+".

*Braidmail is in Adventurer's Vault; PHB only had Forgemail (+9 AC) and Spiritmail (+12 AC). AV filled in most of the missing gradations

Perfect...I didn't realize there were different base armors aside from the +4 and +6 specializations in PHB. Odd considering I own Adventurer's Vault 1&2. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[RangerWickett]

This reminds me how I wish 4e had done away with +x items.

It would have been simpler to go the Gamma World way of letting PCs add their full level to defenses and attacks, and then never increasing PC ability scores. Mathematically, you'd end up with the same scale we have now, but with fewer fiddly things to keep track of.

And you'd be able to have Kratos grab a god with his bare hands and strangle the bastard, without requiring Kratos to have either +6 gauntlets or a +6 ki focus. He's just a bad-ass who's strong enough to strangle a god by himself.

 

[IanB]

Well, other than figuring out how to fix the economy, it is an easy enough house rule to make. You can still have magic armor and weapons grant their properties or whatever, but the levels and values are probably going to be all crazy afterwards to some extent.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

In fact, it is so easily done in D&D, just fix attack bonus to 3 + level + weapon proficiency and be done with it. Maybe 4 + level... you need to find the sweet spot... magic weapons still get bonus to damage rolls etc...

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

PHB2 has an integrated armor table that shows all the PHB1 and AV armors. Can come in handy when you run into these questions.

 

[IanB]

In fact, it is so easily done in D&D, just fix attack bonus to 3 + level + weapon proficiency and be done with it. Maybe 4 + level... you need to find the sweet spot... magic weapons still get bonus to damage rolls etc...

Ah of course, I forgot about the damage bonus being on there. That fixes weapon value fine. Armors are a little wonky still but you can probably cover that up with masterwork tiers.

 

[Mad Hamish]

This reminds me how I wish 4e had done away with +x items.

It would have been simpler to go the Gamma World way of letting PCs add their full level to defenses and attacks, and then never increasing PC ability scores. Mathematically, you'd end up with the same scale we have now, but with fewer fiddly things to keep track of.

But you'd end up with less differential between characters and it would require serious changes to the prereqs for feats, either you have the stats for something at first level or you never will...

And you'd be able to have Kratos grab a god with his bare hands and strangle the bastard, without requiring Kratos to have either +6 gauntlets or a +6 ki focus. He's just a bad-ass who's strong enough to strangle a god by himself.

yeah, but everybody would be able to do it.
You can get most of the way for what you're looking at with the Inherent bonus system as things stand (maybe you'd have to extend it to be usable on unarmed attacks but that's easily done)