Cheapest way for casters to improve their AC

[Olaf the Stout]

I currently have 2 Sorcerers in my campaign that normally have an AC of 11. With mage armour cast this jumps up to AC 15. What other cheap ways are there to increase their AC since they always seem to get smacked down when they enter combat? I thought that amulets of natural armour would be one option. What are some others?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Eltharon]

Once their BAB hits 3 (as in, next level), combat expertise will give them +3 AC as part of an attack action. I'm reasonably sure you can do this while casting, though our groups tendancy to ignore the rules makes me doubtful.
Shield+mage armour=AC19 and no magic missiles

 

[Hypersmurf]

I currently have 2 Sorcerers in my campaign that normally have an AC of 11. With mage armour cast this jumps up to AC 15. What other cheap ways are there to increase their AC since they always seem to get smacked down when they enter combat? I thought that amulets of natural armour would be one option. What are some others?

A suit of full plate costs 1500, and will give them five points of AC over what Mage Armor would.

(What, they want a good AC and no ASF? Greedy!)

-Hyp.

 

[Raspen]

i find that if you use static effects over trying to get AC it works better such as blink mirror images or ironguard perhaps stoneskin but i wouldnt lable that cheap

 

[Stalker0]

cloak of minor displacement, ring of protection, if they don't mind a little spell failure they can get a darkwood buckler, with some enchancements it can grant a decent AC.

In general though I agree with getting static miss chances. Your AC is never going to be great unless you buff buff buff...but 20% miss is always there for ya.

 

[Old Gumphrey]

Why did they dump dex? Mage Armor + Shield is fabulous. Mithral bucklers have no Arcane Spell Failure, so they are ideal for casters. +1 nat armor and +1 deflection costs 3,000 gp. +2 nat armor costs 4,000. +2 deflection costs 8,000. See how that works?

 

[Olaf the Stout]

To give everyone a rough idea of the amount of gear these guys should have they are both 4th level characters and are 3/4 of the way to 5th level.

The sorcerers have Dex scores of 12 and 13 respectively. Neither player rolled exceptional stats. One has Str 7, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 18. The other has Str 8, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 16.

Am I correct in thinking that the shield spell can be combined with mage armour, amulets of natural armour and rings of protection as they are all different bonuses?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Whimsical]

mage armor, +4 AC, 1st level spell slot
shield, +4 AC, 1st level spell slot
Dodge feat, +1 AC, feat slot

1,000 gp Bracers of Armor +1 AC
1,015 gp Mithral Buckler +1 AC
1,000 gp upgrade mithral buckler +1 enhancement bonus
2,000 gp Ring of Protection +1 AC
2,000 gp Amulet of Natural Armor +1 AC
3,000 gp upgrade bucker to +2
3,000 gp upgrade bracers to +2
4,000 gp Gloves of Dexterity +1 AC
5,000 gp dusty rose Ioun stone +1 AC
5,000 gp upgrade buckler to +3
5,000 gp upgrade bracers to +3
6,000 gp upgrade ring to +2
6,000 gp upgrade amulet to +2
7,000 gp upgrade buckler to +4
7,000 gp upgrade bracers to +4
9,000 gp upgrade buckler to +5
9,000 gp upgrade bracers to +5
10,000 gp upgrade ring to +3
10,000 gp upgrade amulet to +3
10,000 gp upgrade gloves to +4 DEX (+2 AC)
11,000 gp upgrade bracers to +6
12,000 gp boots of speed
13,000 gp monk's belt
13,000 gp upgrade bracers to +7
14,000 gp upgrade ring to +4
14,000 gp upgrade amulet to +4
15,000 gp upgrade bracers to +8
18,000 gp upgrade ring to +5
18,000 gp upgrade amulet to +5
20,000 gp upgrade gloves to +6 (+3 AC)

...and that is the path of fastest AC improvement for your money over the career of your character. That's 30 points of AC from items.

 

[Hypersmurf]

mage armor, +4 AC, 1st level spell slot
shield, +4 AC, 1st level spell slot
Dodge feat, +1 AC, feat slot

1,000 gp Bracers of Armor +1 AC
1,015 gp Mithral Buckler +1 AC

Remember that the Bracers won't stack with Mage Armor, and the Buckler won't stack with Shield...

Am I correct in thinking that the shield spell can be combined with mage armour, amulets of natural armour and rings of protection as they are all different bonuses?

Right.

-Hyp.

 

[Whimsical]

Remember that the Bracers won't stack with Mage Armor, and the Buckler won't stack with Shield...

Right. Normally I would rely on mage armor for my armor bonus then get bracers at +4 or +5. But even lower AC bracers are good against ambushes outside of your adventuring window.