Does a ring of protection bonus to AC apply when wearing magic armor?

[dcollins]

Those phrases are (unfortunately) poorly written. The real key is in the DMG where it defines the different bonus types in a table and says "Enhancement bonus: Improves armor's bonus".

Here's the example from the very first "Rules of the Game" article on stacking bonuses (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040120a):

Chainmail provides a +5 armor bonus to Armor Class (Table 7-6 in the Player's Handbook). The armor has a +2 enhancement bonus, which increases the armor bonus it provides to +7 (from the discussion of magic armor in Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide).

 

[3d6]

I can't find a table in my DMG that says that. Which table is it?

Also,

Errata Rule: Primary Sources

When you find a disagreement between two D&D rules sources, unless an official errata file says otherwise, the primary source is correct. One example of a primary/secondary source is text taking precedence over table entry. An individual spell description takes precedence when the short description in the beginning of the spells chapter disagrees.

Another example of primary vs. secondary sources involves book and topic precedence. The Player’s Handbook, example, gives all the rules for playing the game, for races, and the base class descriptions. If you find something on one of those topics from the Dungeon Master’s Guide the Monster Manual that disagrees with the Player’s Handbook, you should assume the Player’s Handbook primary source. The Dungeon Master’s Guide is the primary source for topics such as magic item descriptions, special material construction rules, and so on. The Monster Manual is the primary source for monster descriptions, templates, supernatural, extraordinary, and spell-like abilities.

EDIT: Oh, I found it. Table 8-1: Bonuses from Magic, 3.0 DMG, page 177. That table was removed in the revision. The content for that section was moved to page 21 of the DMG, and the table is replaced with a list. Here's the entry for "enhancement":

Enhancement: An enhancement bonus represents an increase in the strength of effectiveness of a character's armor or weapon, as with the magic vestment and magic weapon spells, or a gernal bonus to an ability score, such as with a cat's grace spell.

 

[Numenorean]

So would mt barksin spell also add to my AC when I'm wearing my magical chain mail?

 

[3d6]

Yup. Barkskin gives an natural armor bonus to AC, so it stacks with your armor's bonus. Different types of bonus stack with each other. (Technically, barkskin gives an enhancement bonus to your natural armor bonus to AC, but for most PCs, there's no functional difference.)

How bonuses stack is explained on page 21 of the revised DMG, and page 176 of the 3rd edition DMG.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Yup. Barkskin gives an natural armor bonus to AC, so it stacks with your armor's bonus.

Not quite true, as you mention.

Barkskin gives an Enhancement to Natural Armor bonus.

This way, it is a useful spell for a druid to cast on his animal friends. It is, thus, an important distinction.