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Message: <blockquote data-quote="theNater" data-source="post: 4420899" data-attributes="member: 62560">I'm having trouble getting your +50.  I get +45 featless in godplate(10 base, 15 level, 14 armor, 6 enhancement) and +46 featless in hide(10 base, 15 level, 5 armor, 10 ability, 6 enhancement).  Those are top-of-the line. I'm not sure it's reasonable to assume that wizards and rogues will have the str and con(and feats) for hide, warlocks will maximize their int, or that wisdom clerics, two-weapon rangers, and warlords will be ready to take plate.  Let's say 46 is "average", given the availablility of shields and AC-boosting feats.My calculations suggest this doesn't include class bonus, which every character has.  So we're actually looking at 42/40/32, 40/40/34, 41/41/32, or 41/40/33.  So, difference of 4-6 vs AC for the high ones, and well, okay, lots for the low ones.About a 50% chance of success is a good thing, means that balance is about where it should be.  Never misses on the weak defense is a bit odd, but we'll get to that in a minute.Again, class bonus makes this a little less awful, but it's still more awful than focused.See, this is where I worry.  With the spread, a character is in trouble if the monster attacks any non-AC defense.  But if we drop one, the character is only in trouble if the enemy can target that defense, on that character, at-will.The Tarrasque can target reflex at-will for 1d12+16 and prone, and fort on a recharge for 3d12+16, push, and prone.  Neither of these is nightmare scenario, even if they are auto-hits.An ancient red dragon can target reflex with a number of damage powers, each of which does less than 60 points of damage, although one(a recharge power) attaches 15 ongoing fire damage.  The dragon can target will with an encounter power for a one-round stun, and fortitude as a secondary attack on one of the reflex attacks(so it has to beat at least one good defense).  None of these are nightmare scenario on auto-hits.Orcus has two attacks that target fortitude, both recharge powers.  One does 2d12+12 damage, the other reduces the target's hit points to 0.  That last one is pretty rough, but it requires Orcus to target, with a melee attack, a character with low fort defense.  Many such characters will be going to great lengths to avoid being in melee range of Orcus, and being hit with that, while painful, is not game-ending for 30th level characters.  With epic destiny powers and features, they are almost certainly still in the game.So where exactly is the nightmare scenario?  What is the monster power that breaks the game when it auto-hits?  I'm not seeing it.The foes are only going to hit sometimes when they're taking on your best efforts.  They get auto-hits if they target your worst efforts.  And, except in highly unusual parties, different characters will have different weaknesses, so only some characters are free targets to any given power.  The rest of the party is ready to go about business as usual.Yup, you do have to keep some of your defenses up.  If the monsters can auto-hit with all of their attacks, the PCs are in serious trouble.</blockquote>

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