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Message: <blockquote data-quote="airwalkrr" data-source="post: 3064172" data-attributes="member: 12460">I forgot ghost touch was a +3 enchancement (thought it was +1 for some reason). It makes no difference. Let's suppose the cleric is wearing +3 ghost touch full plate and has a +2 ghost touch heavy shield (total price tage of 62,820 gp). He is still spending less than he would on bracers of armor +8 (price tage of 64,000 gp).This example is quite extreme. It also proves absolutely nothing because most of these are tricks a cleric can pull. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. A cleric can have craft magic arms & armor and craft wondrous as easily as the wizard. I should also point out that a wizard cannot make amulets of natural armor or rings of protection because he lacks the prerequisite spells (barkskin and shield of faith). But just for argument's sake, let's say your example works (although things like a cloak that grants shield might not be allowed by the DM). My cleric is still better. Here's why. The equipment of a fully equiped cleric, using only the core rules and assuming an elite array of ability scores (to make it fair):+2 ghost touch mithril full plate - 35,650 gp or 23,150 gp to craft+5 heavy steel shield - 25,170 gp or 12,670 gp to craft+5 amulet of natural armor - 50,000 gp or 25,000 gp to craft (if he has the Plant domain)+5 ring of protection - 50,000 gp or 25,000 gp to craft+6 gloves of dexterity - 36,000 gp or 18,000 gp to craft (if he has the Celerity domain)Total cost: 196,820 gp or 103,820 gp to craftTotal AC assuming base Dex of 10: 40, touch 18, flat-footed 37, incorporeal 28Now here is the wizard, also using only the core rules:+8 bracers of armor - 64,000 gp or 32,000 gp to craftshield spell - no cost+5 amulet of natural armor - 50,000 gp or 25,000 gp to craft (we assume the party cleric or druid casts barkskin for him)+5 ring of protection - 50,000 gp or 25,000 gp to craft (we assume the party cleric casts shield of faith for him)+6 gloves of dexterity - 36,000 gp or 18,000 gp to craftTotal cost: 200,000 gp or 100,000 gp to craftTotal AC assuming base Dex of 16 (elf): 38, touch 21, flat-footed 32, incorporeal 33The only way our wizard is even managing to be competitive with the cleric in these categories is by casting shield, which usually takes at least a swift action to cast and at high levels is not always the best choice in combat. Even still, his base AC and flat-footed AC are worse than the cleric's. Not to mention we are assuming the wizard has someone to cast barkskin and shield of faith for him. The cleric has a higher walking AC than the wizard, and that doesn't even count the fact that he can cast magic vestment on his full plate to make it +5, giving him an even bigger advantage.Heavy armor is better nine times out of ten. If you DM allows you to have godlike ability scores and you are willing to sacrifice a spellcaster level, be lawful, and spend resources on an ability score that otherwise grants you little benefit like Wisdom, then you can take a level of monk as a wizard and be competitive with the heavy armor wearer, but it requires resources and a huge opportunity cost (a lost caster level) which most spellcasters simply won't make.</blockquote>

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