How do you beef up AC to Eladrin Wizard?

[jbear]

With taking all that into account I think it's time to build a a staff wielding wizard/fighter hybrid!

(Pity about the MADness otherwise that could actually be quite fun)

 

[DracoSuave]

My own priority for wizards AC is as follows:

1. Make sure your defender is doing their job. If they don't protect you enough, or you don't have one, go to 2.

2. Take to utilities like shield that boost your defences,

3. If those aren't enugh, take unarmoured agility feat (or leather armour proficiency) - +2 AC is your friend.

4. If that isn't enough, look to staff mastery for +1 AC.

5. If that isn't enough, take hafted defence feat for another +1 AC.

6. If that isn't enough... well, I think your party has issues, but you can go down the twin weapon fighting route if you have the strength... chances are, however, you do not.

Yeah, if you make it down to 6, you have more armor than a plate-wearer, with Shield to negate that one extra hit... you're pretty much more protected than a paladin in plate and shield.

 

[eamon]

As an addition to Hafted Defense, you could take Staff Fighting (Wis 13 Prereq), which grants an extra point of AC and lets you dual wield the staff (great for dual implement spellcaster!)

 

[eamon]

Here's an example 8th level build:

Eladrin, point-buys an 18 in Int and a 13 in Wis (with 3 points to spare for e.g. Con).

• 14 base AC
• Raises Int at 4th and 8th level to 22 Int: +6AC
• Staff Mastery class feature +1AC
• Feats: Unarmored Agility, Hafted Defense, Staff Fighting (and, e.g. Superior Implement Prof. Accurate Staff and Versatile expertise): +4AC, +1Ref
• +2 Cloth: +2AC
• +2 Defensive Staff: +1AC

That's a total of AC 28. By comparison a Paladin with a +2 Layered Plate and a Heavy Shield at that level has AC 27. If you go this route, you'll have 13 Dex by paragon, which leads up nicely to Dual Implement Spellcaster. Melee training might be nice as you're quite the Tank at this point - a few OA's would be excellent. Shimmering robes might be nice as well, to avoid OA's yourself, though not critically required.

 

[Neonchameleon]

For comparison:

Int 18: Low AC (14)
+ Unarmoured Agility (Feat) or Leather Armour: AC 16 - Chain Equivalent
+ Staff of Defence (Class Feature): AC 17 - scale equivalent
+ Staff Fighting (Feat): AC 18 (Plate Equivalent)
+ Hafted Defence (Feat): AC 19 (Scale and Heavy Shield equivalent)

My first level wizard is happy with an AC of 14 - and two defenders and a battlefront leader warlord to hide behind. Oh, and his collection including a spirit companion, an extendible storm pillar, and a familiar.

 

[Kerranin]

Here's an example 8th level build:

Eladrin, point-buys an 18 in Int and a 13 in Wis (with 3 points to spare for e.g. Con).

• 14 base AC
• Raises Int at 4th and 8th level to 22 Int: +6AC
• Staff Mastery class feature +1AC
• Feats: Unarmored Agility, Hafted Defense, Staff Fighting (and, e.g. Superior Implement Prof. Accurate Staff and Versatile expertise): +4AC, +1Ref
• +2 Cloth: +2AC
• +2 Defensive Staff: +1AC

That's a total of AC 28. By comparison a Paladin with a +2 Layered Plate and a Heavy Shield at that level has AC 27. If you go this route, you'll have 13 Dex by paragon, which leads up nicely to Dual Implement Spellcaster. Melee training might be nice as you're quite the Tank at this point - a few OA's would be excellent. Shimmering robes might be nice as well, to avoid OA's yourself, though not critically required.

In my book that just shows what a mess they made with PHB3, the whole point with masterwork armour was to put the heavy armour wearers ahead on AC, then they go and add unarmored agility and hafted defense to PHB3 to make it more advantagous to not wear armour.

Sorry but PHB3 is just a mess.

 

[Lord Ernie]

In my book that just shows what a mess they made with PHB3, the whole point with masterwork armour was to put the heavy armour wearers ahead on AC, then they go and add unarmored agility and hafted defense to PHB3 to make it more advantagous to not wear armour.

Sorry but PHB3 is just a mess.

Sorry, what? Unarmored Agility doesn't add anything extra compared to leather armor proficiency in terms of AC, the only difference lies in which masterwork and magic enhancements you have available.

Hafted defense is a bit more iffy, but it essentially gives staff/polearm users the benefits of a light shield for the cost of a feat, which is a good effect, but hardly overpowered.

EDIT: Note that the wizard in the quote spent a total of 3 feats, a magic item slot, and a class feature to improve his defenses. The paladin can even out by choosing plate armor or shield specialization at paragon (for which the wizard has no equivalent), and still has two feat choices left he can spend elsewhere, either for further defense boosts (Improved Defenses, Toughness) or something else entirely. Feats are a valuable resource either way, and while spending 3 feats on defense is awesome if it fits your concept, note that those feats could instead have been control-boosting ones.

 

[Mad Hamish]

In my book that just shows what a mess they made with PHB3, the whole point with masterwork armour was to put the heavy armour wearers ahead on AC, then they go and add unarmored agility and hafted defense to PHB3 to make it more advantagous to not wear armour.

Sorry but PHB3 is just a mess.

You really might want to run the numbers.
Unarmored Agility gives you the same AC in cloth as you'd get in leather, hafted defence is the same effect as a light shield.

Unarmored Agility is basically a way of letting cloth wearers stay in cloth instead of upgrading to leather and does no more than that.

 

[eamon]

In my book that just shows what a mess they made with PHB3, the whole point with masterwork armour was to put the heavy armour wearers ahead on AC, then they go and add unarmored agility and hafted defense to PHB3 to make it more advantagous to not wear armour.

Sorry but PHB3 is just a mess.

This was possible in PHB1+AV1 too; using TWF, TWD, Leather Armor and a Mage's Parrying Dagger. This is just a slightly different variant. The balancing factor is that paladins have more hit points and surges (and, of course, lay on hands), and that they don't need to spend three feats or have particular items just for parity.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Here's an example 8th level build:

Eladrin, point-buys an 18 in Int and a 13 in Wis (with 3 points to spare for e.g. Con).

• 14 base AC
• Raises Int at 4th and 8th level to 22 Int: +6AC
• Staff Mastery class feature +1AC
• Feats: Unarmored Agility, Hafted Defense, Staff Fighting (and, e.g. Superior Implement Prof. Accurate Staff and Versatile expertise): +4AC, +1Ref
• +2 Cloth: +2AC
• +2 Defensive Staff: +1AC

That's a total of AC 28. By comparison a Paladin with a +2 Layered Plate and a Heavy Shield at that level has AC 27. If you go this route, you'll have 13 Dex by paragon, which leads up nicely to Dual Implement Spellcaster. Melee training might be nice as you're quite the Tank at this point - a few OA's would be excellent. Shimmering robes might be nice as well, to avoid OA's yourself, though not critically required.

Several notes: Raising Int twice + the level bonus only gives you +5 not +6 to AC. You seem to have given the Paladin non-masterwork armour, and I've forgotten about the defensive enchantment?

Put this combination together and you've only got an AC of 27 - level with Masterwork Scale + Shield or a Swordmage of the same Int - the sword + board paladin (or knight) still wins. And in exchange for that you've used three out of your five feats, your class feature, and your weapon's property. Vs just wearing masterwork armour. I'd be unhappy for a wizard in my party to go fully into that approach.

Unarmoured Agility = Leather Armour Proficiency. And Hafted Defence means that polearm wielders can at least have the equivalent of light shields. The hafted defence/staff combination is, admittedly, a possibly unwanted interaction.