HP vs. AC

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I would venture to say that a +2 to CON is also the best.

Well, depending on class, others might be a bit better, but a bonus to Con has the advantage that it's never a waste.

Discovering this information and living long enough to exploit it is no small accomplishment for an NPC.

It's easy to discover this information by simply making the first attack with Power Attack. There is certainly a risk that it means no succesful attack at first level, but if it hits, it will seriously hurt and intimidate the enemy (wether intimidation is actually a good thing with PCs is another debate, though)

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I was saying you trade damage for AC because to get worthwhile AC you're giving up character resources you could use for damage.

For instance, I was building a concept-replacement character that would be a front-line tanked-out tank. I took just about every AC-increasing option I could find, up to and including Dwarven Armor Prof and Battle Plate from the Races of Stone book ... shield specs, heavy armor optimization, Dwarven Defender, etc. At 14th level, with character resources spent on defensive items before other items, he spiked a 46 AC for fighting. Damage output, however, was quite low compared to, say, my 2h bbn/clr with Smite. Quite low. His place would be at the front of the line ... to which I spent a bit of character resources getting him 13 Cha and Goad to try and FORCE things to attack him (since he's not terribly mobile).

--fje

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

It's easy to discover this information by simply making the first attack with Power Attack. There is certainly a risk that it means no succesful attack at first level, but if it hits, it will seriously hurt and intimidate the enemy (wether intimidation is actually a good thing with PCs is another debate, though)

I suppose. But it is a tactically much more complex equation at high levels where iterative attacks are involved. Power Attack is set before your attacks and is locked for one whole round, so the NPC does not get much opportunity for sussing out the AC without already being committed to a strategy.

Because of these complexities, it is no surprise that most DMs do not even try to optimize Power Attack, but just RP the NPC in question as best they can.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I suppose. But it is a tactically much more complex equation at high levels where iterative attacks are involved. Power Attack is set before your attacks and is locked for one whole round, so the NPC does not get much opportunity for sussing out the AC without already being committed to a strategy.

Because of these complexities, it is no surprise that most DMs do not even try to optimize Power Attack, but just RP the NPC in question as best they can.

Which is probably never a bad idea anyway. But keep in mind - if an NPC has a feat, it's there for a reason - probably he liked it and uses it. So it seems reasonable anyway to start off with using the feats he has.

A NPC with Combat Expertise might be well done with first using it to max his AC - this will probably avoid that his opponents attempt to use Power Attack against him...

 

[RigaMortus2]

I think DR is better than both, if you can manage to boost it up really high...

 

[Nail]

HP, especially later levels like that. My character concept is actually built around that after several players and myself remarked that you have to spend an extraordinate amount of character resources to get even passable AC vs. big monsters.

Interesting.

IME, playing up to 21st level, AC was relatively easy to get, given normal (core) wealth levels. By 19th level, most monsters, including the BBEGs, could not hit us without serious numbers of Greater Dispel Magics.

Mithral Plate Armor (Ghost Touch, Heavy Fortification) +1, magicked to +5 with Magic Vestment
Mithral Heavy Shield (Ghost Touch, Soulfire) +1, magicked as armor
Bracers of Combat (custom item) Natural Armor +4, Luck AC +3, Insight AC +3
Gloves of Dex +6
Ring of Celestial Protection (custom item) Sacred AC +3, Deflection AC +4

That put my cleric's AC well beyond the reach of most things.....and that's only part of a typical PCs wealth.

Look, the bottom line: if you pay attention to how bonuses stack and how the rules work, AC is easy.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Well, looks like you have a custom items that're granting +13 AC that, if the GM doesn't allow you to make custom items "Of Combat" that grant specifically-stacking multiple AC bonuses, may be harder to reach.

Sacred, Luck, and Insight AC bonuses are specifically pretty hard to come by in core items ... even WotC expansion items, many of them take up the same slot to specifically limit the stackability.

Sure, your AC can be pretty high if your GM lets you create items that offer you +13 AC through finangling the stacking rules. Everybody may not be that lucky.

Additionally, Magic Vestment/Shield of Faith can't be depended on by, say, a fighter because the Cleric may not take enough to share with the whole group. The cleric gets fewer feats, so the fighter will have access to AC pumping the cleric doesn't and vice-versa.

--fje

 

[Drowbane]

Hp

Power is relative...

DMs will often buff monsters so that they can better hit the party "AC-monkey". Which of course just makes everybody else even easier to hit... so I vote HP.

 

[Krel]

So, would consider having 210 HP and a 33 AC better than having 180 HP and a 36 AC at 15th level?

 

[Stalker0]

So, would consider having 210 HP and a 33 AC better than having 180 HP and a 36 AC at 15th level?

I'd go with 210, the cleric can always heal you...but not if your dead