INT mod to AC twice?

[ChimericDream]

I've got a player who is thinking about making an AC monkey character, and he's looking at a couple levels in Duelist and Invisible Blade. I've looked at the wording of their AC bonuses, and it looks like it stacks, but I thought I'd ask here and see what everyone thought.

Duelist:
Canny Defense (Ex)
When not wearing armor or using a shield, a duelist adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per duelist class level to her Dexterity bonus to modify Armor Class while wielding a melee weapon. If a duelist is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied her Dexterity bonus, she also loses this bonus.

Invisible Blade:
Unfettered Defense (Ex): An invisible blade benefits from an increased survival instinct during combat. Because of this sixth sense, he adds 1 point of Intelligence bonus (if any) per invisible blade class level to his Armor Class in addition to any other modifiers he would normally receive. If the invisible blade is caught flat-footed or is otherwise denied his Dexterity modifer to Armor Class, he also loses this bonus. Unfettered defense functions only when an invisible blade is not wearing armor and is armed with one or more daggers, kukris, or punching daggers as his only weapons.

 

[Hypersmurf]

They're modifying different things. Canny Defense increases yor Dex bonus to AC, while Unfettered Defense increases your AC directly.

So stacking isn't an issue - it's similar to how an enhancement bonus to Str and an enhancement bonus on a weapon will both increase your attack rolls, but since the enhancement bonuses are to two different things, there's no stacking problem despite them having the same name and influencing the same mechanic.

The other thing, of course, is that with a high Int, you're not getting more AC out of 2 levels of Duellist and 2 levels of Invisible Blade than you would out of, say, 4 levels of Duellist... since both abilities are capped by class level as well as by Int bonus.

-Hyp.

 

[Rystil Arden]

They're modifying different things. Canny Defense increases yor Dex bonus to AC, while Unfettered Defense increases your AC directly.

So stacking isn't an issue - it's similar to how an enhancement bonus to Str and an enhancement bonus on a weapon will both increase your attack rolls, but since the enhancement bonuses are to two different things, there's no stacking problem despite them having the same name and influencing the same mechanic.

-Hyp.

Yup. In much the same way, the Mystic Wanderer's Glory of the Divine (which adds a divine bonus equal to Charisma bonus to AC) stacks with the Nymph's Unearthly Grace (adds a deflection bonus equal to Charisma bonus to AC) and the Battledancer ability (adds Charisma bonus to AC) for a total of 3x Charisma bonus to AC.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Yup. In much the same way, the Mystic Wanderer's Glory of the Divine (which adds a divine bonus equal to Charisma bonus to AC) stacks with the Nymph's Unearthly Grace (adds a deflection bonus equal to Charisma bonus to AC) and the Battledancer ability (adds Charisma bonus to AC) for a total of 3x Charisma bonus to AC.

Actually, I'd say that that's an example of 'much the opposite way', where all three bonuses are adding to the same thing (AC), but they have different types... as opposed to having the same name but adding to different things

-Hyp.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Actually, I'd say that that's an example of 'much the opposite way', where all three bonuses are adding to the same thing (AC), but they have different types... as opposed to having the same name but adding to different things

-Hyp.

Maybe. For a closer analogy than either of those, the enhancement bonus to your armour bonus to AC from magic armour stacks with the enhancement bonus to your shield bonus to AC from a magic shield which stacks with the enhancement bonus to your natural armour from Barkskin.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Maybe. For a closer analogy than either of those, the enhancement bonus to your armour bonus to AC from magic armour stacks with the enhancement bonus to your shield bonus to AC from a magic shield which stacks with the enhancement bonus to your natural armour from Barkskin.

Exactly!

-Hyp.

 

[ChimericDream]

Well, the primary concern is that I believe he will be taking enough levels of each class to get his full INT bonus to AC. But it sounds like the concensus is that it's allowed, as they are different types of bonuses.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Well, the primary concern is that I believe he will be taking enough levels of each class to get his full INT bonus to AC. But it sounds like the concensus is that it's allowed, as they are different types of bonuses.

Thanks a bunch!

I would hardly say that 2 guys on a messageboard are a concensus!

Having said that the logic behind their arguements seems reasonable to me.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Rystil Arden]

I would hardly say that 2 guys on a messageboard are a concensus!

Having said that the logic behind their arguements seems reasonable to me.

Olaf the Stout

Normally they aren't, but when one of them is Hypersmurf, you really don't need much more to get a good consensus for letter-of-the-law rules calls.

 

[ChimericDream]

I'd have to agree. And considering the two who posted opinions had over 40k posts between the two of them, I'd say that's enough to get my vote!