Minimum Enhancement Bonus question

[daddystabz]

In the armor table on pg 214 of the PHB, different armors are listed as having different Minimum Enhancement Bonuses. All the book says for these is that different masterwork armors require different minimum enhancement bonuses. It doesn't really say what the heck these bonuses are or what they are for? Is it a bonus that a crafter must have to craft the armor?

 

[Nifft]

It means: if your armor is +X (or better), you get another extra bonus.

Cheers, -- N

 

[daddystabz]

Well, Starleather armor is +4 and has a min enhancement bonus of +6. So if I craft Starleather somehow that is +6 or more it gives some kind of extra bonus? I am still a bit fuzzy on this.

Also, how much money does a starting character start the game with?

I am also trying to see how much it would cost my elven character to buy a set of Starleather armor at first lvl but it is listed as price: special. Argh!

 

[daddystabz]

Anyone?

 

[Ahrimon]

They way I read it is that you can have scale from normal(+0) to +6 for a total of +7 through +13. Then if you want masterwork, you can have wyrmscale from +4 (the minimum allowed) to +6 for a total of +14 through +16. Or elderscale +6 only for a total of +19.

If you wanted a special enchantment, say razor scale, then you could have normal from +1 to +6. wyrmscale would have to be +4 minimum and could go up to +6 and elderscale would be +6.

Granted why anyone would want +4 scale when they could have +4 wyrmscale for the same price I don't know. But a lot of people have argued that just by virtue of going from +3 to +4 upgrades your scale to wyrmscale. This I don't agree with. It's not how I read it anyway.

 

[Caliban]

Notice that the armors with minimum enhancement bonuses have a cost of "special"?

It means that you can't buy non-magical versions of that armor. Magic armor of +4 or better is always made out of the "masterwork" versions of the base armor, and the price of the "masterwork" is included in the cost of the magic armor. (PHB Page 212, 2nd column)

So leather armor can be enchanted up to +3 (for a total bonus of +5).

But if you want magical leather based armor that is +4 or +5, then it's made out of Feyleather (for a total bonus of +7 or +8).

If you want +6 leather-based armor, then it is always made out Starleather (for a total bonus of +10).

You can't get an armor bonus of +6 or +9 using leather-based armor (barring certain feats), because there are no suits of +4 leather armor, and no suits of +6 Feyleather armor. The Laws of the 4e Universe preclude them.

The minimum cost of Feyleather armor is 45,000 gp (for +4 magic armor [Leather]).

 

[Caliban]

But a lot of people have argued that just by virtue of going from +3 to +4 upgrades your scale to wyrmscale. This I don't agree with. It's not how I read it anyway.

I'm don't think "upgrades" are a part of 4e. The only rules I see for creating a magic item is the "Enchant Magic Item" ritual, and that doesn't have an upgrade option. It's all or nothing.

 

[Ahrimon]

Nor have I. Perhaps I didn't explain it well enough. When I was talking about the whole upgrade thing, I was refering to how some people have stated that you can NOT have +4 scale. If it's +4 then it absopositively has to be wyrmscale.

Again I don't know who would actually want +4 scale over +4 wyrmscale. But I don't read the rules to state that you cannot have +4 scale.

 

[Caliban]

Nor have I. Perhaps I didn't explain it well enough. When I was talking about the whole upgrade thing, I was refering to how some people have stated that you can NOT have +4 scale. If it's +4 then it absopositively has to be wyrmscale.

Again I don't know who would actually want +4 scale over +4 wyrmscale. But I don't read the rules to state that you cannot have +4 scale.

Fair enough.

 

[Master Witch]

starting money is 100 gp (see page 210) ... thought i would be nice and answer the simple part of your question.