Pierce Magical Protection against Scintillating Scales

[Shin Okada]

Pierce Magical Protection feat (Complete Arcane) says,

".. as a standard action you can make a melee attack that ignores any bonuses to Armor Class granted by spells..."

Then Scintillating Scales spell (Spell Compendium) says,

"This spell transforms your natural armor bonus to Armor Class into a deflection bonus to your Armor Class.."

Well, is Scintillating Scales spell counted as granting bonus to Armor Class?

I guess that is true. But want to hear some second-opinions from fellow DMs before our PC with the feat tackles into a dungeon full of true dragons and their kinds ... tomorrow morning (well, actually, 10 hours and a half till the start of the session).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Starbuck_II]

Pierce Magical Protection feat (Complete Arcane) says,

".. as a standard action you can make a melee attack that ignores any bonuses to Armor Class granted by spells..."

Then Scintillating Scales spell (Spell Compendium) says,

"This spell transforms your natural armor bonus to Armor Class into a deflection bonus to your Armor Class.."

Well, is Scintillating Scales spell counted as granting bonus to Armor Class?

I guess that is true. But want to hear some second-opinions from fellow DMs before our PC with the feat tackles into a dungeon full of true dragons and their kinds ... tomorrow morning (well, actually, 10 hours and a half till the start of the session).

Thanks in advance.

I'd say yes, it does grant an armor bonus: even if the total armor bonus of the creature doesn't go down when hit.

Are you planning on hitting the dragon then blasting with a touch spell?

 

[Shin Okada]

I'd say yes, it does grant an armor bonus: even if the total armor bonus of the creature doesn't go down when hit.

Are you planning on hitting the dragon then blasting with a touch spell?

Actually, I am the DM. And there is a melee PC with that feat and a warmage. So they will likely to use that tactics.

 

[udalrich]

The spell is adding a bonus to Touch Armor Class, but the dragon's regular Armor Class isn't changed. I would say the spell stays up.

If the melee PC is making an attack against touch AC, then I would say that the spell is dispelled. That probably requires a brilliant energy weapon.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

The spell is adding a bonus to Touch Armor Class, but the dragon's regular Armor Class isn't changed. I would say the spell stays up.

If the melee PC is making an attack against touch AC, then I would say that the spell is dispelled. That probably requires a brilliant energy weapon.

I second this. The spell is only really adding to the creature's AC against the attack if it's a touch attack being used (maybe the PC has Emerald Razer?). If it's a regular melee attack against full AC, the spell is doing nothing to improve or add to the AC.

 

[frankthedm]

I'd like to see the whole spell to say for certain, but I say it sure looks like the spell transformed the dragon's armor into something that Pierce Magical Protection get to cut right through.

That said, I really dislike Scintillating Scales, as it is a band aid for the bullet wound of touch AC being considered a defence of any notable kind.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

That said, I really dislike Scintillating Scales, as it is a band aid for the bullet wound of touch AC being considered a defence of any notable kind.

It's also a means to break and abuse the system, since natural armor can be ridiculously high for some creatures (and seems to have little weighted with regards to creature CR). For all the people who moan about casters hitting touch AC on all but a 1 at higher levels, they still have poor BAB (well, the arcanists do). If a dragon or similar creature is suddenly adding +15 or so to his touch AC, the caster's now missing 95% of the time.

 

[Dandu]

If only there was a way to dispel the magic.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

If only there was a way to dispel the magic.

You know, I was going to add at the end of my post, "And this spell is yet another reason why specialist wizards just plain cannot choose Abjuration as a prohibited school," but i thought it would be going too far off-topic.

Of course, scintillating scales is available earlier than dispel magic. The player would need to have the C.Mage supplement at the earlier levels to be able to dispel it (Arcane Turmoil).

 

[Shin Okada]

Report.

I ran a game in the last Sunday and allowed the Pierce Magical Protection feat to penetrate and dispel Scintillating Scales.

It seems that worked fine.

PC party was composed of six 20th-level PCs, one 18th-level cohort & 1 outsider NPC.

There was an encounter against 3 Adult Dragons which uses Scintillating Scales, a half-dragon ranger & a Red Spawn Arcanist Arcane Theourge.

Pierce Magical Protection feat was strong. But as it is a standard action, the warrior who have it could not use it when he charges nor making a full-attack. So it was not that broken.

I don't know if I can say the same when lower level warrior have it or when that is a final showdown against a single biiig dragon, though.

Anyway, thank you all for your opinions.