D&D 5E Proficiency Bonus to AC

[Ashkelon]

So I really don't like how AC works in 5e. I don't like that your AC doesn't improve with your combat skill. I don't like that the only way to improve your AC is through spending gold on exotic materials like mithril scale and dragonleather. I don't like how attack bonus scales, but defense bonus does not. So I want a system that allows you to add your combat skill to your AC. Something like this:

Base Unarmored AC = 8 + Dex mod
Light armor (leather, hide, etc): +1* AC (Max Dex +5)
Medium armor (chian, scale, etc): +3* AC (Max Dex +3)
Heavy Armor (plate armor): +5* AC (Max Dex +1)


*In addition to the AC bonus granted by armor that you wear, you may add your proficiency bonus to AC while wielding any weapon you are proficient with. Monks can add their proficiency bonus to AC while unarmed.

 

[Blackwarder]

I prefer the current system, higher level characters got more wealth so the can afford better equipment, it also keeps bounded accuracy bounded.

Warder

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Light armor (leather, hide, etc): +1* AC (Max Dex +5)
Medium armor (chian, scale, etc): +3* AC (Max Dex +3)
Heavy Armor (plate armor): +5* AC (Max Dex +1)

Wait, so all armor within that weight category has an identical contribution to AC? I'm normally in favor of a system to let your AC increase with level, but not at the expense of armor differentiation.

 

[Meatboy]

AC only marginally represents dodging through adding dex mod to AC. Skill at avoiding blows or turning lethal blows to merely getting hurt is pretty much what HP does.

 

[Remathilis]

So I really don't like how AC works in 5e. I don't like that your AC doesn't improve with your combat skill. I don't like that the only way to improve your AC is through spending gold on exotic materials like mithril scale and dragonleather. I don't like how attack bonus scales, but defense bonus does not. So I want a system that allows you to add your combat skill to your AC. Something like this:

Base Unarmored AC = 8 + Dex mod
Light armor (leather, hide, etc): +1* AC (Max Dex +5)
Medium armor (chian, scale, etc): +3* AC (Max Dex +3)
Heavy Armor (plate armor): +5* AC (Max Dex +1)


*In addition to the AC bonus granted by armor that you wear, you may add your proficiency bonus to AC while wielding any weapon you are proficient with. Monks can add their proficiency bonus to AC while unarmed.

The problem is that AC cancels out Atk Bonus. Similarly, it reduces armor to basically three types (with no granularity between say, chain, scale, or splint).

 

[Ashkelon]

AC only marginally represents dodging through adding dex mod to AC. Skill at avoiding blows or turning lethal blows to merely getting hurt is pretty much what HP does.

But HP doesn't prevent you from being affected by "on hit effects" such as stunning attacks, knockdown attacks, poisoned blades, etc.

It really makes no sense that increased skill with weapons makes you more likely to land a blow but not more capable at avoiding them. HP can represent some of the ability to avoid attacks, but what about the attacks tha should be so easy to avoid that they require no effort from the defender to avoid?Increased AC through proficiency helps to model this.

 

[the Jester]

One of the biggest things in the new edition is the idea of flattening the math. I think your proposal will result in a need for higher attack bonuses, and suddenly, you might as well have not flattened the math in the first place.

 

[Ashkelon]

One of the biggest things in the new edition is the idea of flattening the math. I think your proposal will result in a need for higher attack bonuses, and suddenly, you might as well have not flattened the math in the first place.

Will it? Right now a level 1 fighter in plate armor has an AC of 18. At level 20 the same fighter still has an AC of 18.

With my proposed numbers a level 1 fighter in plate armor (who also has Dex 12+) would have an AC of 15. At level 20 the AC grows to 20. That is a max that is only 2 higher than what we currently have. So at most the attack bonus for the high level monsters would need to be increased by only +2 to compensate. That is probably needed already anyway as high level monsters attack bonuses are lower than most PCs. This would put the attack bonus of high level monsters would go from +10 to +12.

So if you think raising the max AC in 5e by 2 points would ruin bounded accuracy, it was probably too fragile to begin with. Also, I can't imagine what you must think of racial AC bonuses, fighting style AC bonuses, magic armor and shields, barkskin, haste, prayer, and all the other completely stackable AC bonuses that turn BA on its rear end.

 

[Meatboy]

But HP doesn't prevent you from being affected by "on hit effects" such as stunning attacks, knockdown attacks, poisoned blades, etc.

Traditionally AC hasn't helped in that regard either. Protection from those sorts of attacks are what saving throws are for.

 

[Mistwell]

Will it? Right now a level 1 fighter in plate armor has an AC of 18.

Why not just give him a vorpal blade while you're at it...because he cannot afford that at first level either.

Bottom line, I agree with others, your proposal is both flavorless and damages bounded accuracy. More power to you if it works for you in your game.