Some rule clarification please?

[Khaim]

What would prevent anyone from using a plate mail right off the bat?

20 Int?

If you wear light armor, you add Dex/Int to your AC. If you wear heavy armor, you don't. So the plate armor isn't giving your +7 AC (or whatever, I don't have the books), it's giving you +2 AC, because you had +5 from not wearing armor.

 

[Nine Hands]

Sorry I don't have the PHB to go by yet all Ive gotten is chat from people.

It takes 4-6 feats just to wear fullplate? does this extend to other classes?

Also if thats true cant you just multiclass from paladin.

No more multiclassing to get loads of free feats for little or no cost.

Armor Proficiencies must be taken in order.

Cloth --> Leather --> Hide --> Chainmail --> Scale --> Plate

Paladins have all armor proficiencies, from Cloth to Plate

Fighters have armor proficiencies which cover Cloth to Scalemail, leaving Fullplate as costing only a single feat.

Other classes have to pay more, such as the Cleric who has Cloth to Chainmail.

If you wear light armor (Cloth, Leather or Hide) you can add your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier to your Armor Class. In heavy armor (Chainmail, Scale or Plate) you add nothing, but the armor has a much higher starting AC (3 points or more).

 

[Ricochet]

20 Int?

If you wear light armor, you add Dex/Int to your AC. If you wear heavy armor, you don't. So the plate armor isn't giving your +7 AC (or whatever, I don't have the books), it's giving you +2 AC, because you had +5 from not wearing armor.

Aha, I did not know about the int

That seems to sort it all then.

 

[mattdm]

The way multiclassing works in 4e is that you never actually get a second class. You have only 1 class forever. You can take feats to swap some of you powers for ones from another class but you can never get the class features of your second class.

I expect we'll see, in future books, more multiclassing feats which add class features as well.