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Message: <blockquote data-quote="boar" data-source="post: 5140701" data-attributes="member: 81932">Swordmage AC is definitely not low.  With a maxed intelligence score, they start with 20: 10 + 2 (leather) + 5 (int) + 3 (warding).  This is equivalent to a paladin with plate and heavy shield, and barring weird cheese, is the highest possible starting AC in the game.  Even dropping to an 18 intelligence score, they're still on par with a fighter in scale and shield.The drawback is that they don't get the heavy shield's +2 to reflex.  The upshot is that they don't suffer any armor penalties or a penalty to speed.  The paladin's -4 to athletics, acrobatics, and endurance is no laughing matter.  -2 to reflex is a fair price to pay for the highest AC in the game without any other drawbacks.As for later levels, masterwork armor is irrelevant.  The AC bonus from masterwork progresses at roughly the same rate as the bonus from rising ability scores, and the swordmage's own masterclass bonus will give him +1 to another defense.The swordmage does have the option to improve his AC further with hide armor, hide armor specialization, and the feat that boosts the warding.  The paladin only gets plate armor specialization.  Thus, the swordmage's AC is potentially higher than the paladin's.</blockquote>