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<blockquote data-quote="Tormyr" data-source="post: 7421410" data-attributes="member: 6776887">My understanding is that AC is the one DC that does not scale because HP is instead scaling upward (and is offset by DPR scaling up). The PCs are not supposed to be hit less often just because they are increasing in level. Rather, they should be hit as often or more often because the +to hit bonus for the enemy increases by as much or more than the AC increases that the PCs pick up. The HP increases counterbalance this and do go up every level.Part of the way bounded accuracy has been set up in 5e is that almost any creature can hit almost any other creature without requiring a critical hit. This allows large numbers of low-CR creatures to be used in high-level encounters because some of them are still able to hit.Allowing the PCs to have super-high AC at high levels makes encounters significantly easier and eliminates low-CR creatures from high-level encounters. In essence, the PCs get a free +1 AC ring at level 5, +2 at level 9, +3 at level 13, and +4 at level 17. This combines with any magical items and armor the PC has. Around level 13, a point-buy monk with no magic items could potentially have an AC of 22; a similar barbarian could have an AC of 24 with a shield. At that point, many low-CR creatures are useless, and even adult dragons are missing roughly half the time.Personally, I would not suggest altering AC just because the numbers are calculated differently. HP is the defensive number that scales with level so that a creature can be hit more often but survive it (and burn healing resources). My 2cp.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tormyr, post: 7421410, member: 6776887"] My understanding is that AC is the one DC that does not scale because HP is instead scaling upward (and is offset by DPR scaling up). The PCs are not supposed to be hit less often just because they are increasing in level. Rather, they should be hit as often or [I]more[/I] often because the +to hit bonus for the enemy increases by as much or more than the AC increases that the PCs pick up. The HP increases counterbalance this and do go up every level. Part of the way bounded accuracy has been set up in 5e is that almost any creature can hit almost any other creature without requiring a critical hit. This allows large numbers of low-CR creatures to be used in high-level encounters because some of them are still able to hit. Allowing the PCs to have super-high AC at high levels makes encounters significantly easier and eliminates low-CR creatures from high-level encounters. In essence, the PCs get a free +1 AC ring at level 5, +2 at level 9, +3 at level 13, and +4 at level 17. This combines with any magical items and armor the PC has. Around level 13, a point-buy monk with no magic items could potentially have an AC of 22; a similar barbarian could have an AC of 24 with a shield. At that point, many low-CR creatures are useless, and even adult dragons are missing roughly half the time. Personally, I would not suggest altering AC just because the numbers are calculated differently. HP is the defensive number that scales with level so that a creature can be hit more often but survive it (and burn healing resources). My 2cp. [/QUOTE]

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