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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mmu1" data-source="post: 378025" data-attributes="member: 319">Suppose you're a 10th level fighter in masterwork full plate with a large shield. Your Max AC, without taking magic into account, is going to be 10+8(plate)+2(shield)+1(Dex)=21 You have a huge armor check penalty, and you wouldn't benefit from the defense bonus even if it worked in heavy armor. You put your plate into hock, and get a mithirl chain shirt (or just a masterwork one) and a masterwork buckler. Your AC is going to be 10+4(armor)+1(shield)+1(Dex)+4 or 5(Defense bonus), or 20/21. At that point, your AC is basically the same as in full plate, but your armor check penalty is gone, or nearly so, and your base speed is 30 feet per round instead of 20. By 12th level, you can have the same AC you'd have in full plate, running around in just a chain shirt and swinging a greatsword.And that's all assuming that your DEX isn't higher than 12.</blockquote>