What is your AC?

[ashockney]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

You can have a great game, without it being unnecessarily complex.

Having 8 different types of AC to track (to say nothing of the 22 different types of modifiers that can affect AC), is unnecessarily complex, and really bogs down the high level game.

For more information and recommendations see the thread in General RPG Discussion titled "I hate math".

Personally, I recommend ridding the game of flat footed AC's (replacing it with a 'flat footed' attack bonus in combat), and use only a touch and full AC. All modifiers should clearly fit into one of these categories.

 

[Tatsukun]

Being held is the same as being FF except you cant use your shield. Thus your touch while held is the same as your normal touch unless the character has a ring of force shield. Therefore you dont need to write this down except in exceptional circumstances.
As incoporeal attacks use touch ac, the same applies to these attack- no change unless the creature has a ring of force shield, in which case the force shield ac is lost.

Majere

Not quite. If you are held, your AC is reduced by 4 and you are counted as having a Dex of 0 because you are helpless.

But I've never seen anyone work it out ahead of time, how often are you held? (Let's stay away from the bad joke there)

-Tatsu

 

[Hypersmurf]

There is no such thing as incorporial touch as far as I know, incorporeal attacks use your normal touch ac.

Normal touch attacks (for example, Inflict Light Wounds) ignore armor bonuses from Force effects. Incorporeal Touch attacks do not.

If I have a Mage Armor spell up, and no other bonuses to AC, my AC against an Inflict Light Wounds is 10. My AC against a shadow's incorporeal touch attack is 14.

You held ac is the same as your ff ac, minus any ac for the shield. It comes up very rarely unless your pcs use grapple alot.

Hmm?

Firstly, why is a shield bonus discounted?

Secondly, what does grappling have to do with being held? Hold Person gives the paralyzed condition, not the grappling condition...

Being held is the same as being FF except you cant use your shield.

No, when you're held, you're helpless, which means your Dex modifier is -5, and melee attackers get a +4 bonus to hit you.

Unless by 'held', you mean 'grappling'. Which denies you your Dex bonus to AC against opponents you are not grappling. This could still be different from your flat-footed AC: if you have Uncanny Dodge, you retain your Dex bonus to AC while flat-footed, but not while grappling.

In either case, you retain your shield bonus to AC.

-Hyp.