Whats a reasonable AC at 10th level?

[Legildur]

At 10th level, my PbEM character (Ftr4/Pal6) had a +2 mithril breastplate (+7), +4 buckler shield (+5), Dex 20 (Gloves of Dex +2) (+5), Dodge +1, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Ring of Protection +1, for an AC of 30. Also used Combat Expertise and Fighting Defensively (5 ranks) to good effect.

More would be nice

Looking at Improved Combat Expertise next.

 

[shilsen]

Odd as at best the Ogre Mage has +12 Attack.

+7 normal Ogre Mage, +3 BAB from Warlock 4 levels, +2 from fighter (I guess) = +12

So unless he's got some True Strike or funky magic weapons, a heap of extra class levels the DM didn't mention, or DM fudge he should only be hitting AC 33 on natural 20.

Of course Touch Attack his AC will be much worse so if he died from lots of Eldrich Blasts, fair enough.

You're forgetting that classed creatures use the elite stat array. Assuming the ogre mage maxed out Str, he could have a 26 Str. That's +8 to hit, -1 for size, +8 from total BAB, presumably at least +1 from a magic weapon, another +1 from W. Focus, for a +17 to hit. Assuming the guy was buffed with potions and the like, he could easily have an attack bonus over +20.

 

[Agent Oracle]

It's that +4 Buckler the DM is really sweating. By level 10, you've got, average, less than a 4% chance of getting a +4 magic item.

 

[Legildur]

It's that +4 Buckler the DM is really sweating. By level 10, you've got, average, less than a 4% chance of getting a +4 magic item.

Was a +2 buckler, but stripped a drow of his +4 buckler - just can't take it out of the Underdark..... But if you look at the rest of the equipment, some of it is well below par as stuck with what we found... so it all balances out anyway. I mean an Amulet of Natural Armor and Ring of Protection should both be better than +1 at this level.

 

[Elethiomel]

My ECL 6 Maug (Fiend Folio) in RHoD has 29 AC.

10 -1 Size +6 Armor (Mithral Chain Shirt +2) +5 Dex +1 Deflection (Ring of Protection) +7 natural Natural armour +1 Bracers of Natural Armour = 29. By 10 he should have at least +3 more (better deflection, better NA, better DEX). We're playing Maugs as ancient giant-sized Warforged made by the giants in Xen'Drik. The AC of such creatures will naturally be higher than other creatures because of their high natural Natural Armour. There are also two walking tin cans in the group with pretty comparable ACs, 28 and 26 IIRC.

 

[Drowbane]

My group's ECL 12 (gestalt) has ACs ranging from 22 (my Deathmaster) to 45 (Maug Warblade Ubertank).

 

[Lord Zardoz]

At 10th level we find that there is very little difference between having an AC of 10 and an AC of 26 (case in point last week - the fighter switched on full expertise and fighting defensively which raised his AC to 26 and the creature rolled a 2 and hit with its mighty +27 bonus.

This is as much an artifact of what sort of creatures the DM chooses to use as it is anything else. Dm's who prefer to run the 'Great big Huge Monster' with minimal cannon fodder will end up choosing monsters that are a great deal beefier than they need to be.

I try to stick to a Bab of 1.5 times the party level, and never go for more than x2 party level. In the situation you describe, it would be say, at worst a +20, and at best a +15 to hit. AC 26 would require either a 6 to hit (in the worst case), or an 11. For a single monster vs 10th Level PC's, it would be scary as hell for a few rounds, and then dead before it would really drop anyone.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Your DM should try flanking you, amethal. You'd loose your +6 dexterity bonus and he'd gain +2 to attacks. That should make you much easier to hit.

Of course if your DM only uses single monsters or guys with really low attack bonuses it won't help.

Hell, even an NPC fighter I'd expect to hit you on 16 or better with out flanking (+9 BAB, +3 strength, +1 masterwork, +1 weapon focus=+14).

 

[IcyCool]

Your DM should try flanking you, amethal. You'd loose your +6 dexterity bonus and he'd gain +2 to attacks. That should make you much easier to hit.

Flanking doesn't deny Dex bonuses.

 

[Brother MacLaren]

Your DM should try flanking you, amethal. You'd loose your +6 dexterity bonus and he'd gain +2 to attacks. That should make you much easier to hit.

You don't lose Dexterity bonus when flanked.