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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 2293070" data-attributes="member: 4937">I'm going to totally agree with ThirdWizard on this.  Both as a DM and a player, I find high AC to be the single most powerful trait a player can have.  The ability to keep a high AC all the time is not at all to be underestimated.Lets say you have an AC such that most opponents need a 16 to hit you?  How much better is that than having an AC such that most opponents need a 11 to hit you?  Well, you take half as much damage.  And how important would be a +4 bonus to your AC from Expertice or some such thing?  Well, now that most opponents would only hit you on a 20, you take 1/4th as much damage as before.  You take one 1/10th as much damage as the guy that isn't bothering with his AC, and even if he does get the same +4 bonus you still take less than 1/5th the damage that he does.   This is an ENORMOUS advantage.High AC players can drive DM's nut.  I know; I've been that PC driving the DM nuts.  High AC monsters can drive players nuts.  I know.  There is nothing more frustrating than the feeling that you can't hurt your foe.High AC may never give you complete protection against a high strength monster, but it is an enormous advantage.  If you can force a high strength monster to roll a 10 to hit, then it will essentially lose half of its rounds.  If it has multiple attacks, and you can force the monster to roll a 10 to hit, then its almost certainly going to miss its iterative attacks.  If you have a high AC, you can force the monster to not use its expertise or not use its power attack ability.  If you make yourself an easy target around a giant, you are going to get squashed.  You may never be able to make yourself a hard target for a giant, but you sure can avoid its full attack and/or power attack.  If you go around inviting power attacks from a giant, don't be surprised when you need to be raised after one 'unlucky' critical.PC parties have traditionally held three primary advantages over thier opponents.  First, they have more hit points collectively than any common foe, they can collectively make more actions than the monsters, and they have a much higher AC than the monsters.  Third edition even up the odds a bit and made high AC less dominating, but if you start sacrificing one of your most important advantages you will pay.</blockquote>

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