Questions tagged [armor-class]
For questions about Armor Class (AC), the mechanical abstraction of how difficult it is to hit and cause damage to an opponent in D&D and related RPGs.
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How does Dragon Hide interact with monk AC? [duplicate]
Before I begin let me preface this with the following: I understand that mechanically speaking the barbarian and Monk armor classes are calculated 10 + Dex mod + Wis/Con depending on the class played. ...
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What options exist to improve a low level Sorcerer's armor class?
I'm creating a character for a new D&D 5e campaign soon. We'll be starting at level 3 to reduce PC mortality, and I don't expect the campaign to run long enough for more than a couple level ...
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Can you wear Bracers of Armor or an Amulet of Natural Armor with Dragonscale Husk?
Dragonscale Husk, from Dragon Magic, is a cool alternate class feature (ACF) for characters with dragon blood and proficiency in heavy armor. It's useful for a lot of reasons: decent defenses that ...
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In Wild Shape for druid5/barbarian1, how does unarmored defense work? [duplicate]
Background:
My Hill-dwarf character started out as a barbarian. When his clan battled the undead hordes, he barely escaped with his life. He was taken in by a druid, and discovered a higher calling. ...
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What other actions is Total Defense referring to when it says it can't be combined with other actions that increase your AC?
Total Defense states:
You can defend yourself as a standard action. Starting at the
beginning of this action, you get a +4 bonus to your Armor Class until
the start of your next turn. You can’t ...
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Does an attack hit if it exactly matches the target's AC?
For an attack to successfully hit a given Armor Class, would it need to get a number higher than the Armor Class? Or does it hit if the total exactly equals the Armor Class value as well?
Does the ...
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What rules or guidelines are there about when to allow a party to acquire plate mail?
I have heard it said that 5e does not balance its encounters with respect to magic items; in other words it does not consider possession of magic items when defining appropriately challenging ...
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Is there a feat that allows you to subtract a number from your AC and add it to your attack roll?
Is there a feat that's the opposite of the Combat Expertise feat? I'm looking for a feat which would allow you to subtract a number from your AC and add it to your attack roll.
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What is the AC of Land Vehicles?
In regards to the AC and HP of vehicles, the DMG includes a table on Water and Air vehicles on page 119. However, no analogous table exists for Land Vehicles.
I am aware of the rules on Objects in ...
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As a Swords bard, how do I determine my AC bonus from Defensive Flourish on a critical hit?
Let's say I'm playing a College of Swords bard, and happen to critically strike an enemy with a natural 20. I choose to use my Defensive Flourish at this time, so the dice look like this:
2d6 (...
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Is the AC of a Mirror Image Duplicate fixed at Point of Casting?
The spell Mirror Image states the following:
A duplicate's AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier.
However - if you were to cast Mirror Image, and then change your DEX (e.g. by equipping/...
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Is it possible to increase the AC of a mirror image duplicate?
Pretty straight forward question. By RAW, is it possible to increase the AC of the duplicates created by mirror image or they will always have an AC equal to 10 + Dex modifier? Be it using other ...
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Does magic armor grant an enhancement bonus to its armor bonus, or directly to your AC? [duplicate]
My previous assumption was that magic armor and magic shields gain an enhancement bonus to their own armor/shield bonuses, which indirectly translates to increased AC. However, in the process of ...
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How does surprise affect AC?
Under wrestling rules, the Grindhouse rulebook tells that everyone involved in wrestling is attacked as though they were surprised.
Under Encounters, in the surprise section, there is info on how to ...
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Can a target have two Armor Class (AC) values?
I had an idea for a kobold-operated tank.
The armor would be thick enough to be immune to damage from all mundane projectiles (arrows, bolts, flintlocks, javelins, etc.), and resistant to magic and ...
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Consequences of having half damage on attacks that tie AC as house rule?
Typically if an attack roll equals the AC of a target then the attack does normal damage. I quite like the idea of making it a glancing blow, dealing half damage instead, this would help clue the PCs ...
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What defines an armor?
There are some spells and perks that require not having armor on to work, so how is armor defined?
Is it just any equippable gear that has additional AC? Is it anything more durable than regular ...
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How do you calculate a warforged barbarian's AC?
I am looking at the warforged AC calculation from the Integrated Protection feature, looking only at Darkwood Core (unarmored), for a possible warforged barbarian. (I am using the version of the ...
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Can you benefit from the Defense fighting style while not using armor AC calculation?
Let's assume a Lizardfolk fighter, with the Defense fighting style, wearing leather armor. Lizardfolk, per Volo's p. 113, get Natural Armor:
You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren't wearing ...
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Does a lycanthrope's AC change when shapechanged from a form wearing armor?
Weretigers (and all lyncathropes; Monster Manual p. 210) have the Shapechanger trait:
The weretiger can use its action to polymorph into a tiger-humanoid hybrid or into a tiger, or back into its ...
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Does the UA Mystic's Tough Hide bestial transformation (+2 AC) stack with the UA Warforged's Composite Plating trait (+1 AC)?
Unearthed Arcana: The Mystic Class contains the most recent version of the Mystic class (v3).
One of the psionic disciplines listed is Bestial Form; one of its psionic effects is Bestial ...
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Mage Armor + Unarmored Defense? [duplicate]
Playing a barbarian, and thought the Magic Initiate feat would be a good way to grab some range cantrips and a single-use utility spell. Originally thought of going with warlock, but DM suggested I go ...
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Staff of Defense total AC and Shield Stacking
My party is about to confront Glasstaff and potentially obtain the Staff of Defense.
This slender, hollow staff is made of glass yet is as strong as oak. It weighs 3 pounds. You must be attuned to ...
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Share monk AC bonus with animal companion mount?
I have a swift and deadly hunter variant druid, who gains “Bonus to Armor Class when unarmored (as monk, including Wisdom bonus to AC).”
He rides his animal companion as a mount. I was wondering if ...
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AC calculations in the D&D 5e German Starter Set
I'm just getting into D&D and I'm having trouble understanding the calculations of the ac right.
On the predefined character sheets in the Starter Set, each character has his "starting" AC value ...
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AC Bonus Class Feature [closed]
Other than Monk, Swashbuckler, and Brawler, what are some classes that give you an AC bonus from having the class?
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Mathematically, is a +2 bonus to AC better than attackers having disadvantage?
Mathematically speaking, I'm trying to determine if Bracers of Defense (AC+2) is better than a Cloak of Displacement, which causes all attackers to have disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
If ...
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For the Battle Master fighter's Know Your Enemy feature, what happens if the target's AC changes while the target is being observed?
Know Your Enemy (PHB, p. 73-74) is a Battle Master fighter feature that lets you determine whether a creature's Armor Class is superior, equal to, or inferior to yours.
What happens if a character's ...
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Does a (homebrewed) Tortle's Natural AC stack with worn armor?
The tortle race on dandwiki has a feature called Shell which states that it has 14 + your constitution modifier natural AC. It doesn't stack with unarmored defense but if I were, for example, wearing ...
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What is the maximum AC possible without using magic items?
What is the maximum AC a PC can acquire without the use of magic items?
Allowed content are feats, spells, and temporary effects - but not effects from allies, magical items, or UA content.
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Can someone decide to be hit?
In this question, I asked about whether a character could willingly not use their shield or Dex bonus on certain attacks due to wanting to be hit. This raises the greater question-
Can someone decide ...
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Can you decide not to use a shield's AC bonus? Dex bonus?
Let's say that there is a combat. There's is one player character and two enemies- one melee and one ranged. The player character has Armor of Agathys (or some other spell) and wants the melee ...
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Do tortles get a bonus to AC from a shield while using Shell Defense?
Shell Defense. You can withdraw into your shell as an action. Until you emerge, you gain a +4 bonus to AC, and you have advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws. While in your shell, you ...
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Calculating AC for a monk/enlightened paladin
Monks get an AC bonus from WIS. The paladin archetype “Enlightened Paladin” from the Inner Sea Combat Guide gains an AC Bonus based off of CHA?
Can those stack?
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Does Mage Armor have any advantages over magic Studded Leather +X?
Does Mage Armor have any advantages over Studded Leather +1 or even Studded Leather +2?
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Do temporary changes to your Dexterity modifier immediately affect your AC?
If you are in combat and an effect increases or decreases your Dexterity enough to change the modifier, does your AC also immediately change to use the new modifier?
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What is the function of AC?
I just purchased the D&D edition 5 starter set, and the instruction manual/Rule book doesn't go in depth about the effect of AC and how armor effects total AC.
So how does AC affect the enemies ...
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How does the Shield spell interact with the Barkskin spell?
I am wondering what the ruling would be on a creature under the effects of the Barkskin spell that then casts the Shield spell as a reaction.
Barkskin states:
Until the spell ends, the target’s ...
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What is the best 1-level multiclass to improve the AC of Wild Shape?
I'm planning on playing a Circle of the Moon Druid, primarily using Wild Shape for combat and saving my spells as much as possible. That said, I want to take 1 level of either Barbarian or Monk to get ...
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How does Wild Shape work with special ways to calculate your AC?
Among the effects of Wild Shapes, these two:
Your game Statistics are replaced by the Statistics of the beast, but
you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and
Charisma ...
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When doesn't a Mystic Wanderer AC bonus apply?
The Mystic Wanderer PrC (Magic of Faerûn p. 35) allows one to add Cha to AC:
Glory of the Divine (Su): A mystic wanderer who wears no armor gains a sacred (or profane, if her patron deity is evil) ...
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Is there any difference between Studded Leather and Breastplate if my AC is the same with both?
Playing 5e with a Rogue. To make a long story short: In my possession I have both Studded Leather armor and a Breastplate. With my 18 Dexterity, My AC with Studded Leather is 16 (12+4). But if I don ...
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In D&D 5e is it possible to add a breastplate to leather armor for an AC bonus? [duplicate]
I just started playing D&D, and I'd like to know if it is possible to add a breastplate to leather armor for an AC bonus?
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Is Dexterity proficiency modifier added to AC? [closed]
I'm playing as a bard that has a proficiency bonus that's added to Dexterity. When calculating the character's Armor Class, do I add only the base Dexterity modifier or do I add the base Dexterity ...
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Can my warlock benefit both from the Mage Armor spell and leather armor?
Currently making a 5E Warlock for an upcoming session, and I'm wondering how this particular interaction works:
I, as a Warlock, start with leather armor. I'm considering having Armor of Shadows as ...
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Tortle Monk's Natural Armor and Unarmored Defense [duplicate]
Depending on your skills, at some point the Monk's Unarmored Defense (10 + DEX + WIS) can and will exceed the Tortle's Natural Armor of 17. When this happens, do you get the choice of taking the ...
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How much of my dexterity modifier can I add when wearing scale mail?
In the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons scale mail armor has an AC of 14 + Dexterity bonus (max 2). Does this mean that I can only add 2 from my Dexterity modifier even if it is higher?
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How does the AC value of helmets in Player's Option: Combat & Tactics work?
Page 128 of Player's Option: Combat & Tactics (book number 2149) gives an overview of the Armor Class of various types of armor and pieces of armor so you can assemble your own suit of armor. ...
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How does the AC bonus from things like Ring or Cloak of Protection work with Touch AC?
How does the AC bonus from things like Ring or Cloak of Protection work with Touch AC?
I know that when something targets Touch AC you don't add the AC bonus from Armor or Natural Armor but retain ...
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Does Jack of all trades affect AC?
I have seen many questions on the web related to Jack of All Trades, revealing facts new to me such as that it adds to initiative, on account of being an ability check which Jack of All Trades indeed ...
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