Armor Stacking with magic too

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Captain_K
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Armor Stacking with magic too

Post by Captain_K »

I know armor cannot be stacked on top of each other, only the better one wins.
Only one shield, etc.

Shield spell is clear how it works, as does Dragon Armor.

Half Orc +1 to AC with NO armor.

But Barkskin seems like a base armor to unarmored and stacking armor under other armor...

I see it filling in and improving AC for those wearing armor, but not a full stack.

Rings or cloaks of protection? Do they work with armor?

Thoughts?
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serleran
Mogrl
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Re: Armor Stacking with magic too

Post by serleran »

Traditionally, extraneous armor bonuses like rings, cloaks, and spells do not add with existing magical armor. They work with nonmagical armor.

In the case of a spell which grants armor, it does not work with existing armor of any sort but may still work with "no armor" benefits such as, for example, bracers of defense AC22 might still function alongside a ring of protection +3.

d20 material makes this much more explicitly clear by assigning different descriptors to the benefit wherein only the highest stacks of the same sort but all different kind, unless otherwise specified, add together so if you had a +5 natural and a +8 force, you'd get the full +13 but not if you had force +5 and force +8 -- only +8.

For my game, I tend to go with tradition.

If you find the AC is too low, allow them to add up; if too high, saving throws destroy items easily.

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Captain_K
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Re: Armor Stacking with magic too

Post by Captain_K »

Thanks serleran, all great input.

magic items to me are like spells so they rarely stack with armor be it masterwork or magical... just a guide.

big heavy armor is its protection. leather and dex is another form... lots of magic is a third, but not all together.

Thanks, Captain K
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serleran
Mogrl
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Re: Armor Stacking with magic too

Post by serleran »

I should also note that some spell effects create "bubbles" or such outside the character, such as the shield spell or wall of force. These should likely work as additional protection, provided they do not yield universal adjustments (for example, hitting from the opposite side means no gain) per their descriptions.

So, like virtually everything - it really just depends. But, one can distinguish, rather easily, between "personal" and "environmental" effects. Such a thing may be a nice little modification for clarity.

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