Just Making Sure (Magic Vestment)

[Wolffenjugend]

Magic Vestment can be cast on normal clothing and its effects will stack with bracers of armour, correct?

I just want to make sure...

 

[James McMurray]

It can be cast on normal clothing, but it will not stack with bracers of armor because both provide an armor bonus.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Well, that's eventually correct, but I'll elaborate.

A lot of people see "+3 Enhancement Bonus" from the spell and "+4 Armor Bonus" from the Bracers, and think "They're different bonus types, so they stack."

But it's important to note that the +3 Enhancement Bonus is not a bonus to your AC. It's a bonus to the Armor Bonus of the armor it's cast on.

So your clothes normally provide no Armor Bonus... under the Magic Vestment, they provide an armor bonus equal to 0, plus the Enhancement from the spell - a total Armor Bonus of +3. This doesn't stack with the +4 Armor Bonus of the Bracers.

See The Rules of the Game - Does it Stack? (Part One).

-Hyp.

 

[Wolffenjugend]

OK, what about this.

Custom magic item called Robes of Protection. No armour bonus (+0) but provides a deflection bonus of +1 to +5 to AC (sort of like the 2E cloak of protection).

Would Magic Vestment stack in this case?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Sure - that's why a Ring of Protection (Deflection Bonus) costs twice as much as the equivalent Bracers of Armor (Armor Bonus).

-Hyp.

 

[Wolffenjugend]

Sure - that's why a Ring of Protection (Deflection Bonus) costs twice as much as the equivalent Bracers of Armor (Armor Bonus).

-Hyp.

Thanks!

One last thing. That post on the WotC board doesn't address Magic Vestment. I understand it provides an enhancement bonus to armour. So does chainmail +3 with Magic Vestment +2 provide a total enhancement bonus of +5, and a total overall AC bonus of +10?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Thanks!

One last thing. That post on the WotC board doesn't address Magic Vestment. I understand it provides an enhancement bonus to armour. So does chainmail +3 with Magic Vestment +2 provide a total enhancement bonus of +5, and a total overall AC bonus of +10?

No. An enhancement bonus doesn't stack with another enhancement bonus to the same thing.

So if you're wearing chainmail +3 and bracers +6, and cast Magic Vestment on the armor, we have:

Chainmail: Armor bonus +5.
The Enhancement bonus of the armor (+3), and the Enhancement bonus of the Magic Vestment (+2) do not stack; they overlap. So a total of +3 Enhancement gets applied to the chainmail, for a total Armor Bonus of +8.

Bracers: Armor bonus +6.

The Armor bonus of the +3, Magic Vestmented chainmail (+8), and the Armor bonus of the Bracers (+6) don't stack, so we apply a total Armor Bonus of +8 to your AC.

You'd be better off casting that Magic Vestment on a non-magical shield or buckler.

-Hyp.