D&D 5E What AC would you give an ogre zombie covered in tower shields?

[der_kluge]

You know, hypothetically speaking, of course.

Early on, my party encountered "The Wall" and I assigned it AC 20, which seemed reasonable. Knowing what I know about 5th edition now, that probably seems excessive, since that's the same AC an Iron Golem has.

So what AC should I give it? They turned it, and the cultists controlling it fled deeper into the compound. They will likely encounter it again soon.

 

[Lanliss]

I think 19 or 20 is a good AC for it. Between the Ogre skin and what basically amount to Full Plate, it seems reasonable.

 

[Corwin]

I'd probably just treat it like plate armor, so AC 18.

Nice flavor, BTW. Very cool.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

What's the base AC for a zogre? Regular zombies have AC 8, and a shield gives +2; you can't benefit from more than one shield at a time, so the final AC is just 10.

 

[cmad1977]

Depends on the party. Anywhere from 16-20.

My character runs away from that thing.


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[rgoodbb]

What AC would you give an ogre zombie covered in tower shields?

Whatever AC it asked for

 

[der_kluge]

What's the base AC for a zogre? Regular zombies have AC 8, and a shield gives +2; you can't benefit from more than one shield at a time, so the final AC is just 10.

Well that certainly makes no sense, whatsoever!

 

[Oofta]

I would say that the ogre starts at 8, adds +2 for the shield and then add +5 cover bonus. So AC 15.

You can also look at the custom monster chart in the DMG and give it an AC a couple of points higher than is standard for the CR you are targeting.

 

[Pathkeeper24601]

If the shields are being worn like armor, then I would consider that just dressing. Determine what type of armor you think it best represents. If it is heavy, then don't take into account the Zogres DEX as a modifier. If it is medium, then do. If the Zogre is actually has one equipped, then add that like a normal shield. I personally wouldn't include a second shield as far as AC, but have it use it like a club. As mentioned above, I would also make sure this doesn't come too far above of the expected AC for the expected CR.

 

[Matthew Barker]

I'd choose the AC based on what kind of challenge you want to set.

Think about the level of your PCs, what kind of encounter difficulty (easy, medium, hard) you're looking for then find a comparable creature in the the Monster Manual (suiting both role and challenge rating) and set your AC around there. If you want a game mechanics explanation for why I don't use a formula, I think there is a lot of variability in how these shields can be secured, how much of the zombie is covered and the gaps in the shields. This variability gives you plenty of room to adjust the AC from anywhere between 10-20.