So you wanna take a hit...

[Endarire]

I've lamented that characters specced to take hits can't take hits.  (Well, at least my non-caster hit-taker characters.)  What would it take for me to be able to regularly take a hit (just one hit) from an unspecified source (vs. AC, vs. touch AC, vs. any of the saves) and survive?

[littha]

Generally AC based attacks won't kill you in one hit... a full attack or pounce sure but usually a single hit from an appropriate monster wont kill you.

[Maat Mons]

The planar touchstone feat (Planar Handbook), selecting the Catalogues of Enlightenment (Planar Handbook, p166), selecting the pride domain (Spell Compendium), gets you the ability to reroll 1s on saves.  Get your saves high, maybe add in mettle and evasion, and you're pretty tough on that front. 

The deflective armor feat (Races of Stone) lets you add your armor bonus (including enhancement bonus) to touch AC.  Thaalud stone armor (Anaurach: The Empire of Shade, p108) has a +12 armor bonus before any enhancements.  So you can get +17 to touch AC that way. 

The parrying shield feat (Lords of Madness) allows you to add your shield bonus (including enhancement bonus) to touch AC.  The shield ward feat (Player's Handbook II) does that and also adds it to checks to resist bull rush, disarm, grapple, overrun, and trip.  So, with a tower shield, you can get +9 to touch AC that way.  (Though and animated heavy shield would free up a hand.) 

The illusive target feat (Complete Warrior, p110) allows you to negate all bonus damage from power attack dealt by your dodge target.  This could protect you against a hood-type enemy if you go first. 

Edit: A gemstone of fortification (Draconomicon) is also good. 

[littha]

Wings of Cover solves all of these problems provided you only need to stop one attack.

[SorO_Lost]

1. Shriver is a Magical Location that bestows Regeneration 5/Good & Chaotic so Demons/Devils and most monsters won't be bypassing it.
2. Find a way to cast Favor of The Martyr (SpC), it's a 4th level spell that grants immunity to nonlethal damage.
= Immunity to all HP damage, no matter the type.

3. Add Soulfire (BoED) to your armor or bracers or robe.
= You're immune to all death effects, energy drain, and negative energy.

4. Play as an Azurin, it's like a Human but the extra skill points is replaced by +1 Essentia.
5. Take Shape Soulmeld(strongheart vest) as a feat.
6. Consider Extra Essentia as a 6th level feat.
= Reduce ability damage by 2 at level 1, if you take the second feat this improved to 3 at level 6 and 4 at level 12.

7. Get FoM.
= Immune to Grapples.

8. Buy Steadfast Boots.
= Extra +4 to opposed checks to resist Bullrush, Overrun, and Trip, also you get to attack anyone that charges you and deal double damage.

By no means perfect, but against Mundanes it can pretty much just stand there and laugh.

P.S.
Need higher Saves?

+5 Robe of the Vagabond of Resistance (CC/MiC, 26k): +5 resistance and +1 luck to saves.
+6 Empyreal Bracers of Armor (BoED, 64k): +6 sacred to saves, see A&E page 130 for rules on exchanging bonus types.
+5 Parry Spellstrike Gauntlet (SRD/MiC, 72k): +5 to saves vs spells and su/sp abilities & +1 insight to all saves.
Ioun Stone[Pale Green Prism](Core, 30k): +1 competence to saves.
Admiral's Bicorne (SW): +2 moral to saves, all nearby allies gain this benefit as well.
=14 to saves or +19 to saves vs magical stuff.

[Jackinthegreen]

Don't forget the Spellblade weapon enhancement from Magic of Faerun.  Immunity to a specific spell is great for a +1.

[spacemonkey555]

...empyreal bracers of armor...

Sadly empyreal specifies enhancement bonus, and bracers of armor give an armor bonus. Is there a rule that lets you count the armor bonus as enhancement?

[darknighthg]

Also High multiclassing will give your saves a huge boost. I'm playing a level 12 char with about +15 to each save. This is specially useful if your DM uses fractional Saves.
One level of monk is a high defensive boost. It gives you Wis to AC and +2.5 to all saves. You can preserve the bonus to AC by using bracers of armour.

[snakeman830]

4. Play as an Azurin, it's exactly like Human but your bonus feat skill points is replaced by +1 Essentia.

ftfy

[SorO_Lost]

...empyreal bracers of armor...

Sadly empyreal specifies enhancement bonus, and bracers of armor give an armor bonus. Is there a rule that lets you count the armor bonus as enhancement?

I see you you're specific point out and raise you Bracers of +5 Empyreal Armor +1.
Can it work like that? Hmm...

4. Play as an Azurin, it's exactly like Human but your bonus feat skill points is replaced by +1 Essentia.

ftfy

And fixed in the original post.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

4e frontline combat ; no really I'm being serious.

... The deflective armor feat (Races of Stone) lets you add your armor bonus (including enhancement bonus) to touch AC.  Thaalud stone armor (Anaurach: The Empire of Shade, p108) has a +12 armor bonus before any enhancements.  So you can get +17 to touch AC that way. 

The parrying shield feat (Lords of Madness) allows you to add your shield bonus (including enhancement bonus) to touch AC.  The shield ward feat (Player's Handbook II) does that and also adds it to checks to resist bull rush, disarm, grapple, overrun, and trip.  So, with a tower shield, you can get +9 to touch AC that way.  (Though and animated heavy shield would free up a hand.) ...

So ... Sword and Board can't be touched, eh ?!
 

You can't touch this ... oh oh oh-oh-oh.

[Jackinthegreen]

Warforged Pugilist with Improved Resilience.  At 1st level it's immune to damage as an extraordinary ability.

[Drammor]

Don't forget the Spellblade weapon enhancement from Magic of Faerun.  Immunity to a specific spell is great for a +1.

Like Locate City.

[SorO_Lost]

While Shield Ward requires Shield Specialization it simply states you add your Shield Bonus to AC, opposed to feats such as Greater Weapon X or IM-Crit stating what your chosen type...

Abjurant Champion up a Shield spell and cast Magic Vestment on it for a +14 bonus if you don't extend the class.

[X-Codes]

Elusive Target (to negate Power Attack) and not-insignificant DR.  Something roughly on pace with your BAB.

That way, you can take many hits.

[liquid150]

Abjurant Champion up a Shield spell and cast Magic Vestment on it for a +14 bonus if you don't extend the class.

Is there a rules precedence to make this work (Magic Vestment, that is)? I haven't ever seen one, nor that you can cast MV on Mage Armor or Greater Luminous Armor.

[Jackinthegreen]

Abjurant Champion up a Shield spell and cast Magic Vestment on it for a +14 bonus if you don't extend the class.

Is there a rules precedence to make this work (Magic Vestment, that is)? I haven't ever seen one, nor that you can cast MV on Mage Armor or Greater Luminous Armor.

MV can be cast on regular clothes anyway, so the point is pretty moot.

[liquid150]

Abjurant Champion up a Shield spell and cast Magic Vestment on it for a +14 bonus if you don't extend the class.

Is there a rules precedence to make this work (Magic Vestment, that is)? I haven't ever seen one, nor that you can cast MV on Mage Armor or Greater Luminous Armor.

MV can be cast on regular clothes anyway, so the point is pretty moot.

I guess this is true, and the enhancement bonus to armor should stack with the armor bonus, just as natural armor and an enhancement bonus to natural armor stack...makes sense to me anyway.

[Lycanthromancer]

Miss chances increase your chances of not getting hit [edit] and total concealment makes you immune to AoOs and anything that could target you directly [/edit]. Temp hp decrease damage (as do Share Pain and Shield Other).

If you're an arcane caster and want to have a pseudo Wings of Cover, use the tinfoil hat trick, and grab a raven familiar (through Obtain Familiar, if nothing else). Have your raven ready an action to call out the command word for the Shrink Item effect on the hat whenever something you don't want hitting you would hit you.

This works on anything that breaking LoS or LoE would block (like attacks, Stinking Clouds, and Fireballs).

[liquid150]

Abjurant Champion up a Shield spell and cast Magic Vestment on it for a +14 bonus if you don't extend the class.

Is there a rules precedence to make this work (Magic Vestment, that is)? I haven't ever seen one, nor that you can cast MV on Mage Armor or Greater Luminous Armor.

MV can be cast on regular clothes anyway, so the point is pretty moot.

I guess this is true, and the enhancement bonus to armor should stack with the armor bonus, just as natural armor and an enhancement bonus to natural armor stack...makes sense to me anyway.

After reviewing the definition of "enhancement bonus," I'm not convinced this works. It states that it improves the armor bonus of a suit of armor, meaning that if you cast it on your clothing while having Mage Armor active, since it is two items providing an armor bonus (despite one being enhancement, because of the wording of enhancement bonus) the two do not stack.

Am I missing something? Is there another precedent for being able to cast Magic Vestment on Mage Armor or Luminous Armor?