Dragon Magic Husk

[kevin video]

So in Dragon Magic, if you were gain heavy armor proficiency from your class (paladin, cleric, fighter, etc), you could instead take a dragon husk that gives you 6+1/3 your class levels up to armor +12 at 18th level. However, doing so meant you couldn't wear actual armor, and you'd have a check penalty of -4 and a max Dex bonus of +2. Also, Magic Vestment couldn't work on it, but it still works on regular clothes, and your movement is as if you were wearing medium armor.

My question is, is there a way around the -4 check penalty and the max of +2 Dex? Getting passed the medium armor movement would be nice as well.

[Jackinthegreen]

Dread Commando's Armored Ease ability reads as follows:
"Armored Ease (Ex): You learn to adapt your movements
to the restrictive nature of armor. Beginning at 2nd level,
you reduce the armor check penalty of any armor with
which you are proficient by 2 (to a minimum of 0). At 4th
level, this reduction increases to 4 points (to a minimum
of 0)."

So that might work if the husk is ruled to be "any armor with which you are proficient."

[kevin video]

Where's Dread Commando from?

EDIT: Found it. Heroes of Battle.

[Yirrare]

There is Champion of Corellon Larethian for the max dex and movement, but I don't think it will help you.
A tooth of Dahlver-Nar (Savnok) could maybe help for the movement?

A bit unrelated, I have also seen that feat. It looks so nice from a flavour perspective. Must find a nice angle to work it in if I ever DM. 

Best Regards
Yirrare

[phaedrusxy]

It's always sounded pretty terrible to me, to be honest. What it needs is a good houserulin'.

I'm guessing it probably specifies that it counts as armor for things like monk abilities too, right? I don't remember.

[kevin video]

It's always sounded pretty terrible to me, to be honest. What it needs is a good houserulin'.

I'm guessing it probably specifies that it counts as armor for things like monk abilities too, right? I don't remember.

Unfortunately, yes, it does.

[phaedrusxy]

It's always sounded pretty terrible to me, to be honest. What it needs is a good houserulin'.

I'm guessing it probably specifies that it counts as armor for things like monk abilities too, right? I don't remember.

Unfortunately, yes, it does.

Hmm... from doing a bit of reading, it sounds like it isn't actually called out as giving you an armor bonus, but rather a "bonus to armor class". So could you stack Inertial Armor on top of it? That seems to slip by all of the restrictions (which seem unnecessarily restrictive...)

[kevin video]

It's always sounded pretty terrible to me, to be honest. What it needs is a good houserulin'.

I'm guessing it probably specifies that it counts as armor for things like monk abilities too, right? I don't remember.

Unfortunately, yes, it does.

Hmm... from doing a bit of reading, it sounds like it isn't actually called out as giving you an armor bonus, but rather a "bonus to armor class". So could you stack Inertial Armor on top of it? That seems to slip by all of the restrictions (which seem unnecessarily restrictive...)

It does look like it would, yes. However, it does say it doesn't stack with anything else that would give you a bonus to your armor class. I have to wonder what that means exactly. Like, it's almost saying that this won't stack with natural armor, or feats that give you a bonus to your natural armor, Dodge, etc.

[phaedrusxy]

It doesn't say anything, it says this:

Your scaled hide grants you a bonus to your Armor Class equal to 6 + 1/3 your class level in the class that granted you heavy armor proficiency (+7 bonus to AC at 3rd level, +8 bonus to AC at 6th level, and so on, up to a maximum +12 bonus to AC at 18th level). Multiple classes that grant this proficiency stack for determining the dragonscale husk's total bonus. This bonus doesn't stack with any feat, racial trait, or other special ability that would grant you a bonus to Armor Class.

So it doesn't stack with:
1) Feats
2) Racial traits
3) Special abilities

I take "special ability" to mean "extraordinary special ability", as those are the only abilities in D&D called "special" that I can think of. So it says nothing about spells, psionic powers, etc... and it doesn't say what kind of bonus it is. It says you can't wear "any other armor", but as this isn't armor, and isn't specifically called an armor bonus, then it really isn't one RAW (RAI it should be).

So really, it should stack with almost anything that isn't explicitly called out as not stacking with it. So Mage/Inertial Armor, spells that grant natural armor, magic items that boost AC, and other things like that should all be fine.

[kevin video]

I didn't disagree with you.

[phaedrusxy]

Well... you said it says it doesn't stack with anything... which isn't actually true, and I thought posting the actual wording might be useful. 

fWiw, it looks like the whole thing is written up here: http://aaronwiki.us/index.php?title=Dragonscale_Husk

[kevin video]

Well... you said it says it doesn't stack with anything... which isn't actually true, and I thought posting the actual wording might be useful. 

fWiw, it looks like the whole thing is written up here: http://aaronwiki.us/index.php?title=Dragonscale_Husk

Uh, no I didn't. I said "doesn't stack with anything else that would give you a bonus to your armor class" which it says "This bonus doesn't stack with any feat, racial trait, or other special ability that would grant you a bonus to Armor Class." To which I wrote "I have to wonder what that means exactly. Like, it's almost saying that this won't stack with natural armor, or feats that give you a bonus to your natural armor, Dodge, etc."

[Maat Mons]

I take "special ability" to mean "extraordinary special ability", as those are the only abilities in D&D called "special" that I can think of.

Special abilities are discussed in Dungeon Master's Guide, pages 289-299, Monster Manual, page 6 and page 315, and Rules Compendium, pages 118-119.  Special attacks, special qualities, extraordinary abilities, natural abilities, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities are all kinds of special ability. 

[Jackinthegreen]

It doesn't stack with feats that grant a bonus to AC?  Well there goes Dodge.   

[zook1shoe]

dragonhusk SUCKS then if it doesn't stack with a lot of things, you might as well buy some crappy armor that does more

[phaedrusxy]

I take "special ability" to mean "extraordinary special ability", as those are the only abilities in D&D called "special" that I can think of.

Special abilities are discussed in Dungeon Master's Guide, pages 289-299, Monster Manual, page 6 and page 315, and Rules Compendium, pages 118-119.  Special attacks, special qualities, extraordinary abilities, natural abilities, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities are all kinds of special ability.

Well... that's pretty much everything... Yeah, just forget that this thing exists, or house rule it.

[kevin video]

Yeah, I'm really not seeing any benefit whatsoever over mithral fullplate, other than it's free. Although it'll cost you more in the long run.

[nijineko]

can you apply armor enhancements to it or armor crystals?

[kevin video]

can you apply armor enhancements to it or armor crystals?

Nope.

[betrayor]

It could have a use with a VoP character.......