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Saving Throws with Magical Armor

MartyMarty Member Posts: 27
in Archive (General Discussion)
How is this implemented in BG? I know it says in the manual about the same thing as in PnP, but I can't see my saving throws being modified with magical armor on. As in a +1 armor giving you +1 to STs against physical stuff.

Comments

  • TJ_HookerTJ_Hooker Member Posts: 2,438
    edited March 2013
    Nah, you don't get saving throw bonuses from +x armour. You're often better off wearing a mundane piece of armour and a ring/cloak/amulet of protection.
  • mjsmjs Member Posts: 742
    The only armours with saving throw bonuses are the human skin and armour of faith as @tj_hooker says you're better off adding an x of protection
  • MartyMarty Member Posts: 27
    Hm. That sucks. So it's not implemented at all, even in BG II? A Plate Mail+2 has absolutely nothing better about it than a Full Plate Mail?
    Ought to be fixed in this Enhanced Edition really. =P
  • ErgErg Member Posts: 1,756
    edited March 2013
    A Plate Mail+2 is not better than a non-magical Full Plate. Actually it is worse, and it supposed to be so, as base AC would be the same, but the modifiers vs. specific damage are better for the Full Plate (see below), and that without even consider that non magical armour will allow you to wear rings or cloaks or amulets that further improve AC and saving throws.

    Plate Mail +2 (The Magma Bulwark)
    Base AC = 1
    vs. crushing = 1
    vs. slashing = 0 (this should be -2, I've reported it as bug and I'm waiting for confirmation by the devs)
    vs. piercing = 1
    vs. missile = 1

    Full Plate:
    Base AC = 1
    vs. crushing = 1
    vs. slashing = -3
    vs. piercing = -2
    vs. missile = -2

    The only advantage of Plate Mail +2 is that it is much lighter and wearable by characters with lower strength (Full Plate requires STR 15+, Plate Mail +2 requires STR 12+).
  • MartyMarty Member Posts: 27
    Erg said:

    A Plate Mail+2 is not better than a non-magical Full Plate. Actually it is worse, and it supposed to be so, as base AC would be the same, but the modifiers vs. specific damage are better for the Full Plate (see below), and that without even consider that non magical armour will allow you to wear rings or cloaks or amulets that further improve AC and saving throws.

    Plate Mail +2 (The Magma Bulwark)
    Base AC = 1
    vs. crushing = 1
    vs. slashing = 0 (this should be -2, I've reported it as bug and I'm waiting for confirmation by the devs)
    vs. piercing = 1
    vs. missile = 1

    Full Plate:
    Base AC = 1
    vs. crushing = 1
    vs. slashing = -3
    vs. piercing = -2
    vs. missile = -2

    The only advantage of Plate Mail +2 is that it is much lighter and wearable by characters with lower strength (Full Plate requires STR 15+, Plate Mail +2 requires STR 12+).

    I do know that, but it is [i]supposed[/i] to be better when it comes to STs. It just seems this wasn't implemented.
    Also, isn't full plate -4 vs slashing and -3 vs. piercing?
    Fair point about the STR requirement though.
  • ChowChow Member Posts: 1,192
    Even on tabletop, a magical armor doesn't give you a saving throw bonus against all attacks: just the sort of stuff an armor would conceivably protect you from. So it won't help you dodge a fireball attack easier, for instance, but it will help against disintegration.

    I'd imagine it would be a little complicated to put to the game.
  • MartyMarty Member Posts: 27
    Chow said:

    Even on tabletop, a magical armor doesn't give you a saving throw bonus against all attacks: just the sort of stuff an armor would conceivably protect you from. So it won't help you dodge a fireball attack easier, for instance, but it will help against disintegration.

    I'd imagine it would be a little complicated to put to the game.

    Quoting the Dungeon Master Guide:
    "However, magical armor extends its protective power to saving throws against acid sprays or splashes, disintegration, magical and normal fires, spells that cause damage, and falls."
    A fireball seems like a magical fire to me. =P But you're right in that it could be tricky to implement the distinction. Just had a hard time seeing the point of magical armor.
  • ChowChow Member Posts: 1,192
    Fireball could be magical fire, or it could actually be a perfectly normal explosion created by a piece of bat poo charged with magic. I guess it would depend on the DM.

    Point being, however, that a magic armor protects you against things struck at you such as acid and disintegration, while fireball is usually saved against with a dodge. An armor does not really help you dodge, now does it? It would help against the fireball if you just stood there and took it, but that probably wouldn't do you much good in most situations anyway.
  • ErgErg Member Posts: 1,756
    Marty said:

    Also, isn't full plate -4 vs slashing and -3 vs. piercing?

    Yes. To clarify, what I meant is

    Full Plate Mail
    AC vs. slashing = 1 (base) - 4 (modifier) = -3 AC
    etc.
  • MartyMarty Member Posts: 27
    The nature of magic puts out the fire. =P
    But really, it's true that AD&D can be different depending on DM. I just thought it seemed magical armor had no edge other than the higher gold value, with the added drawback of not being able to equip rings/cloaks.
  • bill_zagoudisbill_zagoudis Member Posts: 207
    wouldn't make much sense for armor to protect against mind spells would it?
  • MartyMarty Member Posts: 27
    bill_zagoudis said:

    wouldn't make much sense for armor to protect against mind spells would it?

    No. And I never said it should.
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