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Is this how AC works?

VertimystVertimyst Member Posts: 4
in Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
It's been a while since I've played BG, so I'm a little foggy on how the mechanics, specifically Armor Class, work. I had Minsc equipped with Full Plate Mail (AC: 1), but I also equipped him with Bracers of Defense AC 8. I just read that the 'AC' attribute on items sets your base AC to whatever it is, so does that mean the Bracers of Defense are actually hurting Minsc's AC? I noticed he seemed to be taking more damage than usual, so I've unequipped them for now.

Comments

  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    edited October 2014
    The bracers will set your AC to 8 if it is higher. If it is lower than I don't think they do anything at all. They are essentially useless on anything but a low-dex Mage.
  • VertimystVertimyst Member Posts: 4
    I tried equipping them, and even with the armor Minsc's AC class went up from 0 (or whatever low number it was) to 8. That's worse, right?

    If that's the case, I might equip them on my mage.
  • GamingFreakGamingFreak Member Posts: 639
    basically AC works in the way that the lower the number, the better. After all the game/engine runs on the "thac0" system, which means "To Hit Armor Class of 0". Since you probably understand the basics, it means that if an enemy has an armor class of 0 and you have a thac0 of 11, you have to roll an 11 or higher on your "to-hit" score to successfully attack the opponent. Less than that will whiff.

    However, if the enemy has an AC of 10, and you still have the thac0 of 11, it'll only take a 1 or higher to successfully hit your opponent because that AC score is subtracted from your thac0 before the final "to-hit" calculation is made.

    This of course, works in different ways if your AC or thac0 are negative too, but that's going into super details.

    Anyway, bracers of AC 8 are good for anyone who can't manage an AC equal to or lower than 8, which means they're pretty useless on anyone who can wear armor and has a decent dex score.
  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    Not sure if the OP was getting an answer. If Minsc is wearing Plate (AC:1) AND bracers AC:8, the game engine will register Minsc as having an AC:1 because of the plate. The Bracers are merely a wasted space on your character paper doll. The magical protection of the bracers will not overwrite the better protection of the Plate armor. Take the Bracers off of Minsc and give them to Zan or Daynehir or someone like that. They will thank you.

    At the end of the day, your heavily armored types like Minsc shouldn't ever need bracers because they will "usually" always have better armor. But your wizards and thieves might need them.

    So remember, the lower your armor class, the better. Just check the Shield on your inventory screen if you are ever in doubt.
  • VertimystVertimyst Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the answers guys!

    @the_spyder That's what I thought, but for some reason Minsc's AC went to 8 even though he was wearing the better armor. Must be a glitch or something.
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    Huh. That sounds like a bug. It shouldn't go up.
  • atcDaveatcDave Member Posts: 2,415
    Also the dex bonus should stack with the bracers. So really, ANY mage would want to wear them, at least until you get better bracers. If this isn't true, it's a bug.
  • GallengerGallenger Member Posts: 400
    The game will say "armor class 8" if you have the AC bracers on - but your *actual* AC won't change if you're still wearing armor - at least I couldn't get it to. The textbox next to my AC would say "armor class 8, 6 - depending on what bracers I put on), but so long as you have your armor/shield etc on, it doesn't actually mean anything (as intended). I could see how it'd be confusing to folks who hadn't played the game before or weren't familiar with how the AC system worked.



  • BelanosBelanos Member Posts: 968
    the_spyder said:


    At the end of the day, your heavily armored types like Minsc shouldn't ever need bracers because they will "usually" always have better armor.

    Meaning Bracers of Defence of course. There are other types of bracers that give bonuses even to heavily armoured characters. Like Bracers of Ogre Strength for instance.

  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    Gallenger said:

    The game will say "armor class 8" if you have the AC bracers on - but your *actual* AC won't change if you're still wearing armor - at least I couldn't get it to. The textbox next to my AC would say "armor class 8, 6 - depending on what bracers I put on), but so long as you have your armor/shield etc on, it doesn't actually mean anything (as intended). I could see how it'd be confusing to folks who hadn't played the game before or weren't familiar with how the AC system worked.

    There is a window on the Inventory screen that will show what your base AC is along with any adjustments. Is this the window that you mean? The actual Shield window on the Inventory screen should only show one number, which should be your AC value.
    Belanos said:

    the_spyder said:


    At the end of the day, your heavily armored types like Minsc shouldn't ever need bracers because they will "usually" always have better armor.

    Meaning Bracers of Defence of course. There are other types of bracers that give bonuses even to heavily armoured characters. Like Bracers of Ogre Strength for instance.
    Oh, absolutely, and thank you for the clarification. There are Bracers that definitely help out fighter types, just not 'as a rule' Bracers of Defense.

  • GallengerGallenger Member Posts: 400
    edited October 2014
    I suppose pictures would make it make more sense,

    AC display in inventory prior to putting on bracers of armor: http://i62.tinypic.com/2iixqtt.jpg

    AC display in inventory after putting bracers of armor on: http://i60.tinypic.com/2jadlvr.jpg

    So you can see the AC isn't actually changed - but there is a thingue in the box beside it telling me something about Armor class 6. I could see how that'd be confusing to somebody who wasn't super familiar with what they're looking at/being told.
  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    So yes. The actual AC VALUE is the gold box to the left of the Text box reading either "Ankheg Plate Mail" or "Bracers". The text box merely gives information on everything that could potentially impact that value. In both images the AC VALUE is 1 as it should be.

    That text box is a bit of a mixed blessing as we have seen here. It is great for breaking down how your AC gets to where it is. However, in the case where you have items that cancel other items out, the game dutifully displays all information, including the useless bits like the Bracers in the example. As if THAC0 wasn't complicated enough????
  • dreamriderdreamrider Member Posts: 417
    edited October 2014
    turned out to be unnecessary post.
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