is it the ease of use mod that removes that annoying rule that makes you wear only one protection device...well i think it is a little unrealistic not being able to wear several...but its for balancing the game, i guess.

It's extremely overbalancing. It allows you to load your tank with an ungodly number of AC and save boosting items, turning them into a juggernaut. Even in PnP rules, it allows you to wear protection items with magic armor, but you will only get the save bonus, not the AC bonus (the armor overrides it). Let's consider this example:

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Human Fighter:

Normal With the &quot;cheat&quot;
Wearing:
Full Plate +1 0 0
Ring of Protection +2 0 -2
Cloak of Protection +2 0 -4
Amulet of Protection +1 0 -5
Stats:
Dexterity 18 -4 -9</pre>[/QUOTE]That is not including the +5 to all saving throws!

Nerull, don't forget that with the cheat, you can wear TWO magic rings, add in the Ring of Gaxx for another +2, and regen

If -9 ac is getting overpowered, it might make you cry to see what a swashbuckler can easily reach in ToB!

-9 AC is in no way overpowered but there are other items (e.g. Ring of Gaxx or Helm of Balduran) which also provide AC boni and are not as easy to come by as a RoP+1. What woudl be overpowered is the saving throw bonus (which also can be reached with other items)

Oh, I wasn't implying that -9 is overpowered. I was just comparing some minimum equipment, just making the point that you can get your tank to ridiculous levels real quick with that mod. Imagine throwing on a great shield, better armor that full plate +1, ring of gaxx, helm of balduran, and wielding Defender of Easthaven. I tried it for a short time, then removed it, because it was just too ridiculous.

Tell this to a Swash in the Final Battle and Ascension on Insane. He <u>will</u> get hit.

Well, that ease of use mod is in no way overpowered. You can get your AC to -14 mayb e, but still get the snot kicked out of your nose by balors and high-level enemies.

The point is that you can get your AC to low levels easily and very early in the game when you don't have to face hard enemies yet. The point of RPG games is to earn your special items that get you down to -25AC in fights against hard opponents not buy them. Also it's more about the saving throws than the armor class which will not do you any good against harder enemies. But if you manage to get incredible saving throw boni early in the game enemies lick a Lich won't be as dreadful anymore and you lose good game fun.

Let me just do a quick calculation for a high level Swashi with this part of the mod: A level 40 Elven Swashbuckler with 21(22?) dex(legit)

Dex AC bonus +5
Class bonus +8
Grandmasters Armor with AC 1
Ring of Gaxx +2
Ring of Protection +3
Cloak of Prot. +2
Helm of Balduran +1(via use any item)
Amulet of the Master Harper +3
The Sentinel +5(UAI)
Twinkle +2 AC

lets see, that'll make it AC 1-5-8-2-3-2-1-3-5-2 which is an AC of -30. then of course you could use a (full)plate with an AC of -2, dropping the ac to -33. temporarily you could achive an AC of -43 with Greater Evasion and Improved Bard's Song. There may be yet some spell that would further increase(or decrease, if you prefer) the AC, or something that i might have missed, but a -43 is pretty good, if you ask me...