If you dual to a Mage, down the road there are Mage Robes, such as the "Robe of the Evil Arch Magi" which do not qualify as armor, but will reduce your AC significantly.

Fighters are dull to play with? Do you mean Mage/Fighters or just fighters? Cause if you mean fighters, you're nuts :] A&D is a multiple concept of close combat and non-proximity combat. Without close combat, there just isn't the A in the A&D.