i remember in my first game that i got some great +3 armor that was gold and could be worn with protection items. I think it was in the extension but i'm not sure where exactly. anyone know what i'm talking about?

SPOILERS for Plate Mail+3
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Yep. Plate Mail+3. It`s found on the first dungeon level of Durlag`s Tower. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 08-01-2003, 07:03 PM: Message edited by: Xen ]

u could have put some spoiler tags on that!!!

u could have put some spoiler tags on that!!! </font>[/QUOTE]Done it. Sorry I forgot. :(

Its spanky gold color makes it look really cool when worn with other items (Helm of Glory, Ashideena, etc.), but some items that cannot be worn with it are Rings of Protection, Cloaks of Protection, and Amulets of Protection. Sorry, but rules are rules.

A follow up question then...

Using regular full plate with a dex of 18, what is the best combination of gear to bring the lowest a/c for both a bowman and a tank?

Also, is there any other combination that comes close or betters it?

I don't know of the best, but right now my tank has:
Full Plate, Cloak of Protect +2, and Large Shield +1, +4 vs Missiles, and the Helm of Balduran(and the Throwing Axe +2)
Bringing his total AC to -10
You can lose the shield and drop to -8 and use a bow.

This is all with 19 DEX, but according to the tables in the book both 18 and 19 DEX have a -4 AC Adj. so it should be the same.

[ 08-01-2003, 11:18 PM: Message edited by: Halbarad1891 ]

Could you add in Drizz'l's "Defender" for -12 AC, or does the protection cloak prevent that?

The cloak of protection doesn't prevent it... in fact I'm using it... oops, forgot [img]smile.gif[/img]

I've been doing some experimenting, and so far the lowest I've been able to get (18 DEX) is -11AC. That's with Full Plate, Ring of Protection +2, Large Shield +1, Helm of Balduran (or the Helm of Defence, both +1AC), Scimitar +5 - Defender, and the Cloak of Balduran.

The Helm of Defense does not grant a -1 AC bonus; you may be thinking of the Helm of Glory, which does.

The lowest possible legal AC in straight BG1 is -12: You need the items you listed, Halbarad, plus one more item available near Beregost. And no matter how many people still describe the Defender as being +5, it's still "only" +3. ;)

If you happen to have ToSC installed, the best possible AC drops to -13, with the arrival of a very nice Shield.

Yeah that's the helm I was talking about, my mistake.
No matter what the stats for Defender are it's title says it's a +5. But either way it still grants the AC bonus. :D
But the item "near Beregost" is cursed. So technically you can get that high, but who'd want to?

Someone who felt that the loss of up to 18 hitpoints and a weakened Save vs. Death was worth the extra -1 to AC and better Saves against everything else. A good example would be a Cleric or Druid with 18 CON (possibly Dualed from a Fighter): Priests already have excellent Saves vs. Death, and the CON penalty would be meaningless to them, so the item would be almost completely without drawbacks for them.

ah but wouldn't a druid be the only one able to wear the sword, and unless it was a druid/fighter the armor would be unusable... so a druid fighter would get the greatest benefit from the AC lowering items (in which case the con penalty would be once again important, spoiling the whole thing)