Just a quick question as far as the type of armor and its effect on various attributes. I would like to know what "Max Dex Bonus" and "Armor Check Penalty" mean. For instance, if you have Stage 1 armor (padded) you have a max dex bonus= +8 and armor check penalty=0. Whereas with Stage 8 (full plate) you have max dex=+1 and armor check= -8. Does padded armor really give you +8 to your Dexterity? What exactly is armor check penalty? Sorry for the newbie question, its just 3rd edition rules, and I am without a players handbook.

Thanks.

Howdy,

max dex bonus: your dex bonus (affecting AC) will be toped at the m.d.b. of the armor. If you wear a splint mail (m.d.b = +2) and your char has a natural dex bonus of +4, he will only benefit from a dex bonus of +2.
I'm not sure if this affets the range attack bonus from dex too.

armor check: the weight/noise of the armor causes a malus to hide, sneak and pickpocket. Maybe other skills too.

Excellent, I was thinking they were something like that. Thanks for the info. Im going to pickup a players handbook after work, so I can understand character creation more. Is there any source on the web that would have the rules and definitions?

Thanks.

Part of D&D 3E is open source:
http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html

Enjoy!