What is the effect of brace?

[Alopex]

It may sound silly but after a while I can not see any obvious effect of a brace(except those of weapon expertise). For example, a brace with AC6 make no differenc from one with ACit does look better though). Do this actually add up to our character AC or what?

[Dar'tanian]

Well it will not do anythign if your ac is allready under 6 it "sets" your ac instead of adding to it like sheilds and armours do. The best thing to do with them is to give them to mages with high ac's.

[ 12-13-2003, 11:37 PM: Message edited by: Dar'tanian ]

[RoSs_bg2_rox]

oh and by the way its bracers not braces

[ZFR]

It will not stack with armor AC... but still stacks with AC from shield, ring of protection etc

[InsaneBane]

consider bracers as super light weight non-magical armour without restrictions.

Ex: You could either wear bracers AC 5 OR a non-magical chain mail armour. If you are a mage, ranger or a thief, then the armour would hinder your movement so much, that you had to compromize your special abilities to obtain good protection. With bracers it's a different story though.

[img]graemlins/greenbounce.gif[/img]
Insane

[ryaldin]

Originally posted by Alopex: It may sound silly but after a while I can not see any obvious effect of a brace(except those of weapon expertise). For example, a brace with AC6 make no differenc from one with ACit does look better though). Do this actually add up to our character AC or what?

Bracers are particularly helpful for mages, as stated above, but there are also bracers that add to thac0, like the bracers of archery, which are absolutely wonderful for rear line archers, thieves, mages etc. Also, later in the game, the gauntlets of ogre strength are some of the best items in the game, and one set (the gauntlets of dexterity) are possibly one of the best bracer items in all of the BG series.

[ 12-17-2003, 11:47 AM: Message edited by: ryaldin ]

[ZFR]

Originally posted by ryaldin: quote: Originally posted by Alopex: It may sound silly but after a while I can not see any obvious effect of a brace(except those of weapon expertise). For example, a brace with AC6 make no differenc from one with ACit does look better though). Do this actually add up to our character AC or what?

Bracers are particularly helpful for mages, as stated above, but there are also bracers that add to thac0, like the bracers of archery, which are absolutely wonderful for rear line archers, thieves, mages etc. Also, later in the game, the gauntlets of ogre strength are some of the best items in the game, and one set (the gauntlets of dexterity) are possibly one of the best bracer items in all of the BG series. [/QUOTE]Well, although they go in the same slot, technically gauntlets and bracers are two different things

[SixOfSpades]

Originally posted by InsaneBane: consider bracers as super light weight non-magical armour without restrictions. Ex: You could either wear bracers AC 5 OR a non-magical chain mail armour.

A note: Bracers and actual armor have one important difference, in terms of AC. Bracers grant a base AC, and the armor also grants the base AC, but also applies its AC Modifiers on top of it. So, take Person A wearing normal Chainmail, and Person B wearing Bracers of Defense AC 5. Person A is going to have a better Armor class against Slashing, Piercing, and Missile weapons, but Person B is going to have a better AC against Blunt weapons.

Originally posted by ryaldin: .... the bracers of archery, which are absolutely wonderful for rear line archers, thieves, mages etc.

A nitpick: Mages (and Clerics and Druids) cannot wear the Bracers of Archery, as they were designed to be wearable only by those who can use a Bow. Now that I think about it, I'm going to see if BG2 will allow characters like Monks and Cavaliers to use them.

Originally posted by ZFR: Well, although they go in the same slot, technically gauntlets and bracers are two different things

This is true--Mages aren't allowed (or shouldn't be allowed) to wear gauntlets or gloves, as they impede spellcasting. Where this backfires is the usability for some items: The Gloves of Healing have the same Usability as a Long Sword, which means Priests & Wizards can't use them. Blocking Wizards I can understand (or you could allow them to use it, just implement a % of Spell Failure while worn), but since Priests can cast while fully armored, what's the point of blocking them? Rant off. [img]smile.gif[/img]