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I'm sure some one's brought this up some where but obviously mage armor doesn't qualify as armor completely since you can still cast spells with it on but how does it interact with Mindful Defense? Would a High Elf Monk with Mage Armor as their cantrip have 12+dex+wis AC? I would think so since it's more of a force barrier and doesn't restrict movement at all. The descriptions do conflict a little but those sort of things are bound to happen.

Yep, because we totally need monks with 22 AC running around, when nobody else can top 19 (without enhancement bonuses, which presumably are available to monks as well).  

Nice catch. Perhaps they need to change the monk thing to something like, "...your base AC becomes 10 plus your Wisdom modifier." Making it your base AC instead of just a bonus would keep it from stacking with anything else that sets your base AC. I reread it, it doesn't do that.

Nov 18, 2012 -- 11:07AM, Doug_Lampert wrote:

The mage armor spell sets your AC to 12+dex mod. That's the value and defines how it interacts.

Some DIFFERENT, HYPOTHETICAL spell which gave a +2 force bonus to AC might have interaction problems, but Mage Armor as written does not have any such problem, the spell tells us what your AC is, that's your AC when under the spell.

... Wow, ok, there's some wording that needs to be fixed. It does totally say "...your AC becomes…" suggesting a complete overwrite of everything. They need it to say "...your base AC becomes…" and they also need to say that in the Monk's ability. There's got to be something wrong with just saying "your AC," I've done enough programming to know how picky flat out setting a value like that can be. Give me a second...

If you are carrying a shield while you cast Mage Armor, you have to drop it and re-pick it back up in order to regain your AC bonus for the shield. I know ruling it like that is crazy dumb, but RAW any bonuses and negatives you have attached to your AC goes away once you cast Mage Armor because your AC becomes 12 + Dex mod. Re-equipping it would fix it because your AC has already been set and grabbing the shield would add 1 to your AC.

That just seems...odd...in some situations.  So if I am paralyzed, put to sleep, or restrained, my AC is 12+dex.  Never mind the fact I am in a prison cell with a ball and chain around my ankle and my arms shackled to the wall.  That interrigator will have to roll a 16 to hit me or wait 40 more minutes till the spell expires 

Nov 18, 2012 -- 2:43PM, Salla wrote:

Nov 18, 2012 -- 2:24PM, Rs06 wrote:

That just seems...odd...in some situations.  So if I am paralyzed, put to sleep, or restrained, my AC is 12+dex.  Never mind the fact I am in a prison cell with a ball and chain around my ankle and my arms shackled to the wall.  That interrigator will have to roll a 16 to hit me or wait 40 more minutes till the spell expires 

Presumably, there will be a rule that says 'if you're helpless, you're hosed, no matter what your AC is'.

I always thought helpless = hosed, was already a rule.