Armor Class

Alright, there is this thing that has been confusing for so long and I have been ignoring for even longer, now is the time to ask though.

My question is: how come when I identify an armor, it says it grants -18 protection against slashing (just as an example) and when I wear it, it actually grants something like -70.

I will give an example as well.

This is my AC without wearing armor:

/---------------/\
| ARMOR || 
| Slash : -317 || 
| Pierce: -302 || 
| Blunt : -294 ||
| Magic : -354 ||
| || 
\---------------\/

Now those are the stats of a certain armor which I want to wear:

Armor class is 18 pierce, 18 bash, 18 slash, and 0 vs. magic. <--- Those are real stats of real armor.

So I put on the armor and here is my new armor class:

/---------------/\
| ARMOR || 
| Slash : -389 || 
| Pierce: -374 || 
| Blunt : -366 || 
| Magic : -354 || 
| || 
\---------------\/

Could someone explain this to me?

that particular armor, I believe has a -30 AC built into the identify only stats.

Oh wow, you HAD to pick a very complicated topic.

Ok... For starts each of those numbers obviously correlate (im not going to spell check this so bare with me.) to one of the four defences given in the AC area.

1.

Now for your armor that you said gives:

Armor class is 18 pierce, 18 bash, 18 slash, and 0 vs. magic.

The depending value added to your total AC score VARIES DEPENDING ON WHERE THAT ARMOR IS WORN.

EG: (im not going code hunting so this is just a made up example. Bite me.)

If it were a helm, it might in the code be given a 2x ratio when adding to the final AC rating. So a piece of armor with:

Armor class is 18 pierce, 18 bash, 18 slash, and 0 vs. magic.

will actually add -36AC across the board with obviously 0 difference to magic.

This differs in the point where different TYPES of armor are given different multipliers depending on where they are worn for instance if the same armor was a breastplate the modifier may be 5x.

This would mean that this armor:

Armor class is 18 pierce, 18 bash, 18 slash, and 0 vs. magic.

Worn as a breastplate would give -90ac across the board with 0 to magic (obviously.)

So depending on where the piece of armor is worn depends heavily on how useful the AC is.

This means:

That sometimes swapping out a mask that has 5 vs everythign across the board for AC (if we say face armor has a modifier of x1) has nothing on any piece of armor which might give added saves protection, because -5AC is nothing compared to -2 vs svsspell...

Get it?

Anyway. It should now provide you all with hours of trying to figure out the multipliers and wether its the best piece of armor for you. HAHAHA. Guts.

***Disclaimer: All example above are just that, made up examples. I've drunken too much sangria to look through code. ***

@ Kyzarius: no it actually doesn't, I think you are thinking about another armor.

@ Aulian: thanks for the explanation. The one thing I don't get though, is how come lets say a robe and a breastplate which are both worn around the body have so hugely different multipliers.

The armor which I used as an example has obviously a multiplier of 4, if I want to compare it to a certain high level robe, I end with the conclusion that the robe has a multiplier of 2 and both are worn around the body.

Yeah, like aulian said, AC is based on the AC of the item, where that item is worn and certain item flags (which may be different for your robe + breastplate)...of course dex

Well they shouldnt... But the AC values on either should be different?

The way I understand it.. And understand me when I say Im drunk, is that the one modifier is fixed, the next value which is multiplied is the armor rating of the item...

But each eq slot has a different modifier (or multiplier) applied to it.

Although there might be something in item creation that adds extra flags depending on what its made of... Who would look at the coding code to do with OLC? JESUS GET A LIFE...

There is also a racial dex modifier hidden in there as well.

Aulian covered multipliers the other place you get -ac is in the stats. Stats don't multiply and are just added on. Check your Id and recalculate.

L-A

Especially if your dex is - what it could be and then you get a piece of armor which has armor ratings and + dex properities. That really buggers things up.