Armor Class (AC)

The Armor Class defense is a combination of reflexes and physical armor used to avoid, deflect, and absorb weapon attacks. Your Armor Class defense is used to defend against melee weapon and ranged weapon attacks. When calculating Armor Class, you add your Dexterity Accuracy Modifier (DexA), which represents your ability to dodge and avoid incoming blows.

Your Armor Class is broken up into two scores: a Glance Armor Class (Glance AC) and a Hit Armor Class (Hit AC). The Glance AC represents the threshold at which an attack misses (if below Glance AC) or deals half damage (if it meets or exceeds Glance AC, but is below Hit AC). The Hit AC represents the threshold at which you suffer full damage from an attack.

The difference between your Glance AC and Hit AC will depend on armor bonuses granted by your armor. Each type of armor grants a Glance AC Bonus and a Hit AC Bonus. Generally speaking, the heavier the armor, the larger the difference between these two numbers. Shields, alternatively, add a flat bonus to both your Glance AC and Hit AC.

Note that many heavy armors impose a Armor Attribute Penalty to your Dexterity Accuracy Modifier, as their bulk makes it more difficult to move around. This penalty reduces any positive bonus you get from your Dexterity Accuracy Modifier (if any, to a minimum of 0). This reduction applies to both your Glance AC and Hit AC, as well as your Touch and Reflex defenses.

Parry Combat Training grants a flat bonus to both your Glance AC and Hit AC (and your Touch defense) while you are wielding a weapon (even a natural weapon such as an unarmed attack). This represents your ability to use weapons to deflect blows from an opponent.

In summary, to calculate your Glance Armor Class use the following equation:

To calculate your Hit Armor Class, use the following equation: