What are the downsides to taking adamantium body

[Shadow_Wolf]

As a Warforged Barbarian what exactly are the downsides to taking Adamantium body- can these downsides be counteracted by taking 1 level in fighter?

[Impaqt]

As a Warforged Barbarian what exactly are the downsides to taking Adamantium body- can these downsides be counteracted by taking 1 level in fighter?

I think a better question would be "What would the benefits be?"

The 3-6 Points of AC you'd gain from Adamantine plating is not worth it, and I dont think the Adamantine DR will stack with Barb DR.

[boldarblood]

As a Warforged Barbarian what exactly are the downsides to taking Adamantium body- can these downsides be counteracted by taking 1 level in fighter?

Will never get a high enough AC to matter, and feats are a premium for a Barb. Ditch the body armour, get DPS feats.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Soooo.....
You guys are saying a WF brb should run around with no armor?

That mentality would explain a lot of what I've seen.....and all this time I thought those guys getting beat up in the harbor were noobs.

[gemineye]

A good docent maybe?

[Angelus_dead]

As a Warforged Barbarian what exactly are the downsides to taking Adamantium body- can these downsides be counteracted by taking 1 level in fighter?

The downside is you have one less feat to spend on Greater Two-handed Fighting or Weapon Focus or Stunning Blow or whatever else you might want to take. It's true that a fighter level would give you a bonus feat that could serve to replace the one you had lost, but I wouldn't recommend that.

The main reason serious WF barbs do not have Adamantine Body or Mithral Body is because there isn't enough benefit. It's a game-design flaw in DDO, but armor class isn't as valuable as it should be. This leads to the aesthetically weird situation where a WF barb looks exactly the same as a WF wizard, both of them wearing wimpy-looking colorful drapes instead of anything thematically appropriate for a barbarian.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

To the op.
No disadvantage that I know of. But like everything else, depends on your build.

To everyone else.
What DPS feat can you get at 1st lvl that makes a darn bit if difference?!
Power Attack? Can't hit with it on.
Improved THF? So you can get agro from more Kobolds?

I think my eyes have just been opened by reading this thread.

Two years, and I finally figured out why so many clerics hate WF Brbs.

[Arianrhod]

Theoretically, it would make sense to start with adamantium body, then switch it out around level 9, when AC under 40 stops being as valuable. However, due to prerequisites, that could involve rather a lot of cash and dragonshards to get the feats all rearranged properly. Probably not worth the trouble for most people.

[Laith]

whenever you wear armor that you are not proficient in (like adamantine body on a barb), you apply the armor check penalty to your attack rolls (this is somewhere around -6 for AB i believe). this penalty is counteracted by becoming proficient in the armor (fighter1 does the trick).

later on, odds are pretty good that 2 things will happen (good odds = pretty much assured):
1) your ac will stop mattering.
2) your barbarian dr will overcome that from the adamantine body feat (it won't stack).

when those happen the feat is actually hurting you instead of helping you (armor check penalty to skills, don't actually benefit from the DR or AC).

[boldarblood]

To the op.
No disadvantage that I know of. But like everything else, depends on your build.

To everyone else.
What DPS feat can you get at 1st lvl that makes a darn bit if difference?!
Power Attack? Can't hit with it on.
Improved THF? So you can get agro from more Kobolds?

I think my eyes have just been opened by reading this thread.

Two years, and I finally figured out why so many clerics hate WF Brbs.

Easy

1) 2 HF / 2 WF 3) Power Attack 6)Improved 2 HF / WF 9)Improved Crit (slash or pierce) 12) Greater 2 HF / WF 15) Stunning Blow

Adamantine adds nothing to a barb.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

A good docent maybe?

But the highest is only +5, and you can't get that till lvl 8.

You're effectively tanking with the AC of a Wiz....

I understand a good offense is better than a good defense....but...
I just can't fathom that people really thing you shouldn't take the best you can get.

Most of my toons AC never tops 40, but I know I get hit a hell of a lot less, even in the Vale, if I have my shield equiped. Only the biggest baddies out there can hit any ac on a 2 or better.....most of them miss at least occasionally.

Actually, I've started doing a little tanking with my Wiz lately.......and I caught so much **** for it when someone else saw me doing it.

But here you guys are promoting naked rage fighting tactics.......

Let's build a char who pulls as much agro as possible.....and throw him in the middle of the baddest mobs in the game.........naked.

I guess I'll never be part of the truly elite.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

whenever you wear armor that you are not proficient in (like adamantine body on a barb), you apply the armor check penalty to your attack rolls (this is somewhere around -6 for AB i believe). this penalty is counteracted by becoming proficient in the armor (fighter1 does the trick).

later on, odds are pretty good that 2 things will happen (good odds = pretty much assured):
1) your ac will stop mattering.
2) your barbarian dr will overcome that from the adamantine body feat (it won't stack).

when those happen the feat is actually hurting you instead of helping you (armor check penalty to skills, don't actually benefit from the DR or AC).

I have a WF Brb w/Adamantine body......no non-proficient penalty to attack. But at low lvl (mines only 4) PA w/Brb and WF PA enhancements.....means I never hit a thing.

I can kinda understand switching it out at very high lvls though.

[Laith]

I have a WF Brb w/Adamantine body......no non-proficient penalty to attack. But at low lvl (mines only 4) PA w/Brb and WF PA enhancements.....means I never hit a thing.

I can kinda understand switching it out at very high lvls though.

heh... if that's the case, i'd tend to think it's implemented wrong. it's heavy armor.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

As if I haven't posted enough....sry.

Does a Docent stack with Armored bracers?
Will +6 Armored Bracers and a +5 Docent give a +11 armor bonus to AC?

If that is true, than I can understand you thinking. I just didn't think they would stack. Never tried it. Only a few WF lowbies running around.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

heh... if that's the case, i'd tend to think it's implemented wrong. it's heavy armor.

I built my WF Brb a long time ago on a little played server just to try this out. I got no penalty, so I kept the toon around. Just don't play "her" often.

My highest WF is a Rgr8/Wiz1....also w/adamantine body....in his case i expect to switch it out when he gets evasion, but I'm actually curious to wait and see if it really won't work first. Currently though he would get the same AC w/Mithral body, so all he would lose is DR.

I've never made a WF without adamantine body yet, so I haven't even tried with armored bracers yet.
Still a lot to learn about WF.

[Angelus_dead]

heh... if that's the case, i'd tend to think it's implemented wrong. it's heavy armor.

It's not heavy armor, or any kind of armor. It's a feat which provides an armor bonus to AC.

No warforged would ever be nonproficient in his own body.

[TommyBoy]

To the op.
No disadvantage that I know of. But like everything else, depends on your build.
except there are waybetter options. toughness, plus if your going to spec either thf or twf you'll not want to take it.
To everyone else.
What DPS feat can you get at 1st lvl that makes a darn bit if difference?!
Power Attack? Can't hit with it on.
look at your build my WF hit just fine with PA at lvl1

Improved THF? So you can get agro from more Kobolds?
actually at that lvl it would be regular thf not improved and seeing as most of the kobolds were dead on the first or second swing... more agro the better less running for me

I think my eyes have just been opened by reading this thread.

Two years, and I finally figured out why so many clerics hate WF Brbs.
no just ones not built very well. I personaly carry my own pots, use either a gaurd or fearsom item, and crit(with carnifex) like every third swing or so. my WF Barb has out lasted the whole party most times. And with the cleric I run with Im his last to look at.

see red

[sigtrent]

see red

Your citing mid level gear and twinked out characters though. it really depends on the player as to what makes the most sense. For a first charactar adamantine body is probably a good pick for survivability adn all around usefulness until they hit level 12 or so. For a long time player its a lot less important as they can compensate with gear, good play, and the abbility to level very quickly.

[Impaqt]

It's not heavy armor, or any kind of armor. It's a feat which provides an armor bonus to AC.

No warforged would ever be nonproficient in his own body.

But it is armor... The Bonus to ac is an Armor Bonus.. Evasion does not work and it causes Arcane Spell Failure. There is a Distinct difference between Composit Plating and Mithral and Adamantine. It goes way beyond just your ac.. Armor check Penalties, Dex Bonus, Spell Failure chance... All of it is just like the differenct armors available for fleshies.

Going by Memory Here....

COmposite Plating 2AC +8 Max Dex Bonus
Mithral 5AC +5 Max Dex Bonus
Adamantine 8AC +1 Max Dex Bonus.

If I recall Correctly, Composite and Mithral can actually provide higher ac depending on your dex.

[Strykersz]

Composite plating does not have a dex cap, Adamantine can be useful up to 10 or so and pretty much without cost(PA does not increase your dps until you are reliably +15 of the enemies ac with it on, which doesn't really occur until 10-13) but post GH it is unlikely to be useful. Armor bracers don't stack with Docent/Feat AC.