Max Dex= Robe...?

[Rav'n]

Okay.... I need to get this off my chest. THIS is my SINGLE biggest gripe in DDO!

*Stands on soapbox*
What the heck is the reason for a Robe giving you MAX DEX Bonus?? Have you guys/girls ever TRIED to Tumble in a Robe? Have you ever TRIED to Fight in a Robe?

I've fought full contact (Latex boffer and Rattan) "Two handed weapon", "Paired Weapon", "Sword and Board" & Staff. I've run thru the forests, up the hills, fought in/over/around rocks...tables... chairs. I've fought in Leather, Full Plate, Chain and Robes.

Robes are the ABSOLUTE Worst thing an Adventurer can wear!!! What happened to Padded Armor? If you're looking at Tumbling alone, I would MUCH rather wear Padded Armor than a Robe.

*Steps down and awaits for the Fireballs to commence*

[Aspenor]

uh

Robes don't have a max dex bonus....

[Rav'n]

exactly

[Aspenor]

exactly

When you have 36 dexterity and +7 armor bracers, the best thing you can possibly wear is a robe.

Padded armor you lose AC. Same with mithral chain, and leather armor.

[binnsr]

hopefully, the OPs issue will dissipate when we get 'real' clothes for monks (at least, thats what the last Kate Paiz interview inferred)

[Rav'n]

No.. it's not another "my Rouge/Ranger want's a pair of pant's" thread. It's a what the heck are they thinking of giving you a Max AC based off you Dex when you wear a Robe when a Robe is the absolute worst thing in the world to base anything off Dex" Thread.

I totally understand the concept of Dex 36 +7 Bracers wear a Robe= best AC RULE. What I don't get is ...

WHY???????

[Alavatar]

Honestly, it depends on the robes.

I am guessing your "latex boffer" experience was some sort of LARP such as NERO, Alliance, Amtgard, or some such? I play one of those things as well and I don't mind running around in my robe at all.

Anyway, cloth items in D&D and DDO do not have Max. Dex for many reasons, one of which is weight. It's a fantasy video game based on a table-top game. While it is reminiscent of trying to be realistic the mechanics of the game do not factor realism all the time, therefore robes are not as cumbersome as studded leather armor.

(In my opinion, since Studded Leather is more supple and flexible then regular leather, Studded Leather should have a higher Max Dex. But that is a discussion for the WotC boards, not here)

[MysticTheurge]

uh

Robes don't have a max dex bonus....

Exactly his point.

But D&D doesn't really care what kind of clothes you're wearing. If you're not in armor, you don't have a max dex bonus.

[Aspenor]

Exactly his point.

But D&D doesn't really care what kind of clothes you're wearing. If you're not in armor, you don't have a max dex bonus.

So then I'm lost...

Is this another "my rogue/ranger wants a shirt and pants" thread?

[MysticTheurge]

Is this another "my rogue/ranger wants a shirt and pants" thread?

I think it's a "ZOMG! That's not realistic!!" thread.

[Aspenor]

I think it's a "ZOMG! That's not realistic!!" thread.

Well I find a robe more realistic than fighting devils in your skivvies!

[Elaril]

I think it's a "ZOMG! That's not realistic!!" thread.

Is there anything realistic about me running around with an elemental burst weapon, spamming firewall, and casting a spell that restores me to full vitality when I was previously seconds away from death all the while battling ogres, giants, dragons, gnolls, undead and the like?

[Angelus_dead]

I think it's a "ZOMG! That's not realistic!!" thread.

In matters of visual display, a degree of realism enhances the enjoyment of a game, especially when regarding elements not explicitly magical. Even if PCs are doing impossible things, it simply looks better if the setting and props have at least a foundation in places or objects the players recognize from the real world. That means that a person intent on using nimble reactions to protect herself is unlikely to wear a lengthy robe that could easily get tangled on foliage, furniture, or her own two legs.

The artists for D&D are aware of this, and illustrate the game books accordingly. Open your Player's Handbook or Dungeon Master's Guide and turn to illustrations of any of the non-spellcaster character classes who cannot wear even light armor. The most obvious two examples are the Monk and Duelist- both have class features that fail in any kind of armor.

The Duelist looks fine for a high dex warrior, but if you actually had a Duelist class in DDO, or simply wanted to emulate it with a finesse fighter, you couldn't. To get the clothes to look right you'd need padded, leather, or chainshirt armor, but that would kill your max dex bonus. So instead you walk about in a ritual bathrobe.

The D&D Monk ("Ember") would also be impossible to duplicate in DDO. The best you could do would actually be to wear no clothes at all, which is mechanically bad. Since DDO hasn't fully previewed monks yet, we can hold out hope they are fixing the issue, and causing existing robe items to look different when worn by an athletic-based character instead of a spellcaster.

Note that this problem is exacerbated by the enhancement system in DDO, which causes elf/halfling rogues/rangers to have dexerity +5 above what they'd have in D&D, making them exceed the dex bonus of padded armor that much quicker.

[QuantumFX]

So then I'm lost...

Is this another "my rogue/ranger wants a shirt and pants" thread?

Michael Westen: Not bad for a man in his underwear.
Sam Axe: You think that's good, you should see me without them!

(Bruce Campbell has a quote for every situation in life.)

[Shaamis]

Don't think in actual physics, think in game balance.

A robe gives you 0 bonus to ac, so it balances this by giving you maximum use of your dexterity.

Padded armor gives you a slight armor bonus, therefore, cannot afford to give you your maximum highest dex modifiers, or it would be unbalancing.
armored bracers provide the armor bonus, and a robe gives you some of the nice additions armor provides (deathblock, fearsome, GFL, etc.) therefore if you have a high enough Dex, balance can be achieved and even surpassed

I have a drow elf rogue 35 dex wears +7 bracers and a robe, she still gets hit like she is standing still.....

i just get used to it

[SableShadow]

/signed

Well, /signed since forever ago.

While we're at it, how's about an 'armor skin swap' recipe? Say, take a syb shard, two sets of armor, and let you swap the skins on 'em? Wear your robe stats on your fave armor.

Hey, it's magic.

[Laith]

i've always wondered how most women can pull off walking/running in high-heels. hell i can hardly stand in them...

please tell me the parallel isn't lost.
remember, all characters are considered "proficient" in robe wearing as it applies to combat.

the op, apparently, does not posess this ability.
i recommend a strict training regiment of dress wearing & aerobics (and/or samurai school, ala Tom Cruise).
the feat will be waiting when you next level up.

[In_Like_Flynn]

What's the break point on DEX serving you better in Robes rather than Armour?

Note: Armour is spelled correctly.

[Laith]

What's the break point on DEX serving you better in Robes rather than Armour?

Note: Armour is spelled correctly.

+8 (ie 26+ dex) is the most given in armor (padded).
i believe there's a ruled (or house ruled) in material that is like mithral for cloth armors (adding +2 max dex).

note that (iirc) when the system was originally developed, 30 in a stat was considered "godly" (as in actual gods posessed that value) and almost completely unattainable given a reasonable DM.

robes were simply never supposed to be worn "because i'm just too darn dexterous for armor".

[Alavatar]

+8 (ie 26+ dex) is the most given in armor (padded).
i believe there's a ruled (or house ruled) in material that is like mithral for cloth armors (adding +2 max dex).

note that (iirc) when the system was originally developed, 30 in a stat was considered "godly" (as in actual gods posessed that value) and almost completely unattainable given a reasonable DM.

robes were simply never supposed to be worn "because i'm just too darn dexterous for armor".

That was before 3rd Edition when you didn't get an attribute point every 4th level. 3.0 and 3.5 Editions have kind of ... inflated a lot of the numbers.

However, good point "robes were simply never supposed to be worn "because i'm just too darn dexterous for armor"." Even in PnP it is unlikely to have a Dex of 30 or above unless you completely min/max and have an extremely generous DM that gave you a +6 dex item and perhaps a few wishes.