Armor Specialization: Is it worth getting?

[Akulakha]

I've been considering getting this feat but is it worth getting? Will the DR become useless at some point? Gives a DR3/- in case anyone doesnt know about it. It does not however stack with other forms of DR

[Lautreamont]

Hi!

Like you said that this feat doesn't stack with other dr feats, spells or armor bonuses so this makes it rare feat to take, but I could imagine some builds that would find this useful.

Usually builds have better things to take but guess someone with for example many levels of fighter (many feats) and no umd would find it useful. For fighter type of char without any spells it's not the worst, but usually there are better ones to take so you would need many feats to consider this one.

All in all there are far worse options so it's not always useless. If you feel it fun then go ahead! If there is no other way you get dr: that 3 will help you even in the epics.

So story short: Usually it's not optimal, but it is not useless either

[KhyberKruel]

Can also use the feat that gives you on additional dr on top of what ever dr you have I think, though I'm not sure. I find the feat is useful on a fighter, given the number of feats you can get, as it really helps reduce the damage you take from arrows (pvm only mind you) which are very prone to hitting you even with high ac. Think of it this way, if you have 3/- dr and take six hits in a round that all do 25 damage, you have 18 more hp than you would have as they only deal 22 damage instead. If you have 400 hp, which isn't hard to get as a fighter, and you take enough hits to kill you at 25 damage a pop you'd normally only take 16 hits. In the case of having just 3/- dr you can take another 2 hits, 3 if you have a regen cloak. Food for thought before you dismiss the feat

[matelener]

Or just UMD a ghostly visage wand that lasts like 15 minutes each cast. Provides 5 dr and 10% concealment.

[Bobthehero]

Or just UMD a ghostly visage wand that lasts like 15 minutes each cast. Provides 5 dr and 10% concealment.

What if someone wants to play a fighter that does no casting?

[Thorsson]

Just get AK/WoD, Barbarian or DD. Or get 21 Con. Or don't get hit...

The Feats are useless; let's face it.

[KhyberKruel]

Not everyone wants to play AK/WOD or have barbarian levels. I'm all for the con route though, but keep in mind it will hurt your damage, kinda, in the long run. All feats have a place in some build some where... aside from the combat focus feats, but I'm still trying to figure something out that works with them.

[chad878262]

Potions could be utilized as well on a no casting build...Potions of stoneskin are available. The feat would really be pretty nice if it stacked with class dr but not sure that's possible(or desirable)

Heavy armor optimization is certainly better for +1 AC, -1 to skill penalties.

[Thorsson]

Not everyone wants to play AK/WOD or have barbarian levels.

But unless you take piles of Fighter levels and don't use them to qualify for WM or get PTWF then you don't have the Feats to spare. So we're talking about a very narrow range of characters where this is even possible, and in every case there would be better alternatives. If you were determined not to take better alternatives by defining a character so that he didn't get them, well yes it is possible. Quite why you would start from that premise is another matter...