Talk:Elemental Defender (5e Feat)

Balance. To paraphrase Marasmusine's comment a year ago, "just a flat +2 bonus to AC could break the bounded accuracy of AC." The limitation of "no worn armor" or even "no armor proficiency" still mean this benefit it stacks with things like barbarian's and monk's Unarmored Defense, which without magic items are already the highest standing ACs possible under official rules. Plus this stacks with mage armor, among other features. A balanced possibility might be to have the feat grant an AC of 13 + Dexterity modifier, but at that point it's just the mage armor spell, and you'd be better off getting the Magic Initiate feat from the Player's Handbook.
Flavor. Why is this feat still called "Arcane Armor" if there's no longer anything tying it to something arcane?

This feat I fear has gone down a bad path. The original contributor's version of this feat[1] was poorly written, and it had some kind of weird but narrow damage reduction. If that version was used as inspiration I think this feat could be made balanced, more interesting, and more unique. - Guy 20:02, 7 September 2018 (MDT)

I agree with these points and wouldn't mind helping develop something based on the OP, if that is what others agree on as well. BigShotFancyMan (talk) 11:18, 28 September 2018 (MDT)

Maybe something like this?

{{5e Feat
|name=Arcane Armor
|prereqs= The ability to cast at least one spell of 1st level or higher
|benefit=

* As an action, you can expend a spell slot to surround yourself with arcane protection.  When doing so, select a {{5g|Damage Rolls|damage type}} from acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.  Whenever you take damage of the type you chose, it is reduced by an amount equal to the level of the expended spell slot.  This effect lasts for 1 minute.
* If you take damage while your Arcane Armor is in effect, you can use your {{5g|Reaction}} to end the effect the effect on you, and attempt to turn it around on the creature which damaged you.  That creature must make a {{5a|con}} saving throw against your spell save DC.  On a failure, whenever that creature takes damage of the type you chose before the start of its next turn, it takes extra damage equal to the level of the expended spell slot.}}

The pseudo damage reduction is a bit unusual, but it is comparable the Heavy Armor Master feat from the PH, but doesn't stack with it. It is closer to OP's version and it is more unique, but I'm not so sure it has reached sufficient quality. For a 5e feat it still places perhaps too much power on your level, and its singular use is too narrow. It also seems maybe a little bit too complex for 5e feat standards... - Guy 12:01, 28 September 2018 (MDT)

I really like the wording of the first part. Balance terms, I'd use proficiency bonus instead of level since this will take course over a 1 minute/10 rounds. Epiphany, can this be done multiple times? meaning should this be limited to how many arcane armors one can have at one time? I'm torn because I think there a better purposes than burning many spell slots for multiple DR.

The second half is wordy but I do understand its purpose. Would it be better to nix this mechanic and make this a half feat? choose between int, wis, or cha for a +1 ASI? If it was kept as is, I think level for the damage is appropriate. BigShotFancyMan (talk) 13:54, 28 September 2018 (MDT)

If it uses proficiency bonus, then you're always going to burn your 1st level spell slots for it... which... feels a bit weird to me. If it is based on proficiency bonus, to me seems more like something that should recharge after a short rest (and to be fair OP's version was also rest-based) instead of something which consumes a spell slot. If it's once-per-rest, this would also solve the issue of DR stacking. Even though previous editions couldn't stack DR, it's so sparse in 5e that there probably isn't any specific rule that prevents stacking it.

If we only retained that first half, then a +1 ASI in addition to it would I think be fine balance-wise. The original version could be used both offensively and defensively, but... hm... How about this, then?

{{5e Feat
|name=Arcane Armor
|prereqs= The ability to cast at least one spell.
|benefit=

* When you use your action cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you can use your {{5g|Bonus Action}} to surround yourself with arcane protection.  When doing so, select a {{5g|Damage Rolls|damage type}} from acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.  Whenever you take damage of the type you chose, it is reduced by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus.  This effect lasts for 1 minute.  Once you use this effect, you must finish a {{5g|Short Rest}} before you can do so again.
* If you hit with a melee attack while using your Arcane Armor, you can choose to end the effect early to add your proficiency bonus to the damage of this attack.  This extra damage is of the same type as your Arcane Armor.}}

Though it isn't explicit, the second effect as written can be used with opportunity attacks. That might be as close as we can get to a balanced version of the original feat and its "activates whenever the user is attacked" while still also keeping a useful DR-like effect. - Guy 17:48, 28 September 2018 (MDT)

Tasha’s Search

Seeing as there is a real mechanic in 5e called Arcane Armor in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and this feat is.... not particularly well designed... Maybe this page could be removed or renamed since it comes up first in Google? - Google Searcher 2021/04/03

Probably. This looks like it should probably be a magic item or spell instead of a feat, which should then definetly be named something else. Would solve the issue, I’d think. --SwankyPants (talk) 12:49, 3 April 2021 (MDT)