Various tabletop games approach failed dice in different ways, some offer players options if they are hampered in their investigation or if something narrative will happen down the line of the story. Dungeons & Dragons uses the tried and true method of inflicting damage and other negative effects that will hover over the player characters.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is an isometric RPG and one of the latest video game adaptations of the popular franchise. You can avoid being hit by an enemy’s attacks using Armour Class and Saving Throws. These terms will be new to a lot of players, and knowing when both come into play will be important for avoiding damage and keeping your HP high.
Understanding Armour Class
The term Armour Class, also written as AC, is a measure of how hard it is for a character to be hit by something targeting them directly. Saving Throws tend to affect an area, such as a trap going off or a spell hitting a place where a character just so happens to be.
AC can be when a character blocks an attack head-on and is able to stand their ground, tilts their head to avoid an arrow, or dodges as a blast of flames flies past them. In order for a character to hit their target, their attack roll must be higher than the number representing their target’s AC.
If their attack roll is too low, the target successfully avoids the attack by some means. Characters using armor they are not proficient in will incur Disadvantage.
How To Increase AC
By default, AC will be a character’s Dexterity Modifier plus 10. However, wearing different armors will change how this is calculated. Both Light Armour and Medium Armour will give a set value plus the character’s Dexterity Modifier. Light Armour will usually have a lower value but have no cap on the Dexterity Modifier used, while Medium Armour usually limits this modifier to a maximum of 2.
Heavy Armour does not get any bonus from Dexterity, but this is counterbalanced by offering a much higher set value. The biggest downside to Heavy Armour is how it imposes Disadvantage on Stealth Checks and will reduce the user’s speed if their Strength is lower than 13. Having a Shield held in your character’s off-hand can grant them a bonus of 2 to their AC.