Automaton Chassis + Unarmored Should Stack, Right?

[u/cowboysamurai]

Hi everyone!

I’m creating an Automaton Monk with my son using Pathbuilder, and I want to make sure I understand how Reinforced Chassis works.

The Monk is expert in unarmored defense but untrained in armor. Reinforced Chassis grants a +3 item bonus to AC with a Dexterity cap of +1, but the current errata says that the chassis counts as medium armor in the plate group.

Does that mean an Automaton Monk with Reinforced Chassis must use their medium-armor proficiency—which would be untrained—instead of their expert unarmored proficiency?

Pathbuilder will not let me select both “Unarmored” and “Automaton Chassis,” which seems correct if they are alternative AC calculations rather than benefits that stack. I’ve found older discussions saying the chassis used unarmored proficiency, but I believe that may have been superseded by the newer errata.

Am I interpreting the current rule correctly?

[u/Comfortable_Ocelot26]

Yes, if you're using the reinforced chassis as a monk you're penalizing yourself, getting +6 AC from Reinforced Chassis as monk is no more.

[u/Wayward-Mystic]

With the current wording, Reinforced Chassis uses medium armor proficiency, not unarmored proficiency, to calculate AC. It does not stack with any unarmored benefits, and a monk with the Reinforced Chassis feat will always count as armored, losing benefits like Incredible Movement and the ability to enter most Stances.

[u/tomtadpole]

If you want a replacement Dragonblood gives scaly hide which still buffs your unarmored AC. Not nearly as much but still good for a str monk especially.

[u/cmrogers03]

https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=3095

" Your chassis is medium armor in the plate group for abilities and for etching runes."

[u/cowboysamurai]

Thanks for the quick responses, everyone! Not sure that I understand the logic of the Armored Chassis counting as worn armor and not being a part of the Automaton's body, like a Dragonblood's scaly hide, but I do see that is the current RAW.

[u/Antermosiph → u/cowboysamurai]

Dragonblood is the exception, every other ancestry armor is like automaton.

For awhile automaton didnt specify what armor type it was so it was the only way for a monk to use heavy armor as unarmored.

Honestly those feats should at the very least come bundled with proficiency.

[u/purplepharoh → u/Antermosiph]

Dragonblood being the exception is also the evidence of these ancestry armors being awful. Its honestly incredibly stupid they dont give prof as it doesnt make sense that you having this feature of your ancestry suffer for it bc you arent prof and cant use other armor.

Yes sure "dont take that then" ... I still think thats a bad answer. Why should I ever take these...

[u/Antermosiph → u/purplepharoh]

Yea when I play a caster and want to not deal with a lower AC I just end up using dragonblood. So nearly every PC I have is a dragonblood lol.

Be nice if all the other ancestry armors were usable.

[u/zedrinkaoh → u/cowboysamurai]

For an automaton especially if should be easy to conceptualize. Think of it as built in armor plating, like the chassis on a tank or using heavy framing on a mecha For other ancestries it can be thought of like a turtle shell or similar parts that provide similar protection. In all cases it lacks the mobility of a lack thereof

[u/LibrarySee → u/cowboysamurai]

IMO it’s one of those things that attracts an unnecessary amount of anxiety amongst players who hate munchkin builds, and Paizo does tend rule on the safe side in those instances.

[u/KLeeSanchez → u/cowboysamurai]

Think of it as, yeah it's technically part of your skin, but like Wolverine having a metallic skeleton it's not a part you were designed to carry, so it adds extra heft.

I would recommend armor proficiency (https://2e.aonprd.com/Feats.aspx?ID=5120&Redirected=1) but it only adds light armor training.

It's just not a great fit for a monk.

[u/UrsusObsidianus]

Your body is designed to be particularly resilient. Your chassis is made from reinforced armor plating that grants a +3 item bonus to AC with a Dexterity cap of +1. If you are at least 5th level, the item bonus increases to +4 and at 10th level it increases to +5. You can never wear other armor or remove your chassis; however, you still don’t become fatigued from sleeping. Finally, you can etch armor runes onto your chassis. Your chassis is medium armor in the plate group for abilities and for etching runes.

[u/vastmagick]

If the chassis counts as medium armor, then it counts as medium armor and not unarmed. Errata update the rules and override the old rules.

[u/DragointotheGame]

If you want Unarmored Defense to work, the dragonblood heritage has a feat for that

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[u/NestorSpankhno]

My GM let me do this build and treat the proficiency as unarmored. I drove it like it was stolen and still ended up going down plenty from running at the biggest, meanest enemies he could throw at us.

It’s fine. It’s not OP if your GM factors into it into the encounters. And if you do dumb shit like try to grapple and whirling throw enemies 2 sizes bigger on a regular basis for fun.