1st-level abjuration · 2024 version below
You touch a willing creature who isn't wearing armor, and a protective magical force surrounds it until the spell ends. The target's base AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier. The spell ends if the target dons armor or if you dismiss the spell as an action.
You touch a willing creature that isn’t wearing armor, and for 8 hours its base AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier. There’s no concentration, so you cast it once at the start of the day and forget about it until it ends or the target puts on armor.
For a sorcerer or wizard with Dexterity 14 or 16, it means AC 15 or 16 instead of 12 or 13, one point better than studded leather. Because it sets your base AC rather than adding a bonus, everything that adds to AC still stacks on top: the Shield spell, a shield you’re proficient with, a Ring of Protection.
No. Both give you a way to calculate your base AC, and you can only use one. Pick whichever is higher: Mage Armor only wins when a monk’s Wisdom modifier, or a barbarian’s Constitution modifier, is below +3.
Yes. Shield adds +5 to whatever your AC is, so a wizard with Mage Armor and Dexterity 16 goes from AC 16 to 21 until the start of their next turn.
Yes. Mage Armor isn’t armor, so Bracers of Defense add their +2 as long as you don’t carry a shield.
Yes, on any willing creature that isn’t wearing armor: a monk with low Wisdom, an unarmored ally, a beast companion or a mount.
No. It lasts 8 hours, so a morning casting covers most adventuring days. It ends early if the target puts on armor, or if you dismiss it with an action.
| Spell | How it compares |
|---|---|
| Shield | 1st-level reaction: +5 AC until your next turn when an attack would hit you. Stacks with Mage Armor. |
| Shield of Faith | 1st-level cleric and paladin spell: +2 AC for up to 10 minutes, with concentration. Stacks too. |
| Barkskin | 2nd-level druid and ranger spell, concentration: AC can’t be lower than 16. Only worth it for a creature with low AC. |
| Bracers of Defense | Rare, requires attunement: +2 AC while you wear no armor and carry no shield. Adds to Mage Armor. |
| Class | First available | Spellcasting ability |
|---|---|---|
| Sorcerer spells | 1st character level | Charisma |
| Wizard spells | 1st character level | Intelligence |
The 2024 Player’s Handbook revised many spells, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new text. What changed from the 2014 version above:
Same level, casting time, range, components, duration and dice; the text is reworded for the 2024 rules glossary.
You touch a willing creature who isn't wearing armor. Until the spell ends, the target's base AC becomes 13 plus its Dexterity modifier. The spell ends early if the target dons armor.
2024 version from the SRD 5.2. Most tables settle on one edition, so check which one yours uses.
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