Calculating Armor Class (AC) is a crucial aspect of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) 5th Edition, as it determines a character’s ability to defend against attacks. It is the total sum of a character’s base AC, armor bonus, shield bonus, and any other modifiers that may apply.
A character’s base AC is 10, which represents their natural agility and dexterity. This can be modified by their Dexterity score, which grants a +1 bonus to AC for every 2 points above 10. Additionally, wearing armor provides a bonus to AC, which varies depending on the type of armor worn. Shields also offer an AC bonus, typically +2 for most shields.