How much should I train Armour if I plan on mostly relying on Dodging?
I'm playing a character who has good reasons to prioritize dodging over armour use:
- I'm a Deep Elf, so I have a low base Str, a +2 dodging aptitude, and -2 armour aptitude.
- I'm training Ice Magic, hoping to use Ozocubu's Armour, which only works when wearing armour with an encumbrance penalty of 4 or less.
- I want to cast high-level spells (at least up to level 8 for Controlled Blink) in the late game.
I'm pretty sure this means I should be prioritizing training in dodging over training in armour, but does that mean I don't train armour at all? Or is there some small-ish amount of armour investment that's worth it if I end up wearing, say, Troll leather armour or something like that? If the latter, what's my target number?
If you're a dodger, forget about the armour skill. If you primarily rely on spells for offense, forget about the armour skill. If you have very low strength, forget about the armour skill. You only get a real benefit from the armour skill if you wear heavy armour. I don't think there's any benefit to raising armour only by a small amount.
You can see the numbers on the wiki. The armour skill reduces penalties from armour but never eliminates them. It's worth it for a fighter if you get significant protection from the armour and hit sufficiently often or sufficiently hard with it. Your spellcasting penalty with Str=5 wearing a leather armour (encumbrance=4) ranges from 15 at armour=0 to 6 at armour=27. 6 is still quite noticeable (equivalent to 3 points of intelligence), and it would take a huge investment to get there. And you only get 9 points of AC from that troll leather armour (base AC=4) at armour=27.
It's different with fighting and shields. Those do bring benefit at low levels, even if they're expensive. Fighting gives you more hit points (1.5 HP per skill point), which can make the difference between barely saving your skin and dying. Once you find a useful buckler, train shields to 4, which drops the shield-induced spellcasting penalty to 0. 4 levels, even of an expensive skill, is worth it to get an extra slot for resistances or artifact benefits. You still take a hit to evasion but you end up blocking about as many attacks as you'd dodge without the shield.