Maximize Defense in KotOR2

The Knights of the Old Republic series calculates Defense slightly differently than Neverwinter Nights calculates Armor Class (AC), with slight differences even between KotOR and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

How do I build a character to maximize his Defense in KotOR2?

I know that to increase Hit Points, Saving Throws, or Damage Reduction, or add Immunity to Critical Hits can also enhance survivability, but I want to know about maximal Defense. Also, I would prefer to avoid cheating (like duplicating the Name Crystal via KSE) and exploiting bugs like the Lightsaber Crystal duplication glitch.

Solution 1:

At Level 30, I can reach a value of 71 in Defense.

Character:

• Starting Attributes:
  • Strength (STR): 10
    • Leftover points go here
  • Dexterity (DEX): 16
    • Then increase every fourth level, yielding 7 increases at Level 30
  • Constitution (CON): 15
    • Why put any points into CON if we don't care about Hit Points? Implants in KotOR2 now depend on Constitution.
    • Why 15? Over the course of the game, conversations with your companions can yield three³ +1 bonuses to Constitution.
  • Intelligence (INT): 8
  • Wisdom (WIS): 16
    • Stat increases from companion conversation can provide +6 to Wisdom
  • Charisma (CHA): 8
• Light-Sided: Better Name Crystal
  • To gain all bonuses from companion conversations, you will have to make some Dark Side choices.
• Classes
  • Jedi Sentinel: 15 Levels
    • Jedi Guardian has the same Defense bonus, but Sentinel also give the immunities to Fear, Stun, and Paralysis, which fit better with a defensive character
  • Jedi Weapon Master: 15 Levels
    • All of the Prestige Classes have the same Defense bonuses
• Male: To gain the Battle Precognition Power from the Handmaiden, which adds your Wisdom Modifier to Defense.
• Feats
  • Dueling¹
  • Power Attack: No Defense penalties (and decent Damage output, too)
  • Finesse: Melee Weapons
    • Does not affect Defense, but an obvious choice for a character like this. Note that Finesse for Melee Weapons implies Finesse for Lightsabers as well, though you can gain Finesse: Lightsabers from an in-game conversation midway through the game.
• Equipment
  • Implant: Quickness D-Package (+4 DEX, +1 Defense²)
  • Head: Circlet of Saresh (+5 WIS)
    • The Target Assessor is a nice alternative for characters without Battle Precognition or for those who want to sacrifice a bit of Defense for a bit of Attack (+2 DEX, +2 Attack)
  • Hands: Improved Automation Gloves (+5 DEX)
  • Armband: Vao Armband (+1 DEX)
  • Belt: Aratech Echo Belt (+4 DEX)
  • Robes: Ossus Keeper Robe (+4 WIS, +1 Defense²)
    • For Robes, any Defense bonus counts toward the cap of 10². For Armor, the Defense bonus includes an Armor bonus, which does not count toward the cap.
    • The Matukai Adept Robe (+2 DEX, +1 Defense) works well for characters without Battle Precognition.
  • Lightsaber: Only a single Saber¹, and only the Name Crystal matters, because the game only takes the highest of multiple modifiers for the same Attribute. (+5 DEX, +6 WIS)
    • Assume the Name Crystal at Level 30
    • Even though for playing purposes, this is probably not a realistic scenario because you can't upgrade the Crystal once you have found all of the Jedi.
    • Why not throw a Fencing Emitter (+2 Defense) in there anyway, to offset any Defense penalties²? In any case, I think it's the best emitter for offensive characters as well.
• Active Force Powers
  • Master Valor (+5 DEX, +5 WIS)
  • Master Speed (+4 Defense)
  • Force Armor (+6 Defense)

Calculation:

• Base: 10
• Class: 14
  • Jedi Sentinel: 6
  • Jedi Weapon Master: 8
• Dexterity: 18 (from the modifier for 47 DEX)
  • Base: 23 DEX
    • Start: 16
    • Level Stat increases: 7
  • Quickness D-Package: +4 DEX
  • Improved Automation Gloves: +5 DEX
  • Vao Armband: +1 DEX
  • Aratech Echo Belt: +4 DEX
  • Name Crystal: +5 DEX
  • Master Valor: +5 DEX
• Wisdom: 16 (from the modifier for 42 WIS)
  • Base: 22 WIS
    • Start: 16
    • Companion conversation increases: 6
  • Circlet of Saresh: +5 WIS
  • Ossus Keeper Robe: +4 WIS
  • Name Crystal: +6 WIS
  • Master Valor: +5 WIS
• Dueling: 3
• Powers and Effects: 10²
  • Quickness D-Package: +1 Defense
  • Ossus Keeper Robe: +1 Defense
  • Lightsaber (Fencing Emitter): +2 Defense
  • Master Speed: +4 Defense
  • Force Armor: +6 Defense
  • Because this list totals 14, the character can absorb -4 in Defense penalties before lowering his total Defense.

Notes:

¹: Initially, you would assume Dueling would provide the highest bonus, since it grants +3 to Defense with Master Dueling. But then, you realize that Lightsaber upgrades can provide Defense bonuses, and that a Fencing Emitter and a Lorridan Gemstone together will result in a Defense bonus of +4. But, then you realize the game caps Defense bonuses from Items and Effects at 10², and you can reach that with Force Powers alone. And Lightsaber Crystals do not provide sufficient bonuses to Wisdom or Dexterity to overcome the +3 from Dueling. So, Dueling does indeed provide the highest ceiling for Defense.

²: I could only see the cap of 10 Defense from Items and Effects in-game, but it seemed to accord with the rules from KotOR. However, any bonuses in excess of 10 can offset any penalties from Attack types like Critical Strike (-5 to Defense) or detriments from Effects like Slow.

³: You can actually achieve four +1 CON bonuses, but instead of the fourth, you can gain a +2 WIS bonus instead, which has more value for the pure-Defense character.