Some items have an armor class, while others affect armor class. Whats the difference?
The item’s armor class reflect its effectiveness to withstand damage caused by spells or weapons. It acts as an indication of the sturdiness of the item, so the higher this armor class the better. When an item affect the armor class it means that the item will change your AC by the number specified, so the lower the better. Both these figures are added to the calculations of your armor class.
