Yes. In the 2024 D&D rules, the Defense Fighting Style feat grants +1 AC while you wear Light, Medium, or Heavy armor, but it requires the Fighting Style feature. In the legacy 2014 rules, the official feat index lists Defensive Duelist as a reaction-based AC increase and Dual Wielder as granting +1 AC. These are different editions, so check which rules your campaign uses before choosing.
Which 2024 feat gives +1 AC?
Defense is a Fighting Style feat in the 2024 rules. Its benefit is: “While you’re wearing Light, Medium, or Heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.” It requires the Fighting Style feature, so it is not an unrestricted feat choice. See the 2024 Basic Rules feat entry and the official feat index.
What about AC-increasing feats in the 2014 rules?
The official index marks older feat entries as legacy. It summarizes Defensive Duelist as adding your proficiency bonus to AC as a reaction, and Dual Wielder as providing a +1 AC bonus. Those summaries are not the full feat rules; consult the relevant 2014 Player’s Handbook and errata for exact prerequisites, triggers, and timing. Do not apply these legacy descriptions as though they were 2024 feat text. The official feat index identifies the editions.
In 2014, feats are an optional rule: a character may take an eligible feat instead of an Ability Score Improvement at certain levels if the campaign uses feats, and must meet the feat’s prerequisite. The 2014 Basic Rules explain the optional feat rule.
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Feat or class feature? The 2014 Defense option
In the 2014 rules, Defense is a fighter Fighting Style class feature, not a feat. It grants +1 AC while wearing armor. Confirm the applicable 2014 class rules before treating it as available to a character. The 2014 fighter rules list the feature.
How to compare AC options
| Option | Rules version | What the source establishes | Condition or limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defense Fighting Style feat | 2024 | +1 AC | Requires the Fighting Style feature; applies while wearing Light, Medium, or Heavy armor. |
| Defensive Duelist | 2014 legacy index summary | Adds proficiency bonus to AC as a reaction | Exact trigger and eligibility should be checked in the full 2014 feat text. |
| Dual Wielder | 2014 legacy index summary | +1 AC | Consult the full applicable 2014 feat text for its complete conditions. |
| Defense Fighting Style class feature | 2014 | +1 AC | Class feature, not a feat; while wearing armor. |
These effects are not interchangeable. Defense in 2024 is an armor-dependent bonus; Defensive Duelist is described as a reaction, so it is not an always-on increase. Check the exact rules before assuming an AC bonus combines with another feature.
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AC bonuses are different from base AC calculations and equipment
The rules glossary defines AC as the target number an attack roll must meet. If a character has more than one way to calculate base AC, the character chooses one; the glossary says only one base AC calculation can be used at a time. A flat bonus such as +1 AC is a different kind of rule from choosing a base calculation. See the 2024 rules glossary.
Equipment can also affect AC, but that does not make it a feat. In the 2024 equipment rules, a shield provides +2 AC only to a character trained with shields, and plate armor has AC 18. Those are equipment values, not feat benefits. The equipment rules list them.
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