Armor Maximums

[obcidian_bandit]

So, per the book, PCs are limited to a maximum of 40 points of armor, even though 42 are theoretically possible. (Class limitations, P.78)
Players may only use one tagged suit of armor at a time. (I can't find this explicitly, but I have no doubt that it is true.)
Celestial Armor may not be combined with regular or Arcane Armor. (Celestial Armor, P.134)
Creatures with Natural Armor cannot wear physical armor (P.70)
Only one suit of Arcane Armor may be worn at a time. (Arcane Armor, P.138)
Assuming that Arcane Armor can not be made with greater then 40 armor points (and I have heard that the maximum is 30, but I suppose that that's a FOIG thing), it seems that there is no way to gain more then 40 points of armor in a single shot. However, the following holes are open, and have been exploited. It is my understanding that they are not legitimate, but I would like an official ruling.

1) Per the RAW, it is possible that a creature with Natural Armor can also wear Arcane Armor. While I have no issue with a creature having both (much like a person can wear both a suit of armor as well as a suit of Arcane), I believe that they should only be able to use one or the other, and not both at the same time (especially in order to possess greater then 40 points of total armor). Is it true that a creature may only benefit from one type of armor (Celestial, Arcane, Physical, Natural, etc) at a time?

2) Per the RAW, there is no explicit maximum on Natural Armor. Everything else seems to cap at 40, and I believe that the intent is that Natural Armor works the same way (and that there is, in fact, absolutely no way to gain more then 40 points of armor). This is supported by the phrase "acts like armor" in the ability description. Is the intent is indeed that such creatures can not possess more then 40 points of armor by any means?

 

[paythin]

Monsters with the Natural Armor ability represents creatures who would have toughen hides... say like a rhino, a crab like monster or a super skeleton who had its bones bronzed in a necromancy ritual/ plot effect. It's possible to come across monsters with a high armor value over 40 points and is entirely dependent on each chapter and the monsters they create in their game world. The "acts like armor" statement was put in to prevent the stacking of additional armor on top of it's already natural hide/skin/bones/shells.

The 40 cap really comes into play because of class restrictions. Since monsters in the database don't always follow a set "class" it's possible and likely that players will come across monsters with big armor value but are totally squishy once all it's armor is gone or if you use some choice spells in the game.