This is the value the armor adds to your character's AC.
This is the maximum Dexterity modifier you can apply to your AC. It does not limit other Dexterity-based things, such as skill checks, unless specified in the armor’s entry.
Some armors have special qualities. These are passive benefits your character has while wearing the armor. Armor Qualities:
Some armor grants you “Threshold” while you wear it. If you take damage equal to or less than your threshold, the effect deals no damage to you. If you take more damage than your threshold, you take all of it.
If you are wearing particularly heavy or limiting armor it may slow you down a bit. This is indicated in the armor’s description.
Armor is categorized as either being light, medium, heavy, or superheavy. Your class defines what kind of armor you can use. You can’t use armor you are not proficient in the use of.
If, for whatever reason, you wind up wearing armor you aren’t capable of wearing due to lack of training, you become debuffed and the armor’s maximum Dexterity bonus becomes 0. This lasts for as long as you wear the armor, unless you somehow become capable of properly wearing the armor.
It takes 1 minute to get into or out of armor. Heavy armor or superheavy armor takes 10 minutes. Drawing or stowing a shield takes the same action as drawing or stowing a weapon.
Shields provide an AC bonus. This bonus stacks with the bonus provided by armor and blocking weapons.
Yes. But as bonuses from the same source don’t stack, the second shield wouldn’t provide an additional AC bonus.
Weapons with the blocking quality provide +1 AC while wielded in 2 hands. This bonus stacks with the bonus provided by armor and shields. It is called a “blocking” bonus.