another silly little question - the base 10 to AC [Archive] - Wizards Community

another silly little question - the base 10 to AC [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Golden Zealot
05-30-06, 10:16 PM what is the base 10 to AC? dodging via dexterity is separate, armour and shield are separate, size is separate, natural armour is separate, deflection is separate, and misc covers dodge, magic, and anything else you care to think of, so what makes up the base 10? I asked my books but they don't want to tell me.
Inigo Carmine
05-30-06, 10:21 PM Actually, base 10 does include dexterity. A medium creature with a 0 dex (completely stationary) has a base AC of 5.

What is it really though? it's easy is what it is. It's an arbitrary number that is easy to use because it's (roughly) the average result of a d20, the die used to make attack rolls. Therefore modifierless AC and modifierless attack rolls start on the same number.

It can also be viewed as "taking 10" on your "AC roll".
Obi-Wan Shinobi
05-30-06, 10:24 PM the base AC of 10 is pretty much due to "taking 10" on your defense roll, as it were. there is a variant rule, i think in DMG or Unearthed Arcana, that has you roll for it every round like you would a to-hit roll. can make combat a bit more chaotic, changing your AC so much from round to round.
GhostStepper
05-30-06, 10:24 PM what is the base 10 to AC? dodging via dexterity is separate, armour and shield are separate, size is separate, natural armour is separate, deflection is separate, and misc covers dodge, magic, and anything else you care to think of, so what makes up the base 10? I asked my books but they don't want to tell me.

Something like size will change the "base" 10. All it means is that a totally untrained person has a 50% chance of hitting a totally unarmored person of the same size.

in away its almost like asking "why use a d20 on attack roll?" Its just how WotC wanted to represent a creature's chances of hitting another creature.
Raven Dark
05-30-06, 10:33 PM The "10" represents your body's natural affinity for protecting itself--that is, your flesh and bones' ability to fend off punishment. This is not to be confused with Natural Armor, which is something "extra" such as scales, an exoskeleton, really thick fur, especially thick skin, etc.
GhostStepper
05-30-06, 10:48 PM The "10" represents your body's natural affinity for protecting itself--that is, your flesh and bones' ability to fend off punishment. This is not to be confused with Natural Armor, which is something "extra" such as scales, an exoskeleton, really thick fur, especially thick skin, etc.

Not jsut that but the size of your body since bigger and smaller things get a modifier. And everything no matter how squishy or hard that is medium size has the base 10 before natural armor and such so personally i think it represents 2 things: The size of an object (a medium sized body) and an arbitrary number that represents a base on which you modify how difficult it is to hit that medium sized object.
Bulletproof_Condom
05-30-06, 10:55 PM ACs start at 10 with no other modifiers because attacks are just 1d20 with no other modifiers. It means that naked people with stats of 10 across the board have a 50/50 shot of damaging eachother in a straight fight. Half the time you hit, half the time you don't.

Except that it's actually 5% more than half the time because equalling their AC counts as a hit, but whaddyagonnado?

Why 50/50? Completely arbitrary.
Someone
05-31-06, 01:13 AM I'd say its highly likely that normal people would be fighting defensively. Between the +2 AC and -4 to hit, they'll only hit 20% of the time.

Another 4 of the base 10 is the "unwilling target". Helpless opponents and objects have an additional -4 to their melee AC. Combined with the effects of a Dex of 0, they are AC 1.
Bulletproof_Condom
05-31-06, 07:02 AM This is why no DM should ever require an attack roll to hit an inanimate object, up to and including trees, the ocean, the ground, or the atmosphere.
Nom
05-31-06, 08:33 AM Another 4 of the base 10 is the "unwilling target". Helpless opponents and objects have an additional -4 to their melee AC.I think you'll find that even helpless creatures are unwilling to be hit; they just can't do anything about it.
This is why no DM should ever require an attack roll to hit an inanimate object, up to and including trees, the ocean, the ground, or the atmosphere.Rubbish. There's a world of difference between trying to get as many clean hits as quickly as possible and taking your time to line up a single good strike. The former is covered under the standard rules, while the latter requires a full-round action to deliver either a CDG or an automatic hit on an object.
Dheran
05-31-06, 11:36 AM This is why no DM should ever require an attack roll to hit an inanimate object, up to and including trees, the ocean, the ground, or the atmosphere. Huh? Some people can't hit the broad side of a barn. Plus it may be physically impossible, if it's past the maximum distance for the weapon. And you need to consider losing ammunition, which can be both inconvenient and expensive.

Here's an example that may be worthwhile. My character had a big piece of stone (7000 lbs.) with Shrink Item cast on it to make it ~2 lbs. He threw it at the cavern roof above an enemy. A miss would have meant that the re-enlarged granite didn't fall on the enemy. And with a non-proficiency penalty, multiple range increments, and the chance of rolling a natural "1", there was some cause for concern. Automatically hitting the right 5' square part of the ceiling wouldn't have been ... D&D.
Bulletproof_Condom
05-31-06, 12:03 PM I meant melee.

I've been in games where characters were underwater and had to make attack rolls to stab the water.

This is wrong on many levels.
shift244
05-31-06, 12:37 PM I've been in games where characters were underwater and had to make attack rolls to stab the water.No kidding?!

Me: I get extremely angered and stomp my foot as hard as I can on the ground in protest.
DM: Ok, that'd be an attack roll on the floor.
Me: Uh... right... <Rolls die>
DM: Hmm... you missed... er..? What happens? Houserule the ground Trips you?
Bulletproof_Condom
05-31-06, 12:45 PM No kidding.

Same DM required an attack roll to smash one's own head into a brick wall to commit suicide.
Tony Vargas
05-31-06, 05:13 PM Absurd as the idea of rolling to hit a brick wall may seem, an attack roll does include both actually hitting something, and hitting it in such a way as to cause damage (touch attacks can model hitting something w/o regard to inflicting damage). They also model doing so /in combat/. If you're out of combat, rolls should only be needed for difficulty things - like hitting an archery target or something.

Of course, the fun thing about bizarre attack rolls is missing them. If you try to bullrush the ground and miss, for instance, you're flying.... well, you're in an increadibly low orbit, anyway. ;) :rolleyes: :P
shift244
05-31-06, 07:55 PM Hitting an archery target is well within reasons. But stabbing water while you're underwater? It's like having to roll to breathe when playing a creature with a breath weapon.... I don't see this as a problem with the rules, unless explicitly stated (and I would question why), but the DM.
Zyrusticae
05-31-06, 08:41 PM I always thought that rolling below a 10 (or more or less depending on size modifiers) meant that your shot or swing went way wide and would not have touched the target regardless of any effort on the target's part. At least, that's how I've played it, anyways.
Nyaz
06-01-06, 05:41 AM Of course, the fun thing about bizarre attack rolls is missing them. If you try to bullrush the ground and miss, for instance, you're flying.... well, you're in an increadibly low orbit, anyway. ;) :rolleyes: :P

Ah, you've probably read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which clearly defines the act of flying as something distracting you while you were falling and making you "miss the ground".

Maybe one could introduce this as a rule for nerd-ball DMs who require attack rolls to hit barns, objects, water or the ground? See how they like that, then... :) :)
tarkin
06-01-06, 04:13 PM ...
Of course, the fun thing about bizarre attack rolls is missing them. If you try to bullrush the ground and miss, for instance, you're flying.... well, you're in an increadibly low orbit, anyway. ;) :rolleyes: :P

The line "First you move into your opponent's space" implies that you can not bull rush unless you start not touching them, which means to bullrush a planet, you must start out flying.

And that is not even dealing with the size issue:
"You can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller. "
shruggar
06-01-06, 04:56 PM No kidding.

Same DM required an attack roll to smash one's own head into a brick wall to commit suicide.

I know that guy!
filistimo
06-01-06, 07:21 PM Look on p. 25 of the DMG in the part of the sidebar called "Variant: Defense Roll". It suggests that you could, if you wanted, replace the 10 base armor class with a d20 roll. It also explicitly states that characters are, effectively, taking 10 on defense rolls.

It does not explicitly state that you could do the exact same thing with spell save DCs (DC=1d20+spell level+caster's attribute bonus), nor does it explicitly state that doubling the number of dice rolled in a combat is a great way to bring your session to a grinding halt.
ShinAkuma2
06-01-06, 09:12 PM It does not explicitly state that you could do the exact same thing with spell save DCs (DC=1d20+spell level+caster's attribute bonus), nor does it explicitly state that doubling the number of dice rolled in a combat is a great way to bring your session to a grinding halt.

Sometimes things start at base of 11 or more....

But your point stands. It's still not a great idea.
Shaggy_Shaggs
06-01-06, 09:30 PM The line "First you move into your opponent's space" implies that you can not bull rush unless you start not touching them, which means to bullrush a planet, you must start out flying.

And that is not even dealing with the size issue:
"You can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller. "
Leap Attack + bull rush as part of a charge?
Nom
06-01-06, 10:48 PM It does not explicitly state that you could do the exact same thing with spell save DCs (DC=1d20+spell level+caster's attribute bonus)See DMG pg 36, nor does it explicitly state that doubling the number of dice rolled in a combat is a great way to bring your session to a grinding halt."Unfortunately, it can slow down play, almost doubling the number of rolls in a given combat" (DMG pg 25).
Neochronic
06-01-06, 11:41 PM From this thread:

Tell your DM you want to hit the ground, as hard as possible. Proclaim that you are, in fact, going to fight it defensively, and then Power Attack as hard as you can. Make sure you roleplay that you are terribly frightened of what might happen. At the last possible moment, close your eyes.

With any luck, when you make the attack roll, the penalties for fighting defensively, power attacking, plus being frightened, combined with the 50% miss chance for being blind, will cause you to miss the ground completely.
filistimo
06-02-06, 12:52 AM A pox upon me for a hasty reader. Apologies, all.

Thank you for demonstrating that the DMG bears me out when I'm riffing, Nom. Guess I can throw it out ;) .
GhostStepper
06-02-06, 01:01 AM The line "First you move into your opponent's space" implies that you can not bull rush unless you start not touching them, which means to bullrush a planet, you must start out flying.

And that is not even dealing with the size issue:
"You can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller. "

Im sure someone can find away to get a character up to gargantuan or colossal. Since colossal is the largest size, if the planet was a creature (you can argue that there is a "living" earth) it would be colossal. Leap Attack on a charge to enter the planet's space and bull rush the world out its orbit. Its just that easy. ;)
Elthbert
06-02-06, 03:02 AM This is why no DM should ever require an attack roll to hit an inanimate object, up to and including trees, the ocean, the ground, or the atmosphere.

well I don't know about you but I have seen inanimate objects get missed plenty in my life.
Golden Zealot
06-02-06, 09:15 AM the general consensus seems to be that it's an arbitrary number. The reason i ask is that last game the party was walking through the forest, except the rogue who was sneaking through the bushes, when some people aproached the and started causing trouble, so the rogue decided to leap out and stab one of them. The rogue managed to Hide beforehand, and Move Silently while aproaching the enemy, and attacked. The enemy was standing still, but the rogue didn't make his flat footed AC and so missed, and I didn't know how to explain it :confused:
Bulletproof_Condom
06-02-06, 09:28 AM I know that guy!
Sadly, it's probably not the same guy.

The enemy was standing still, but the rogue didn't make his flat footed AC and so missed, and I didn't know how to explain it :confused:Bad luck. "Uh... you miss."
"How?"
"Make a Knowledge (bad luck) check."
"...I don't have Knowledge (bad luck)."
"Intelligence then."
::rolling:: "...5."
"You're not sure. It could've been wind sheer."
"I hate you."
"Hey, I'm not the guy rolling 1s against people who aren't looking."
calvinNhobbes
06-02-06, 09:40 AM the general consensus seems to be that it's an arbitrary number. The reason i ask is that last game the party was walking through the forest, except the rogue who was sneaking through the bushes, when some people aproached the and started causing trouble, so the rogue decided to leap out and stab one of them. The rogue managed to Hide beforehand, and Move Silently while aproaching the enemy, and attacked. The enemy was standing still, but the rogue didn't make his flat footed AC and so missed, and I didn't know how to explain it :confused:

Did he hit the targets touch AC without dex bonus? If so then he made contact with his target but did not get a square enough hit to cause any damage. If he completely missed even the touch AC minus dex, then he completely missed. Possible explanations are he miss judged the distance and just whiffed it, his target or someone else noticed him just in time and warned the target, his hand got tangled in a bush and caused him to miss, etc. Just try to be creative.
Arkan_Shadesfire
06-05-06, 08:24 PM the base AC of 10 is pretty much due to "taking 10" on your defense roll, as it were. there is a variant rule, i think in DMG or Unearthed Arcana, that has you roll for it every round like you would a to-hit roll. can make combat a bit more chaotic, changing your AC so much from round to round.

What he said.

Also, the "Defense Roll" variant is in the DMG.
SlagMortar
06-05-06, 11:47 PM I always say something like, "The rogue's foot slipped." Also, even flatfooted you are not helpless. He dodged at the last second is a perfectly valid explanation. Flatfooted just means that you can't take advantage of extraordinary dexterity. If the opponent has a dexterity penalty, he is still easier to hit than a person with no penalty so there is a certain amount of dodging that a person does even if they are sufficiently unaware of the attacker to be considered flatfooted.
fendrin
06-06-06, 02:35 PM My favorite explanations for an amusingly botched attack roll:

"The gods are with [your target], causing [him/her/it] to sneeze in a timely manner, thereby narrowly avoiding your attack."

"You slip on a banana peel."

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Golden Zealot 05-30-06, 10:16 PM	what is the base 10 to AC? dodging via dexterity is separate, armour and shield are separate, size is separate, natural armour is separate, deflection is separate, and misc covers dodge, magic, and anything else you care to think of, so what makes up the base 10? I asked my books but they don't want to tell me.
Inigo Carmine 05-30-06, 10:21 PM	Actually, base 10 does include dexterity. A medium creature with a 0 dex (completely stationary) has a base AC of 5. What is it really though? it's easy is what it is. It's an arbitrary number that is easy to use because it's (roughly) the average result of a d20, the die used to make attack rolls. Therefore modifierless AC and modifierless attack rolls start on the same number. It can also be viewed as "taking 10" on your "AC roll".
Obi-Wan Shinobi 05-30-06, 10:24 PM	the base AC of 10 is pretty much due to "taking 10" on your defense roll, as it were. there is a variant rule, i think in DMG or Unearthed Arcana, that has you roll for it every round like you would a to-hit roll. can make combat a bit more chaotic, changing your AC so much from round to round.
GhostStepper 05-30-06, 10:24 PM	what is the base 10 to AC? dodging via dexterity is separate, armour and shield are separate, size is separate, natural armour is separate, deflection is separate, and misc covers dodge, magic, and anything else you care to think of, so what makes up the base 10? I asked my books but they don't want to tell me. Something like size will change the "base" 10. All it means is that a totally untrained person has a 50% chance of hitting a totally unarmored person of the same size. in away its almost like asking "why use a d20 on attack roll?" Its just how WotC wanted to represent a creature's chances of hitting another creature.
Raven Dark 05-30-06, 10:33 PM	The "10" represents your body's natural affinity for protecting itself--that is, your flesh and bones' ability to fend off punishment. This is not to be confused with Natural Armor, which is something "extra" such as scales, an exoskeleton, really thick fur, especially thick skin, etc.
GhostStepper 05-30-06, 10:48 PM	The "10" represents your body's natural affinity for protecting itself--that is, your flesh and bones' ability to fend off punishment. This is not to be confused with Natural Armor, which is something "extra" such as scales, an exoskeleton, really thick fur, especially thick skin, etc. Not jsut that but the size of your body since bigger and smaller things get a modifier. And everything no matter how squishy or hard that is medium size has the base 10 before natural armor and such so personally i think it represents 2 things: The size of an object (a medium sized body) and an arbitrary number that represents a base on which you modify how difficult it is to hit that medium sized object.
Bulletproof_Condom 05-30-06, 10:55 PM	ACs start at 10 with no other modifiers because attacks are just 1d20 with no other modifiers. It means that naked people with stats of 10 across the board have a 50/50 shot of damaging eachother in a straight fight. Half the time you hit, half the time you don't. Except that it's actually 5% more than half the time because equalling their AC counts as a hit, but whaddyagonnado? Why 50/50? Completely arbitrary.
Someone 05-31-06, 01:13 AM	I'd say its highly likely that normal people would be fighting defensively. Between the +2 AC and -4 to hit, they'll only hit 20% of the time. Another 4 of the base 10 is the "unwilling target". Helpless opponents and objects have an additional -4 to their melee AC. Combined with the effects of a Dex of 0, they are AC 1.
Bulletproof_Condom 05-31-06, 07:02 AM	This is why no DM should ever require an attack roll to hit an inanimate object, up to and including trees, the ocean, the ground, or the atmosphere.
Nom 05-31-06, 08:33 AM	Another 4 of the base 10 is the "unwilling target". Helpless opponents and objects have an additional -4 to their melee AC.I think you'll find that even helpless creatures are unwilling to be hit; they just can't do anything about it. This is why no DM should ever require an attack roll to hit an inanimate object, up to and including trees, the ocean, the ground, or the atmosphere.Rubbish. There's a world of difference between trying to get as many clean hits as quickly as possible and taking your time to line up a single good strike. The former is covered under the standard rules, while the latter requires a full-round action to deliver either a CDG or an automatic hit on an object.
Dheran 05-31-06, 11:36 AM	This is why no DM should ever require an attack roll to hit an inanimate object, up to and including trees, the ocean, the ground, or the atmosphere. Huh? Some people can't hit the broad side of a barn. Plus it may be physically impossible, if it's past the maximum distance for the weapon. And you need to consider losing ammunition, which can be both inconvenient and expensive. Here's an example that may be worthwhile. My character had a big piece of stone (7000 lbs.) with Shrink Item cast on it to make it ~2 lbs. He threw it at the cavern roof above an enemy. A miss would have meant that the re-enlarged granite didn't fall on the enemy. And with a non-proficiency penalty, multiple range increments, and the chance of rolling a natural "1", there was some cause for concern. Automatically hitting the right 5' square part of the ceiling wouldn't have been ... D&D.
Bulletproof_Condom 05-31-06, 12:03 PM	I meant melee. I've been in games where characters were underwater and had to make attack rolls to stab the water. This is wrong on many levels.
shift244 05-31-06, 12:37 PM	I've been in games where characters were underwater and had to make attack rolls to stab the water.No kidding?! Me: I get extremely angered and stomp my foot as hard as I can on the ground in protest. DM: Ok, that'd be an attack roll on the floor. Me: Uh... right... <Rolls die> DM: Hmm... you missed... er..? What happens? Houserule the ground Trips you?
Bulletproof_Condom 05-31-06, 12:45 PM	No kidding. Same DM required an attack roll to smash one's own head into a brick wall to commit suicide.
Tony Vargas 05-31-06, 05:13 PM	Absurd as the idea of rolling to hit a brick wall may seem, an attack roll does include both actually hitting something, and hitting it in such a way as to cause damage (touch attacks can model hitting something w/o regard to inflicting damage). They also model doing so /in combat/. If you're out of combat, rolls should only be needed for difficulty things - like hitting an archery target or something. Of course, the fun thing about bizarre attack rolls is missing them. If you try to bullrush the ground and miss, for instance, you're flying.... well, you're in an increadibly low orbit, anyway. ;) :rolleyes: :P
shift244 05-31-06, 07:55 PM	Hitting an archery target is well within reasons. But stabbing water while you're underwater? It's like having to roll to breathe when playing a creature with a breath weapon.... I don't see this as a problem with the rules, unless explicitly stated (and I would question why), but the DM.
Zyrusticae 05-31-06, 08:41 PM	I always thought that rolling below a 10 (or more or less depending on size modifiers) meant that your shot or swing went way wide and would not have touched the target regardless of any effort on the target's part. At least, that's how I've played it, anyways.
Nyaz 06-01-06, 05:41 AM	Of course, the fun thing about bizarre attack rolls is missing them. If you try to bullrush the ground and miss, for instance, you're flying.... well, you're in an increadibly low orbit, anyway. ;) :rolleyes: :P Ah, you've probably read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which clearly defines the act of flying as something distracting you while you were falling and making you "miss the ground". Maybe one could introduce this as a rule for nerd-ball DMs who require attack rolls to hit barns, objects, water or the ground? See how they like that, then... :) :)
tarkin 06-01-06, 04:13 PM	... Of course, the fun thing about bizarre attack rolls is missing them. If you try to bullrush the ground and miss, for instance, you're flying.... well, you're in an increadibly low orbit, anyway. ;) :rolleyes: :P The line "First you move into your opponent's space" implies that you can not bull rush unless you start not touching them, which means to bullrush a planet, you must start out flying. And that is not even dealing with the size issue: "You can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller. "
shruggar 06-01-06, 04:56 PM	No kidding. Same DM required an attack roll to smash one's own head into a brick wall to commit suicide. I know that guy!
filistimo 06-01-06, 07:21 PM	Look on p. 25 of the DMG in the part of the sidebar called "Variant: Defense Roll". It suggests that you could, if you wanted, replace the 10 base armor class with a d20 roll. It also explicitly states that characters are, effectively, taking 10 on defense rolls. It does not explicitly state that you could do the exact same thing with spell save DCs (DC=1d20+spell level+caster's attribute bonus), nor does it explicitly state that doubling the number of dice rolled in a combat is a great way to bring your session to a grinding halt.
ShinAkuma2 06-01-06, 09:12 PM	It does not explicitly state that you could do the exact same thing with spell save DCs (DC=1d20+spell level+caster's attribute bonus), nor does it explicitly state that doubling the number of dice rolled in a combat is a great way to bring your session to a grinding halt. Sometimes things start at base of 11 or more.... But your point stands. It's still not a great idea.
Shaggy_Shaggs 06-01-06, 09:30 PM	The line "First you move into your opponent's space" implies that you can not bull rush unless you start not touching them, which means to bullrush a planet, you must start out flying. And that is not even dealing with the size issue: "You can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller. " Leap Attack + bull rush as part of a charge?
Nom 06-01-06, 10:48 PM	It does not explicitly state that you could do the exact same thing with spell save DCs (DC=1d20+spell level+caster's attribute bonus)See DMG pg 36, nor does it explicitly state that doubling the number of dice rolled in a combat is a great way to bring your session to a grinding halt."Unfortunately, it can slow down play, almost doubling the number of rolls in a given combat" (DMG pg 25).
Neochronic 06-01-06, 11:41 PM	From this thread: Tell your DM you want to hit the ground, as hard as possible. Proclaim that you are, in fact, going to fight it defensively, and then Power Attack as hard as you can. Make sure you roleplay that you are terribly frightened of what might happen. At the last possible moment, close your eyes. With any luck, when you make the attack roll, the penalties for fighting defensively, power attacking, plus being frightened, combined with the 50% miss chance for being blind, will cause you to miss the ground completely.
filistimo 06-02-06, 12:52 AM	A pox upon me for a hasty reader. Apologies, all. Thank you for demonstrating that the DMG bears me out when I'm riffing, Nom. Guess I can throw it out ;) .
GhostStepper 06-02-06, 01:01 AM	The line "First you move into your opponent's space" implies that you can not bull rush unless you start not touching them, which means to bullrush a planet, you must start out flying. And that is not even dealing with the size issue: "You can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than you, the same size, or smaller. " Im sure someone can find away to get a character up to gargantuan or colossal. Since colossal is the largest size, if the planet was a creature (you can argue that there is a "living" earth) it would be colossal. Leap Attack on a charge to enter the planet's space and bull rush the world out its orbit. Its just that easy. ;)
Elthbert 06-02-06, 03:02 AM	This is why no DM should ever require an attack roll to hit an inanimate object, up to and including trees, the ocean, the ground, or the atmosphere. well I don't know about you but I have seen inanimate objects get missed plenty in my life.
Golden Zealot 06-02-06, 09:15 AM	the general consensus seems to be that it's an arbitrary number. The reason i ask is that last game the party was walking through the forest, except the rogue who was sneaking through the bushes, when some people aproached the and started causing trouble, so the rogue decided to leap out and stab one of them. The rogue managed to Hide beforehand, and Move Silently while aproaching the enemy, and attacked. The enemy was standing still, but the rogue didn't make his flat footed AC and so missed, and I didn't know how to explain it :confused:
Bulletproof_Condom 06-02-06, 09:28 AM	I know that guy! Sadly, it's probably not the same guy. The enemy was standing still, but the rogue didn't make his flat footed AC and so missed, and I didn't know how to explain it :confused:Bad luck. "Uh... you miss." "How?" "Make a Knowledge (bad luck) check." "...I don't have Knowledge (bad luck)." "Intelligence then." ::rolling:: "...5." "You're not sure. It could've been wind sheer." "I hate you." "Hey, I'm not the guy rolling 1s against people who aren't looking."
calvinNhobbes 06-02-06, 09:40 AM	the general consensus seems to be that it's an arbitrary number. The reason i ask is that last game the party was walking through the forest, except the rogue who was sneaking through the bushes, when some people aproached the and started causing trouble, so the rogue decided to leap out and stab one of them. The rogue managed to Hide beforehand, and Move Silently while aproaching the enemy, and attacked. The enemy was standing still, but the rogue didn't make his flat footed AC and so missed, and I didn't know how to explain it :confused: Did he hit the targets touch AC without dex bonus? If so then he made contact with his target but did not get a square enough hit to cause any damage. If he completely missed even the touch AC minus dex, then he completely missed. Possible explanations are he miss judged the distance and just whiffed it, his target or someone else noticed him just in time and warned the target, his hand got tangled in a bush and caused him to miss, etc. Just try to be creative.
Arkan_Shadesfire 06-05-06, 08:24 PM	the base AC of 10 is pretty much due to "taking 10" on your defense roll, as it were. there is a variant rule, i think in DMG or Unearthed Arcana, that has you roll for it every round like you would a to-hit roll. can make combat a bit more chaotic, changing your AC so much from round to round. What he said. Also, the "Defense Roll" variant is in the DMG.
SlagMortar 06-05-06, 11:47 PM	I always say something like, "The rogue's foot slipped." Also, even flatfooted you are not helpless. He dodged at the last second is a perfectly valid explanation. Flatfooted just means that you can't take advantage of extraordinary dexterity. If the opponent has a dexterity penalty, he is still easier to hit than a person with no penalty so there is a certain amount of dodging that a person does even if they are sufficiently unaware of the attacker to be considered flatfooted.
fendrin 06-06-06, 02:35 PM	My favorite explanations for an amusingly botched attack roll: "The gods are with [your target], causing [him/her/it] to sneeze in a timely manner, thereby narrowly avoiding your attack." "You slip on a banana peel."