Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kheti sa-Menik 03-21-05, 02:13 AM	I'm looking at variant rules for a low magic D&D game I want to run sometime. I'm going to be using the Generic Class rules in UA...the spellcaster will have a very heavily modified (read: toned down) list of spells per day and spells known..probably I'm going to use the Adept NPC class spell per day progression from the DMG..so no spells higher than 5th level. And the list will be very heavily modified. But the list of available spells will include spells from all three - wiz/sorc, cleric, and druid spell lists..including all the healing spells. Not sure about PrCs yet. Using Generics tends to throw off PrCs a bit so I'm still working at that. One thing I am concerned about is armor class progression versus base attack bonus progression. The BAB keeps climbing and climbing but the AC will stay at the same level relatively. Magic weapons and armor are simply going to be very very very very rare. Rare as in no one makes them anymore so the only ones around are ones that have been around for more than a thousand years or so and will be very difficult to come across. So the chances of using an item to boost BAB or AC is extremely low. So, to offset this I thought about using UA's Class Defense Bonus. But the numbers, especially in the fighter column (column D) seem pretty high. +6 at 1st level for example. Since the variant doesn't allow armor to stack with the defense bonus, most would choose no armor since no armor at 1st level could allow a +6 bonus. But should such a quintessential part of medieval combat as armor be lost? So what about throwing in the Armor as DR variant. Make characters choose between having a higher AC with their Class Defense Bonus or getting DR by wearing armor. Has anyone used either or both of these variants, even in a normal D&D game? How do they work? Do players start disregarding armor entirely for just their class defense bonus?
HailSpork 03-21-05, 10:54 AM	If you play armor as DR rule, suddenly armor becomes useful again.
Kheti sa-Menik 03-21-05, 01:14 PM	Sure it would. I was wondering...anyone know why in the Armor as DR variant, they reduced the AC bonus when giving the armor DR? Instead of +8 to AC, full plate gives +4 to AC and DR of 4/-, for example.
HailSpork 03-21-05, 02:42 PM	Because armor doesn't actually make you much, if any, harder to hit. It just softens the blows. Occaisionally, an attack may be deflected off the armor (like a skipping stone)...
weasel fierce 03-22-05, 03:36 AM	Having armour reduce damage is good, but it brings one complication. Strength modifies attack rolls, because it lets you smash through armour, thus "hitting" the target. You may wish to instead use Dexterity to modify melee attacks
Fareon 03-22-05, 03:35 PM	I use a combination of "Armor as DR" and the "Defense bonus" rule. To make the characters nevertheless more puwerful, I halved the defense bonus given on p.110 and rounded up (because the part of the armor bonus that stays armor bonus and not becomes DR is also rounded up, while the DR is the smaller part of the old bonus). This defense bonus is applied to the "defense"-class (former RK) and against touch attacks. The remaining armor bonus an armor proviedes (p.111 Table: 4-4) is called passive defense bonus and applied to the flat-footed defense class. The defense bonus indicates that a character has the ability to not only dodge attacks, but to parry them, and therfore not getting hit. But if he's not able to defense himself, there's still a chance that the hit bounces of the armor. Because I halved the defense bonus I don't think it makes the characters much more powerful than without combining both rules. Advantage: Characters don't have to wear armor, but ... those characters take more damage. Maybe you can use something like that in your low magic campaign. (Because of the defense bonus system magic armor is not absolutly needed - Despite the fact that an enhancement bonus only improves the "passive defense bonus" or "armor bonus" applied to flat-footed RK) Greetings to you Fareon
Korimyr the Rat 03-23-05, 02:14 AM	Having armour reduce damage is good, but it brings one complication. Strength modifies attack rolls, because it lets you smash through armour, thus "hitting" the target. You may wish to instead use Dexterity to modify melee attacks You also use Strength to smash the other person's weapons out of the way to open up an angle of attack, and Strength (by way of stamina) to maintain precise control of a four-foot long, three pound chunk of iron.
weasel fierce 03-23-05, 02:16 AM	Parrying is not reflected by the rules as written though. Stamina and endurance is a good point, however, but is weapon specific of course.
HailSpork 03-23-05, 07:56 AM	Parrying is one interpretation of HP.
weasel fierce 03-24-05, 01:01 AM	It can be, but HP are constant, whereas parrying ability would depend on the weapon employed (and parried against)