Slight change to Class Defense Bonus [Archive] - Wizards Community

Slight change to Class Defense Bonus [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Donovan Morningfire
05-21-07, 09:17 AM DM in for the game I play in got his hands on Unearthed Arcana a couple weeks ago, and is thinking about instituting the Class Defense bonus rule (pg109), with the caveat that if you wear armor, you get the armor bonus regardless of how much better or worse your Class Defense bonus would be.

The paladin and the cleric are both displeased by this, since they feel they are being penalized for wearing armor.

My Warblade, the rogue, and the wizard are all in favor of this rule, since it helps out our ACs quite a bit.

A suggestion to the discussion was to adopt a rule from Mutants and Masterminds 2e, where in 1/2 of the Class Defense bonus is a dodge bonus, meaning that if you were ever flat-footed or otherwise in a situation where you were denied a Dexterity bonus to AC, you'd only get 1/2 the class bonus.

Thoughts? Makes the Class Defense less powerful than written (where you'd get the full bonus when flat-footed and against touch attacks), but still makes it useful.
Ashanti
05-21-07, 11:49 AM I go for half BAB as an unnamed bonus to AC (round up), with armour giving the top half bonus to AC and the bottom half as DR.

This makes the fighters better tanks.
Lina_Inverse
05-21-07, 02:52 PM I go for half BAB as an unnamed bonus to AC (round up), with armour giving the top half bonus to AC and the bottom half as DR.

This makes the fighters better tanks.

DR is vastly weaker than AC, it makes them worse tanks.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Donovan Morningfire 05-21-07, 09:17 AM	DM in for the game I play in got his hands on Unearthed Arcana a couple weeks ago, and is thinking about instituting the Class Defense bonus rule (pg109), with the caveat that if you wear armor, you get the armor bonus regardless of how much better or worse your Class Defense bonus would be. The paladin and the cleric are both displeased by this, since they feel they are being penalized for wearing armor. My Warblade, the rogue, and the wizard are all in favor of this rule, since it helps out our ACs quite a bit. A suggestion to the discussion was to adopt a rule from Mutants and Masterminds 2e, where in 1/2 of the Class Defense bonus is a dodge bonus, meaning that if you were ever flat-footed or otherwise in a situation where you were denied a Dexterity bonus to AC, you'd only get 1/2 the class bonus. Thoughts? Makes the Class Defense less powerful than written (where you'd get the full bonus when flat-footed and against touch attacks), but still makes it useful.
Ashanti 05-21-07, 11:49 AM	I go for half BAB as an unnamed bonus to AC (round up), with armour giving the top half bonus to AC and the bottom half as DR. This makes the fighters better tanks.
Lina_Inverse 05-21-07, 02:52 PM	I go for half BAB as an unnamed bonus to AC (round up), with armour giving the top half bonus to AC and the bottom half as DR. This makes the fighters better tanks. DR is vastly weaker than AC, it makes them worse tanks.