Armor/ Damage reduction questions.

[alhoon]

Well, it has been rotating in my mind for as long as I remember. The image of the heavily armored man that is too slow to avoid a blow, but takes it better than the lightly armored one.
Also the better fighter (higher level), the more experienced should be better able to avoid blows.

Sure in the long run (like 200 blows) it comes to the same effect. (You have been dealt X damage in total). It is simple and fast.
About the better fighter, hit points represent that... in a sense. The better fighter has more hit points so he is able to "avoid" more blows or in fact serious injury than the inexperienced one.

However: I have been using a system from Unearthed Arcana. Half the armor bonus goes to AC, half as Damage reduction.

[alhoon]

I have been thinking recently of another system, based somewhat on another system proposed by Unearthed Arcana:

To make a long story short:

- All Armor bonus converts to Damage reduction (not shield bonus).
- Classes get AC bonuses from level (defence bonus to AC).
- Armor check penalty from armor (not shields) reduces AC.

The whole story:

- Fighters, warriors, monsters, wild animals, clerics, rogues, barbarians etc use the list A; wizards, sorcerers, domestic animals, commoners, adepts etc use the list B.
Level A B
1st. +3 +2
2nd. +4 +2
3rd. +4 +3
4th. +4 +3
5th. +5 +3
6th. +5 +4
7th. +6 +4
8th. +6 +4
9th. +6 +5
10th. +7 +5

- Natural armor gives one third as damage reduction/-, one third as bonus to AC and one third (rounded down) is lost. In the following table there is the rule (NA is old natural armor, DR damage reduction and AC the AC bonus.)
N.A DR AC
+1. +1 -
+2. +1 +1
+3. +1 +1
+4. +2 +1
+5. +2 +2
+6. +2 +2
+7. +3 +2
+8. +3 +3
+9. +3 +3

+10 and over, add over +9 i.e +17= +9 +8 = +6 DR and +6 AC

- A new feat named Armor familiarity that requires base attack bonus +1 reduces the penalty to AC by armor by 2. I.e an armor with armor check penalty of -5 reduces AC by only 3. It works only with armor the character is proficient with.

- The maximum dex bonuses to AC still apply.

- Power attack doesn't have a limit of your base attack bonus. You can get from -1 to -5 and gain the usual bonus to damage rolls. Just that. That means that the 1st level fighter and the 10th level fighter all get the same limit of -5 to attack rolls.
That way a 1st level character has a chance to deal some damage to someone with a chain mail... if he manages to strike him.

- Masterwork light armor costs +100 gold, masterwork medium armor costs +200 gold and masterwork heavy armor costs +300 gold.

- Heavy armor gives +1 more damage reduction than the amount listed. I.e half-plate gives DR 8.

- All bows are considered mighty [+1 str bonus]. All crossbows are considered to have armor penetration 1. That means they ignore 1/- damage reduction.

Examples:
- A 3rd level fighter with 12 dexterity and 16 strength has AC of 15 unarmored.
- The same fighter with a large shield has AC 17.
- If he dons a breast plate he has AC 13 but he gains DR 5/-
- If he dons a masterwork studded leather armor he has AC 17 and DR 3/-
- With the armor familiarity feat and breast plate he has AC 15 and DR 5/-
- With the Power attack feat he can opt to take a -1 to -5 (instead of max -3) to hit rolls and +1 to +5 to damage.
- If he dons a half plate he has AC 10 and DR 8/-
- With a masterwork half plate he has AC 11 and DR 8/-
- With the armor familiarity feat and a masterwork half plate he has AC 13 and DR 8/-

- A mummy has AC 10 + 3 (natural armor/3) +6 (for being 8HD) = 19
and damage reduction 9/- (4/- from natural armor/3)

[alhoon]

Expected changes:

- If you want to go against the frost giant with the power attack feat that uses his greataxe both hands, don't wear heavy armor!

- If you want to go against the bandit bowmen on the hill, wear the heaviest armor available. Sure, you'll be hit often... so?

- If someone reports sight of a mummy in full plate (DR 18/-), prepare spells, greek fire, boost the barbarian's strength and give him 2 handed weapons.

- If you don't have a strong, greataxe yielding barbarian with 18 strength, use the greek fire and run.

[vipera aspis]

This is cool. Would anything else change? Would it effect crits or touch attacks at all?

[alhoon]

Criticals would need to beat the full AC (10+defence+shield+dexterity) and DR is reduced normally. I.e Someone with a dagger and str 10 has to get power attack to harm someone in full plate.

- Melee touch attacks are harder to succeed on lightly armored foes and easier on heavily armored ones since the Defence bonus to AC isn't ignored.

- Ranged touch attacks ignore the defence bonus to AC as the person in question has very little time to react (i.e. Dexterity) in order to protect himself.

- Attacks from unseen foes also ignore the Defence bonus to AC unless the defender is aware of an incoming attack.
This is important as it means that a hidden assassin with a crossbow can easily hit an armored target even if the target is quite advanced in level.

[HuManBing]

This is interesting. I think I'll try to work it into my combat test run this coming Sunday.

Edit: I have another question. I love the idea that ALL armor converts to DR instead of to AC. However, your idea of giving fixed Defense bonuses by class level strikes me as introducing another level of an arbitrary bonus.

How would this work if the character, on going up a level, could choose instead to devote his BAB increase to a Defense increase?

That could allow for Sorcerors, Wizards, etc to keep pretty decent AC and still be bad at combat (that's when True Strike comes in handy...).