Heavy Armor Optimization

Solange said:

Fortification is a flat chance to ignore a critical, Bront's suggestion just makes it harder to confirm the critical in the first place, so they should stack.

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They would indeed definitely stack. Interestingly, +2 to AC versus confirmations is sometimes more than 10% chance to avoid criticals. For instance, if the enemy normally hits 50% of the time, this makes them hit 40% of the time, so it's equivalent to 20% flat chance to avoid crits applied after the confirmation roll. If they normally hit 20% of the time, they now hit 10% of the time, so it's equivalent to a 50% chance to avoid crits applied after the confirmation roll. Etc.

Then maybe +2 is good enough then.

Solange said:

Then maybe +2 is good enough then.

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Yeah, I'd say it probably is in ordinary circumstances. The only time it is less than 10% chance to avoid the crit is when the enemy has more than enough attack bonus to hit your AC automaticaly (except on a 1), and it will often be more.

However, I'd be willing to entertain a larger benefit for Heavy Armour Optimisation feats just because of the fact that you can only gain the benefits in heavy armour, which means you can never change into one of the best endgame armours. In fact, we may want to consider that the benefit of heavy armour is heavy armour protection and not mobility, so right now GHAO is offering half of mithral--if you wanted that, you would just buy the mithral instead.

You could give something for GHAO like +1 armour bonus and an increase in any DR the armour provides by 1, rather than +1 Max Dex and 1 less ACP.

Interesting ideas, and I like the GHAO option, makes the feats a bit better. I should have thought of how +2 actualy effects crits, since I do love stats.

SO...

Heavy Armor Optimization [General]
Through focused training and practice, you are able to get more benefit out of heavy armor.
Prerequisites: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), BAB +1
Benefit: When wearing heavy armor, decrease its Armor Check penalty by 1, and the armor bonus of the armor is considered increased by +2 versus critical confirmation checks.
Special: A fighter may select this feat as one of his bonus feats. Heavy armor made from Mithril does NOT count for this feat.

Greater Heavy Armor Optimization [General]
Through focused training and practice, you are able to get more benefit out of heavy armor.
Prerequisites: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Heavy Armor Optimization, BAB +3
Benefit: When wearing heavy armor, The armor bonus of the armor is considered increased by +1, and DR is increased by DR 1/- (to DR 1/- if there is no DR on the armor).
Special: A fighter may select this feat as one of his bonus feats. Heavy armor made from Mithril does NOT count for this feat.

How's that?

DR stacks, so DR 1/- I think works well. It seams like a lot for the second feat, but given that it means you need to be wearing heavy armor, and you can't get Mithril, I think it works fairly well. You also can't sleep in Heavy Armor under any circumstances (Endurance lets you sleep in Medium Armor)

Man, I almost want this feat for Juliana... though not quite enough to surplant Deep Impact.

DR does not stack. You need to state that this increases the DR granted by the armour by 1/-.

I thought different types of DR stacked?

I like those

Ok, Minor Tweek that I think will work as well.

Heavy Armor Optimization [General]
Through focused training and practice, you are able to get more benefit out of heavy armor.
Prerequisites: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), BAB +1
Benefit: When wearing heavy armor, decrease its Armor Check penalty by 1, and the armor bonus of the armor is considered increased by +2 versus critical confirmation checks.
Special: A fighter may select this feat as one of his bonus feats. Heavy armor made from Mithril does NOT count for this feat.

Greater Heavy Armor Optimization [General]
Through focused training and practice, you are able to get more benefit out of heavy armor.
Prerequisites: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Heavy Armor Optimization, BAB +3
Benefit: When wearing heavy armor, The armor bonus of the armor is considered increased by +1, and grants DR 1/- that stacks (Once) with any other DR the armor wearer may have.
Special: A fighter may select this feat as one of his bonus feats. Heavy armor made from Mithril does NOT count for this feat.

How's that? The change in GHAO should be clear and work as we intend it to.

I think my wording is clearer than creating stacking issues (now it stacks with some things, but there are other sources of DR/-, so it is going to lead to confusion). Instead of saying it sometimes stacks, saying it increases the DR/- granted by the armour by 1 is much clearer and won't lead to confusion.