Bront
The man with the probe
Actualy, the desire by other judges to not change it was strong, so I decided it wasn't worth pursuing.IcyCool said:Well, it's not terribly hard to change the feat. But I see that the desire to change it wasn't exactly very strong ...
At any rate, I think the Races of stone feats lower ACP and provide flat AC bonuses. I like Bront's proposed idea, it doesn't sound too bad. Maybe a little weak, if anything.
It might be weak compared to LAO, but 10% crit reduction is nothing to sneaze at, being nameless, it allways applies, so even if you are flatfooted, you know how to setup and wear your armor right, and eventualy your armor doesn't hinder you as much as it used to.
Let's max it out and see.
Mithril Chain Shirt with LAO, +6 armor, +8 max dex = +14 total AC (before enchantment, which is even on any armor.
Mithril Chain shirt without LAO, +4 armor, +6 Max Dex = +10 Total AC.
Full Plate with HAO as written, +8 armor, +2 Max Dex = +10 total AC.
Mithril Full Plate, while ideal, is the equivilent of a +3 enchantment on the Mithril Chain shirt, so I did not compare them. Again, granted, a +4 Mithril Chain shirt isn't too much less than +3 Mithril Full Plate, but it's a balancing factor, and the fact that the Mithril version may not apply to this feat anyway.
Mithril Full Plate with MAO... +8 Armor, +3 Max Dex = +11 total AC Bonus (And 30' move)
Just to keep perspective.
On a pure armor level, A Mithril Chain Shirt is better than full plate with both feats, but that does involve a high (though attainable) dex. With LAO, it's nuts, but that's besides the point, and admittedly does require a 26 Dex. HAO would reward a heavy armor character with a little AC breathing room, and the crit resistrance is certaintly helpfull for a character likely to be subjected to multiple attacks (As most people with Heavy Armor would be), and generaly facilitates them better. I guess that perhaps the feat should be a bit better just to help deal with the frustration resulting from the fact that Mithril is not an option if you want heavy armor.
And ultimately, I think the problem with LAO is simply that it points out an already flawed issue of dealing with Light/Medium/Heavy armor in the first place and accentuates it.