[UA] Wounds/Vitality + Defense + Damage Reduction from Armor?

Ashrem Bayle · Feb 16, 2004

Ok, so I'm planning to incorporate the variants listed in the subject line from Unearthed Arcana in our next session.

The simple question is:

How do you guys think it will change the game? What problems do you think will arrise from playing with these rules in a campaign structured to be played with the default rules?

DarkMaster · Feb 16, 2004

Ashrem Bayle said:
What problems do you think will arrise from playing with these rules in a campaign structured to be played with the default rules?

TPK, TPK and more TPK

Kae'Yoss · Feb 16, 2004

I'm going to find out: I DM a short campaign of Midnight (planned for about 6 sessions, one of which has been done). In that shorty I test some rule variants.

Especially I use the combo you mentioned, but with a couple of tweaks:
Armor doesn't grant any AC bonus (half the AC value is DR)
Natural Armor doesn't grant any AC bonus, either (1/4 the AC value is DR)
Enhancement bonuses add 1/2 or 1/4 to the DR (partial bonuses aren't rounded before all the converted values are added up)
The Defenders (in normal D&D that would be the Monk) has his bonus changed to DR as well (1/2)

The class bonuses are handled differently (I don't like the Idea of a cleric/fighter having an outrageous AC even on level 1/1, and UA doesn't mention any multiclassing restrictions). You get a base bonus of +0/+1/+2+/4 (for category A through D, respectively). They don't stack (so a cleric/fighter gets +4, not +8). Then, A and B improve on 3,6,9...., C and D on 3,5,7....).

In two weeks, I'll have the next game session, so I can tell you how it runs.

Ashrem Bayle · Feb 16, 2004

DarkMaster said:
TPK, TPK and more TPK

Why do you say that?

Because of the Defense rules, the player's ACs will be about where they should be, if not a little high at lower levels. Then add in DR from the armor and they'll be taking less damage overall.

Now with the Wounds/Vitality system, if you add Wounds + Vitality, you get more "hit points" than you do with the normal system. Of course, you have to worry more about crits, but your Vitality heals much easier than normal hit points do.

DonAdam · Feb 16, 2004

If you're going to use the VP/WP system from UA, you'll probably want to revamp the dying rules.

Anything with a high fort save can simply flee a battle, as it has to roll a natural 1 to fall unconscious.

That was a really, really stupid call.

Davelozzi · Feb 16, 2004

KaeYoss said:
I use the combo you mentioned, but with a couple of tweaks:
Armor doesn't grant any AC bonus (half the AC value is DR)
Natural Armor doesn't grant any AC bonus, either (1/4 the AC value is DR)
Enhancement bonuses add 1/2 or 1/4 to the DR (partial bonuses aren't rounded before all the converted values are added up)

Yeah, I agree with you on the first two points. I can't imagine why they decided that in the armor as DR variant, it still gave an AC bonus too. Hasn't the call for that variant been made by people that want to see a slight amount of realistic logic added to the game?

Enhancement bonuses, on the other hand, I'd make them apply to AC, as I see them functioning more like a slight force field.

KaeYoss said:
The class bonuses are handled differently...

Again, I'm with you on this one. The stackable bonuses by level in each class seems much more elegant than the rule as written in Unearthed Arcana. After all, the same system works fine in Star Wars, d20 Modern, Spycraft, and Wheel of Time, doesn't it?

I certainly didn't expect to be happy with all the new variants as written but using the established versions from other d20 games on these ones really seemed like a no brainer to me. Oh well.