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<blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 6282570" data-attributes="member: 92305"><p><strong>-- DEFENSE --</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>FLATFOOTED</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>Flatfooted in this game does not mean "completely defenseless". To the contrary, a flatfooted individual still has quite a bit of defense--as much as the average person in a fight. All flatfooted means is "slow to react".</p><p></p><p></p><p>Every character's base defence is AC 10 (unless DEX is 9 or less, in which case the DEX penalty is applied to lower the base defense). The average person is DEX 10 or DEX 11, with STR 10 or STR 11, either resulting in a +0 modifier. Thus, for the average person, the following applies--</p><p></p><p></p><p>Base Defense: AC 10</p><p></p><p></p><p>Parry Defense: AC 10</p><p></p><p></p><p>Dodge Defense: AC 10</p><p></p><p></p><p>It's all the same.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>FLATFOOTED CHARACTER STILL DODGE AND PARRY -- THEY JUST DO IT SLOWER THAN NORMAL</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>Heroes have higher STR and DEX scores, giving them bonuses to Dodge and Parry--making those AC values higher than Base Defense. The term "flatfooted" only means that a character is using his Base Defense, not his increased Dodge or Parry defense. In reality, the flatfooted character is still dodging and parrying. He's not just standing there, waiting for you to hit him. The difference between a parrying character with STR 14 (+1 modifier) and the same character that is flatfooted is only 1 point of defense. His Parry AC is AC 11, while his flatfooted AC is AC 10.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>SECURED CHARACTER THAT CAN STILL MOVE A BIT</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>Now, consider a character that has his hands and feet tied, but he's hopping around--still able to defend himself just a little bit. He cannot parry at all, but he has limited ability to dodge blows. This charcter cannot benefit at all from his DEX. Looking at the chart, DEX 0 has a -5 modifier. Thus this character's defense is AC 5. That's a heck of a lot lower than the character's flatfooted state. </p><p></p><p></p><p>If you sneak up on an enemy, and he has no idea that you're there, then he's effectively flatfooted. He's AC 10. But, if you bind his hands, legs and feet, but still allow him to hop around a bit, he's AC 5. AC 5 is, in many cases, an automatic hit--or close to it.</p><p></p><p></p><p>In my game, if I chain a character by the neck to a wall, giving him a little bit of length with which to move, this is when I would use the DEX 0 rule. Another time might be when characters are shackled to the wall but can still use their feet. When to use this rule is up to the GM.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>TIED UP CHARACTER THAT CAN'T MOVE AT ALL</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>Let's go a step further and tie the character up so that he can't move at all. If a character can produce no defense at all, then he can't Parry, he's considered to have DEX 0 and the -5 modifier, AND a he suffers a -4 defense penalty, making the tied up character, effectively AC 1. The only way this character will not be hit is if he gets extremely lucky and his foe rolls a natural 1 on the attack throw (which is always considered a miss). Otherwise, it's an automatic hit.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>UNCONSCIOUS CHARACTERS</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>Sleeping characters and characters that are completely helpless can have a Coup de Grace put on them. When this happens, any attack automatically hits (no roll needed), and the result is an automatic Critical Hit. AND, even if the character survives the attack, the character must still make a Fortitude Save at DC 10 + Damage or be slain.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>A REVIEW OF DEFENSE</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>AC 10+</strong> .... <strong>Dodge Defense</strong> is 10 + DEX modifier</p><p><strong>AC 10+</strong> .... <strong>Parry Defense</strong> is 10 + STR modifier</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>AC 10</strong> ... <strong>Flatfooted.</strong> The character cannot use his Dodge or Parry bonuses, but he is still considered dodging and parrying with his base defense.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>AC 5</strong> ... Secured character that cannot Parry at all and has limited ability to Dodge.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>AC 1</strong> ... Secured character that cannot move at all. Attacks are automatic except for a natural 1 on the attack throw.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>AC 0</strong> ... Sleeping or Unconscious character. Attacks are automatic, damage is always consisered a Critical Hit, and the character must make a Fortitude Save at DC 10 + damage or die.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>- VARIANT RULE - GETTING THE DROP -</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>A variant I use in my game is a version of the Coup de Grace unconscious rule above plus the DEX 0 modiifier. I use this in a situation when one character "has the drop" on another. A situation where a character has the drop on a character is that when a guard has a leveled crossbow at a prisoner. Or, when a thief sneaks up behind a target and slips his blade beneath the target's throat. Both of these situations are examples of when one character has a great advantage over the other.</p><p></p><p></p><p>For this rule to work as intended, I consider the target to be AC 0. That is, the character is AC 5 due to the DEX 0 -5 penalty.</p><p></p><p></p><p>If a hit is made, then the damage is automatically Critical damage.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Thus, if a guard has a prisoner "covered", then the prisoner is considered AC 5 and any shot that hits is considered Critical. In order to "cover" a character, a melee weapon must be stuck in his back, or a nocked bow or crossbow must be leveled at the character from no less than 30 feet away (usually 15 feet).</p><p></p><p></p><p>Use common sense. A sling cannot be used to "cover" someone, but a crossbow can. A dagger or spear must be shoved in the back of the covered character, but a Javelin cannot be used. A nocked bow pointed at a target can cover that target, but holding a nocked bow is an exercise in strength and usually cannot be done for more than a few combat rounds.</p><p></p><p></p><p>"Covering" a character will make your players respect any who have a dagger at their throats or a crossbow leveled at them.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>- ANOTHER VARIANT DROP RULE -</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>I sometimes play around with the "covered" rule. One other method I've considered is to give the character with the drop on another a +4 to his Critical Threat range, but otherwise play the game normally. Thus, if a guard is covering a prisoner with a crossbow, then his Critical Threat range with the crossbow is a natural 15+. This means, if a 15 or better is thrown for attack, the crossbow gets double damage (4d6 damage), increasing the chance that 20+ points will be delivered from a single attack, which will trigger the Massive Damage Rule (roll Fort Save or die).</p><p></p><p></p><p>I haven't used this rule in a while, and as I write this, I think I like this second variant better.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>- YET A THIRD VERSION OF THE VARIANT DROP RULE -</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>This is another version of the variant above. Instead of a flat +4 modifier used to increase Critical Threat range, this rule will tie the bonus into the user's experience. The Critical Threat range increase is equal to the character Base Attack Bonus.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Thus, a 1st level Soldier that has the drop on Conan will increase the weapon's Critical Threat range by +1. A 1st level Thief, though, has a BAB +0, which means his Critical Threat range bonus will not kick in until Level 2 when the Thief has seen more action and is more experienced.</p><p></p><p></p><p>A 5th level Soldier has a BAB +5, and thus, when the Captain of the Guard has someone covered, his Critical Threat range is increased by +5. He just needs to roll a natural 14 or better in order to roll a Critical Hit and get a chance at rolling enough damage (20+ points) to trigger the Massive Damage rule.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Water Bob, post: 6282570, member: 92305"] [B]-- DEFENSE --[/B] [B]FLATFOOTED[/B] Flatfooted in this game does not mean "completely defenseless". To the contrary, a flatfooted individual still has quite a bit of defense--as much as the average person in a fight. All flatfooted means is "slow to react". Every character's base defence is AC 10 (unless DEX is 9 or less, in which case the DEX penalty is applied to lower the base defense). The average person is DEX 10 or DEX 11, with STR 10 or STR 11, either resulting in a +0 modifier. Thus, for the average person, the following applies-- Base Defense: AC 10 Parry Defense: AC 10 Dodge Defense: AC 10 It's all the same. [B]FLATFOOTED CHARACTER STILL DODGE AND PARRY -- THEY JUST DO IT SLOWER THAN NORMAL[/B] Heroes have higher STR and DEX scores, giving them bonuses to Dodge and Parry--making those AC values higher than Base Defense. The term "flatfooted" only means that a character is using his Base Defense, not his increased Dodge or Parry defense. In reality, the flatfooted character is still dodging and parrying. He's not just standing there, waiting for you to hit him. The difference between a parrying character with STR 14 (+1 modifier) and the same character that is flatfooted is only 1 point of defense. His Parry AC is AC 11, while his flatfooted AC is AC 10. [B]SECURED CHARACTER THAT CAN STILL MOVE A BIT[/B] Now, consider a character that has his hands and feet tied, but he's hopping around--still able to defend himself just a little bit. He cannot parry at all, but he has limited ability to dodge blows. This charcter cannot benefit at all from his DEX. Looking at the chart, DEX 0 has a -5 modifier. Thus this character's defense is AC 5. That's a heck of a lot lower than the character's flatfooted state. If you sneak up on an enemy, and he has no idea that you're there, then he's effectively flatfooted. He's AC 10. But, if you bind his hands, legs and feet, but still allow him to hop around a bit, he's AC 5. AC 5 is, in many cases, an automatic hit--or close to it. In my game, if I chain a character by the neck to a wall, giving him a little bit of length with which to move, this is when I would use the DEX 0 rule. Another time might be when characters are shackled to the wall but can still use their feet. When to use this rule is up to the GM. [B]TIED UP CHARACTER THAT CAN'T MOVE AT ALL[/B] Let's go a step further and tie the character up so that he can't move at all. If a character can produce no defense at all, then he can't Parry, he's considered to have DEX 0 and the -5 modifier, AND a he suffers a -4 defense penalty, making the tied up character, effectively AC 1. The only way this character will not be hit is if he gets extremely lucky and his foe rolls a natural 1 on the attack throw (which is always considered a miss). Otherwise, it's an automatic hit. [B]UNCONSCIOUS CHARACTERS[/B] Sleeping characters and characters that are completely helpless can have a Coup de Grace put on them. When this happens, any attack automatically hits (no roll needed), and the result is an automatic Critical Hit. AND, even if the character survives the attack, the character must still make a Fortitude Save at DC 10 + Damage or be slain. [B]A REVIEW OF DEFENSE[/B] [B]AC 10+[/B] .... [B]Dodge Defense[/B] is 10 + DEX modifier [B]AC 10+[/B] .... [B]Parry Defense[/B] is 10 + STR modifier [B]AC 10[/B] ... [B]Flatfooted.[/B] The character cannot use his Dodge or Parry bonuses, but he is still considered dodging and parrying with his base defense. [B]AC 5[/B] ... Secured character that cannot Parry at all and has limited ability to Dodge. [B]AC 1[/B] ... Secured character that cannot move at all. Attacks are automatic except for a natural 1 on the attack throw. [B]AC 0[/B] ... Sleeping or Unconscious character. Attacks are automatic, damage is always consisered a Critical Hit, and the character must make a Fortitude Save at DC 10 + damage or die. [B]- VARIANT RULE - GETTING THE DROP -[/B] A variant I use in my game is a version of the Coup de Grace unconscious rule above plus the DEX 0 modiifier. I use this in a situation when one character "has the drop" on another. A situation where a character has the drop on a character is that when a guard has a leveled crossbow at a prisoner. Or, when a thief sneaks up behind a target and slips his blade beneath the target's throat. Both of these situations are examples of when one character has a great advantage over the other. For this rule to work as intended, I consider the target to be AC 0. That is, the character is AC 5 due to the DEX 0 -5 penalty. If a hit is made, then the damage is automatically Critical damage. Thus, if a guard has a prisoner "covered", then the prisoner is considered AC 5 and any shot that hits is considered Critical. In order to "cover" a character, a melee weapon must be stuck in his back, or a nocked bow or crossbow must be leveled at the character from no less than 30 feet away (usually 15 feet). Use common sense. A sling cannot be used to "cover" someone, but a crossbow can. A dagger or spear must be shoved in the back of the covered character, but a Javelin cannot be used. A nocked bow pointed at a target can cover that target, but holding a nocked bow is an exercise in strength and usually cannot be done for more than a few combat rounds. "Covering" a character will make your players respect any who have a dagger at their throats or a crossbow leveled at them. [B]- ANOTHER VARIANT DROP RULE -[/B] I sometimes play around with the "covered" rule. One other method I've considered is to give the character with the drop on another a +4 to his Critical Threat range, but otherwise play the game normally. Thus, if a guard is covering a prisoner with a crossbow, then his Critical Threat range with the crossbow is a natural 15+. This means, if a 15 or better is thrown for attack, the crossbow gets double damage (4d6 damage), increasing the chance that 20+ points will be delivered from a single attack, which will trigger the Massive Damage Rule (roll Fort Save or die). I haven't used this rule in a while, and as I write this, I think I like this second variant better. [B]- YET A THIRD VERSION OF THE VARIANT DROP RULE -[/B] This is another version of the variant above. Instead of a flat +4 modifier used to increase Critical Threat range, this rule will tie the bonus into the user's experience. The Critical Threat range increase is equal to the character Base Attack Bonus. Thus, a 1st level Soldier that has the drop on Conan will increase the weapon's Critical Threat range by +1. A 1st level Thief, though, has a BAB +0, which means his Critical Threat range bonus will not kick in until Level 2 when the Thief has seen more action and is more experienced. A 5th level Soldier has a BAB +5, and thus, when the Captain of the Guard has someone covered, his Critical Threat range is increased by +5. He just needs to roll a natural 14 or better in order to roll a Critical Hit and get a chance at rolling enough damage (20+ points) to trigger the Massive Damage rule. [/QUOTE]
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