S
Sunseeker
Guest
Non-AC Defenses instead of saves is one of those great innovations 4e made that sadly got thrown out with the bath water in 5e. You actually could still do them in 5e if you wanted, just give each Ability a Defense score of 14 + Ability Mod + (Proficiency Bonus if you would be proficient in saves with the abiliy) and replace forced saves with spellcasting attacks that target the appropriate and apply the effects of a failed save on a hit, a successful save on a miss. Honestly, I think the unpopularity of damage and other effects on a miss is a huge part of why they went back to saves for 5e.
Which is odd, because all the "damage on a miss" mechanic is really just the "half damage on a save" mechanic reversed.