Armor reducing damage

[Crothian]

Do you guys have the armor Dr for Dragons replace the DR as they are written in the MM? Or do you somehow combine the two?

 

[saduff]

Armor that reduces damage would only work if you took each armor and designed three sets of stats for each armor. One set of stats for each type of weapons blunt, slashing and piercing. Also you need a set of hardness vs each type of weapon.

Chainmail Armor being the best example would have almost perfect reduction to damage from slashing with minimal subdual damage. It would have no damage reduction from blunt weapons and then you have piercing weapons would medium reduction for both damage and subdual damage.

Next you get into the idea if you had damage reduction you would also need hardness factors and hp for the armor, because the damage reduction would assume that the armor would be absorbing the damage. Chainmail would have high hardness vs slashing, low hardness vs piercing, and med to high vs blunt.

just my opinion

 

[Wolf72]

I just gave heavy armor a DR 1

 

[saduff]

Another point is that combat damage is no longer is abstract. Damage is physical wounds of either cuts or abrasions.

 

[mmadsen]

Armor that reduces damage would only work if you took each armor and designed three sets of stats for each armor. One set of stats for each type of weapons blunt, slashing and piercing. Also you need a set of hardness vs each type of weapon.

If armor-as-Defense (AC) doesn't need such complexity, why does armor-as-DR need it? Why is abstraction fine for the core rules but not for house rules?

 

[saduff]

Well if you took the example of chainmail armor. It does not make since that chainmail would reduce any damage for a blunt weapon.

I personaly think that if armor reduced damage then it would be taking the damage its self thus adding the extra stats of hardness.

 

[mmadsen]

Well if you took the example of chainmail armor. It does not make since that chainmail would reduce any damage for a blunt weapon.

But it makes sense that mail grants an AC bonus?

 

[Darklone]

Hmm

I gave medium armours DR 1/- against melee and heavy armours DR 2/- against melee.

Makes up for the speed loss, but doesnt help you that much against ranged attacks.

 

[green slime]

So, you people with DR1/- medium armours...does Mithril Breastplate still provide the user with DR1/-?

If so Mithril Breastplate just got even better.

Does the DR stack woth the Barbarian's DR?

 

[saduff]

But it makes sense that mail grants an AC bonus?

Yes in the abstract combat that is presented in the d20 rules, but this would be a debate about that provides damage reduction. With any amount of realism in combat and armor. Chainmail does nothing more than provide some protection for sliced, but the force of the blade coming down on you would still hurt and stopping heavy plate types of armor from digging through your skin. A lance or spear "could" break the links and punch through.