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<blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 5142653" data-attributes="member: 15470">Okay. Let me try explaining it to you with a different approach.Fundamentally, I don't think that &quot;Total Defense&quot; is about your mental or physically prepared state.You've forgone your Standard action attack (for melee characters, your weapon attack) and are, instead, focusing on using your weapon to parry attacks.Imagine the difference between a swordsman who is shuffling backwards and focusing on parrying, and one that is moving forward, trying to attack and push his enemy back. The former is in Total Defense, the other is not.Yes, its a little odd that you may be able to &quot;parry&quot; an attack you weren't aware of, but the odds are 90% that you won't - in other words, that the +2 won't make the difference between the attack succeeding or failing.On the other hand, &quot;I go in with my shield up&quot; has a very specific mechanic: you are using your shield to gain its defensive properties, e.g., +2 to AC and +2 to Reflex for a Large Shield.Excellent.That has nothing to do with the mechanics of &quot;Total Defense&quot; the way that I understand Total Defense. In the same way, &quot;I'm on alert, moving cautiously&quot; doesn't mean &quot;I can't be surprised&quot; or &quot;I'm in Total Defense&quot;. You've still got to spot, hear, smell, or feel the enemy's presence .. in other words, you have to make a Perception check to spot the enemy and avoid being Surprised .. and you still need to win Initiative to be able to enter Total Defense before the bad guy swings at you.Seriously. Personally, I'd assume that any adventurer wandering through a strange dungeon and fighting unnatural monsters is going to be on alert, moving cautiously, keeping his shield up, and his weapon at the ready ... and I think all of that is built into his normal Perception, Initiative bonus, and Armor Class.Sure, he can describe how cautiously he's moving, but that's flavor text, not game mechanic. If he wants to be in Total Defense, he's got to burn a Standard Action to do it once combat starts.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Amaroq, post: 5142653, member: 15470"] Okay. Let me try explaining it to you with a different approach. Fundamentally, I don't think that "Total Defense" is about your mental or physically prepared state. You've forgone your Standard action attack ([I]for melee characters, your weapon attack[/I]) and are, instead, focusing on using your weapon to [B]parry[/B] attacks. Imagine the difference between a swordsman who is shuffling backwards and focusing on parrying, and one that is moving forward, trying to attack and push his enemy back. The former is in Total Defense, the other is not. Yes, its a little odd that you may be able to "parry" an attack you weren't aware of, but the odds are 90% that you won't - in other words, that the +2 won't make the difference between the attack succeeding or failing. On the other hand, "I go in with my shield up" has a very specific mechanic: you are using your shield to gain its defensive properties, e.g., +2 to AC and +2 to Reflex for a Large Shield. Excellent. That has [b]nothing[/b] to do with the mechanics of "Total Defense" the way that I understand Total Defense. In the same way, "I'm on alert, moving cautiously" doesn't mean "I can't be surprised" or "I'm in Total Defense". You've still got to spot, hear, smell, or feel the enemy's presence .. in other words, you have to make a Perception check to spot the enemy and avoid being Surprised .. and you still need to win Initiative to be able to enter Total Defense before the bad guy swings at you. Seriously. Personally, I'd assume that any adventurer wandering through a strange dungeon and fighting unnatural monsters is going to be on alert, moving cautiously, keeping his shield up, and his weapon at the ready ... and I think all of that is built into his normal Perception, Initiative bonus, and Armor Class. Sure, he can describe how cautiously he's moving, but that's flavor text, not game mechanic. If he wants to be in Total Defense, he's got to burn a Standard Action to do it once combat starts. [/QUOTE]

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