[d20 Modern] Defense and Armor/Shields

[Runesong42]

Really quick question... in d20 Modern, does a character's Defense stack with armor and shields? I have a L7 character who's got himself a total defense of 25, and barely anything that matches his CR can touch him. I mean, I know how to get around it *G*, but am I calculating it correctly?

 

[robberbaron]

Let's see:
10 + (L7 Fast = +6) + (Dex = +4) = 20.
Add a Light Duty Vest for +5 and Bob est ton oncle.
Providing the character has the appropriate Armour Proficiency Feats (Light and Medium) and accepts the -4 check penalty.
Don't know about shields - my cursory glance at the SRD didn't find a mention of them - but they would probably stack, though with additional check penalties.

Hit him with grenades.
Or gas.
Or both.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Really quick question... in d20 Modern, does a character's Defense stack with armor and shields? I have a L7 character who's got himself a total defense of 25, and barely anything that matches his CR can touch him. I mean, I know how to get around it *G*, but am I calculating it correctly?

Could you detail it? What is his class bonus, and what kind of armor does he wear? What did you pay for that, too? You almost certainly gave up a little BAB. Unfortunately, the Fast class has a heavily front-loaded Defense progression. It's probably a good idea for the GM to trim the progression for the first few levels.

Anyway, it does stack. Wearing armor doesn't make your character suddenly forget how to dodge, parry, or duck-n-weave. It does slow you down a bit, hence the ACP.

There are no rules for shields in the core book that I saw, but Urban Arcana has them. They are acquired with Medium Armor Proficiency, but IMO that's too good. They should take their own feat.

 

[Roudi]

Shields aren't really covered in the MSRD, but some extraction from D&D rules might help. D&D recognizes the bonus from armor and the bonus from shields to be two separate (and thus stacking) bonuses. Thus, it would make sense for a character to reap the bonuses from shield and armor to his/her Defense.

The likely reason "shields" aren't covered in the MSRD is because they don't see much use in modern combat. Police have riot shields of several varieties, but even your average police officer won't use one on a regular basis. Also, some of the heavier shields used by tactical squads work more like D&D tower shields: police use them for cover (and thus, the officer using it would benefit from a miss chance rather than a Defense bonus).

Oh, and high Defenses are normal in d20 Modern. They might look rediculous, but like you said, there are ways around it. Remember, if your players feel invincible, it's your duty as a GM to shatter their illusion

 

[Ranger REG]

Shields aren't really covered in the MSRD.

Shields (including the police riot shields) are found in the ArcanaEquipment.rtf of the MSRD.

 

[Runesong42]

Could you detail it? What is his class bonus, and what kind of armor does he wear?

IIRC, he has a chain shirt +1 (AC +5) and a large shield (+2 AC). He is an interesting mix of Fast, Charismatic and Telepath. He's also got the evasion telent, so grenades etc. aren't worth a darn. And his WIL save is good thanks to his Telepath class. In short, he's made a very effective character with decent resistance to just about everything. *G*

I just wanted to be sure that his AC is what it's supposed to be, and it is.

 

[Ymdar]

Not to mention the various subcutaneous cyberware types of d20 Future.
Since they give a natural armor bonus, a PC in my group (strong1/fast3/helix warrior2) walking around in swimming trunks would have a Defense of 26. (heavy subcut armor, + class defense bonuses+Dex modifier).
I've posted a thread about this once....

You should try out grappling/flame throwers, running the player over with a car, FX things...or just drop a piano on his head
or create custom AP rounds (that negate the armor bonuses)

ps: I really liked the "Stop Sign Shield" presented in Urban Arcana... My players used that during the time they were in a radioactive desert in my Post Apocalyptic campaign

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Yea, I was going to run a Future game. I had "d20 Futu ..." out of my mouth and three people said: "I want heavy subcutaneous armor!"

Struck that whole string right down. The LAST thing Modern needs is more defense bonuses. Oi. "I'll wear plate OVER and UNDER my skin, and they'll stack! With my Fast3/StrongX!"

--fje

 

[Justin D. Jacobson]

With d20 Future, there are a lot more defensive options out there. That's one of the reasons we went with a 3/2 weapon/armor division on our DS char sheet instead of the standard 4/1 on the basic Modern character sheet. Keep in mind that there are a lot more offensive options too. Obviously, some have already been mentioned, but there are tons more.

 

[Gomez]

IIRC, he has a chain shirt +1 (AC +5) and a large shield (+2 AC). He is an interesting mix of Fast, Charismatic and Telepath. He's also got the evasion telent, so grenades etc. aren't worth a darn. And his WIL save is good thanks to his Telepath class. In short, he's made a very effective character with decent resistance to just about everything. *G*

What kind of d20 Modern game are you running? Attack him while he is out at dinner or something. He shouldn't be wearing a chain shirt and have a large shield all the time.