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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HeavenShallBurn" data-source="post: 3440520" data-attributes="member: 39593">Having tinkered extensively with the combat system of d20 here's my observations.*Adding many more stats for AC slows down combat rapidly.  The number of overall statistics use is just about right, so tweaks should be aimed at changing the way those AC stats are figured to get a more optimum result.  *Tracking the damage conversion gets tedious quickly.  So better to aim for straight DR to reduce complications.*If reducing the need for magical AC boosters is a goal it could be done with the combat system or the character class progression you should choose one or the other to effect this and concentrate on other aspects for the other system.*Multi-classing can botch up a defense bonus system when it's tied to individual classes.*Tying the defense bonus to certain effects would hamstring the fighter who is after all supposed to be THE armed combatant.1.)  You should try to keep most of the existing AC figures and similar ways of generating them to keep action smooth and fast-paced.  1a.)  AC-this should stay relatively the same in use and change only a little in calculation.  So I'd recommend this AC=10 + defense bonus + shield bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier.   Don't apply natural or manufactured armor, or enhancement bonus to AC.  Apply the defense bonus even to flat-footed and touch attacks, boost the shield bonus modeled on the AGoT d20 ruleset.  Buckler +3 small shield +5 large shield +7 tower shield +9.1b.)  DR-this should increase and keep increasing to keep pace with monster attacks as levels increase so that while it won't entirely negate attacks it still takes a considerable brunt off them if you focus on armor.  My recommendation is a modification of the UA rule.  Armor DR=(1/2std AC)+(1/2 hardness) & Natural Armor DR=(1/2 std AC) only add half hardness if their natural armor has a listed hardness(such as golems). Furthermore you have the problem of DRs of multiple types and natures which should partially stack but be bypassed by particular attacks.  So group DR into types.  Magic/Manufactured/Innate Supernatural/Natural in that order.  Group all DR bonuses as a result of spells(converted mage armor, etc, not really many of these.) into a single group and add them up if they stack if not use the highest.  Then the DR from Manufactured armor you're wearing.  Then any innate supernatural DR(aligned or material DR that's a feature of the race), and natural DR last of all(note in converting spells barkskin,stoneskin,ironskin would be considered to affect natural DR).  Physical attacks have to penetrate them in series unless a specific attack bypasses them.  Note that by the time all these types of DR are in play both characters and monsters will have attacks that bypass one or more of them reducing it to sane levels and at lower levels they all don't come into play at once.2.) defense bonus-it's just plain easier and more sensible to use BAB for this, if necessary in combination with the fractional saves and BAB table in the UA to keep multiclassing sane.  By using BAB as Defense Bonus you put attacker and defender at closer to an even keel and with my modification to AC(even if the DR part is ignored) the result will be that combatants of equal level, class, and stats hit each other about half the time before equipment is taken into account.3.) Dodge-hasn't everybody HR'd this feat to a straight +1 already?4.) DR and Damge Conversion-this avoids the damage conversion tracking problems and replaces it with a slightly more tricky DR column that can have up to 4 columns.  But as long as you keep the categories in order and write out which ones an attack bypasses it's actually very fast to just roll down the column and take off what isn't bypassed.5.) Every +5BAB the base damage of weapons a character uses should go up one step to account for the increase in DR.</blockquote>

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