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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Errant" data-source="post: 2545649" data-attributes="member: 1926">This same issue has often bugged me. I accept that HPs are effectively a character's ability to avoid killing/incapacitating wounds, but when you roll to "hit", its hard to imagine your successful attach actually missing your target. Not to mention the official ways of avoiding getting hit at all (ie boosting your AC) are limited very limited without resorting to magic. Once he's strapped on full plate and shield, mastered Dodge, Combat Expertise & Improved CE, there's very little even the most dedicated Fighter can do to boost his AC without resorting to magic. His skill, training and experience count for little.Why not? Why is it so important that at high levels you must EXPECT to get hit by opponents of equal skill when at lower levels you can cut your chances of getting hurt dramatically? Consider, L20 Fighter in Full Plate +5, Tower Shield +5, Ring of Protection +5, Amulet of Natural Armor +5, Dex 12+ (natural or magically boosted) & Dodge has an AC of 44 (if I add up right), and wielding a +5 weapon with Greater Weapon Focus & 22 Str (16 natural +6 belt of giant str for instance) has +33/+28/+23/+18 to hit, odds are he'll hit his own AC at least once or twice. A L2 fighter with Full Plate, Tower Shield, Dodge & Dex 12+ has an AC 24 and with a Masterwork/+1 weapon, Weapon Focus & 16 Str has +6 to hit, he'll be lucky to hit his opposite number even once. (I think 16 base Str is probably fairly average for fighter types)I used a system like this for previous editions (+1 AC per -1 BAB taken) and it worked well. Combats became much more tactical and dramatic as players started balancing how much they wanted to hit their enemy against how much they wanted to avoid getting hit. I've only played since 3.5 came out, but it looks like I'll be DMing again soon & I think I'll be using it again. To make Combat Expertise & Greater CE worth it though, maybe make CE give you an extra +1 AC per -1 BAB up to a max of +2 AC for -2 BAB & GCE give you a maximum of +4 AC for -4 BAB. Increasing damage via virtual Power Attack can work the same.Naturally the bad guys get the same bonuses so high level monsters with high attack bonuses scare even high level fighters when they start pumping up their damage!Thats my 2c worth.</blockquote>

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