Do people really allow the Dastana in their games?

ksbsnowowl said:
So, it's obvious that the designers did intend that Dastana and shields could coexist in the same campaign.

And what's your opinion on the impact that would have on overall game balance?
 

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Really, it's not going to have a huge effect on game balance. So they get a few extra points of AC for a few grand cheeper than normal, or they can get a total of an additional +6 to AC for 25k; there are many other things I'd rather spend a character's cash on.

If you are allowing non-core sources anyway, there are several things more broken than the dastana. Look at the Allied Defense feat in Shining South. Now imagine getting the Leadership feat and having your fighter cohort take Allied Defense, Combat Expertise, and Improved Combat Expertise (CW/OA). You now have a body guard that provides you with a Dodge bonus to AC equal to his BAB. Have him stand next to you, use a spiked chain, and just dump his BAB into both Combat Expertise and Power Attack. Sure, he won't hit often, but it'll hurt like hell when he does; and that's only his secondary purpose (the first is providing you a huge AC).

Now, there is the valid arguement that just because something else is broken, that doesn't excuse this.... But really, I don't think it's that much of a problem. It'll make TWFing rangers viable again, since they are restricted to light armor. Besides, its only AC; good DM's find ways around that occationally. Use touch attacks (incorporeal or otherwise) that ignore it in the first place. Target the character's saves through spells.

Anyway, do as you will; it's just my opinion that it isn't a problem.
 

ksbsnowowl said:
Really, it's not going to have a huge effect on game balance. So they get a few extra points of AC for a few grand cheeper than normal, or they can get a total of an additional +6 to AC for 25k; there are many other things I'd rather spend a character's cash on.

Give all your bad guys +6 AC for one session and tell me if it has an effect on balance.
 



Space Coyote said:
I just allow Dastana to add +1 to the base armor for light armor. This can be made Masterwork to remove the armor check penalty. But that's it.

This is basically my take on it as well. It's just an extra armor piece that makes your chain shirt a bit heavier. And the medium armors are basically useless anyway, per the RAW - you'd be nuts to pay another feat and 10 feet of speed for the whole +1 bonus to AC provided by a breastplate over a chain shirt.
 

werk said:
Give all your bad guys +6 AC for one session and tell me if it has an effect on balance.
Sure, because it won't. I could do much worse things with 25000 gp per foe. Like give them a wand or limited use/day item of Shield, and then give them a ring of protection +3, or a wand of fireball. Or improve existing armor with moderate or heavy fortification.

Or to get a similar effect as the dastana, give him a ring of protection +2, an amulet of natural armor +2, I could probably increase his armor and/or shield's enhancement bonus by +1, or I could give him a horn of goodness/evilness. Those still get me to +6 AC. Now, in the extremely high levels you will likely run into problems of 'already having those,' but by that level most PC's have insane attack bonuses anyway, or they rely on attacking other weaknesses of foes (saves, touch AC, etc.)

I really don't see it as a problem.
 

you'd be nuts to pay another feat and 10 feet of speed for the whole +1 bonus to AC provided by a breastplate over a chain shirt

Yeah, I have a problem with armor overall. Basically everyone just takes Chain Shirt, Breastplate or Full Plate, because there is no point in taking anything else, if given the option. Why take Banded mail at AC +6, when you could use Full plate with a +8 bonus? Why take scale mail, when Breastplate is better?

Armor needs to have something to make people want to take the different types of armors, like the way weapons are balanced with a formula.
 

Space Coyote said:
Yeah, I have a problem with armor overall. Basically everyone just takes Chain Shirt, Breastplate or Full Plate, because there is no point in taking anything else, if given the option. Why take Banded mail at AC +6, when you could use Full plate with a +8 bonus? Why take scale mail, when Breastplate is better?

Armor needs to have something to make people want to take the different types of armors, like the way weapons are balanced with a formula.

I'm going to trade my sorcerer's chain shirt for (studded) leather, because it's only a difference of one AC that can be made up for by enchanting, but it's a 10% difference when considering chance for spell failure.

That count?
 

Kapture said:
I'm going to trade my sorcerer's chain shirt for (studded) leather, because it's only a difference of one AC that can be made up for by enchanting, but it's a 10% difference when considering chance for spell failure.

That count?

Bah, don't worry with enchanting it, just slap on some Masterwork Dastana! ;)
 

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