Ever the tinkerer for realism...

[Wanderlust]

Just curious, but has anyone tried some sort of house rule that would make the TO HIT roll vs skill instead of AC? And, I guess, then AC would be some form of Damage reduction or what not?




Wanderlust

 

[Mordane76]

We make use of the Defense mechanics from SW d20, WoT, and now d20 Modern, but not a skill in the sense that one could raise it using Skill Points. I have to say I like the Defense mechanic much more than the standard AC mechanics. We tried armor as DR in our group, but we didn't like it much at all, so we went to Defense.

 

[Wanderlust]

Can you give me a brief run down of how it works, because I have none of the above mentioned books (though I plan to buy the WoT book)?




Wanderlust

 

[Wanderlust]

Also, what about the idea of hit locations and specialized penalties according to where you've been hit?



Wanderlust

 

[Mordane76]

Defense is a modifier that increases as a factor of your level. You roll a d20 + Defense Modifier + Dexterity Modifier. Different classes have different Defense progressions. So every time someone makes an attack, they make a To Hit roll versus Defense. If the To Hit is higher than the Defense, the attack hits. Defense ALWAYS wins in a tie.

Armor and Defense are exclusive in this system -- you can either take your Equipment bonus from Armor or you Defense Bonus, but not both; they do not stack. However, if you are caught flat-footed, you lose both your Dexterity Modifier and your Defense modifier. So wearing some kind of armor is a good idea in case you get caught offguard.

Armor, Natural Armor, Dodge, Deflection, and other AC enhancing bonuses instead enhance your Defense roll, if they are applicable.

 

[Mordane76]

As for Hit Locations, we use a modified Grim-n-Gritty style of combat, that actually utilizes a called-shot mechanic, so one can attack specific areas of the body and can impose situational conditions on critical hits.