Helmets and Armor Fortification

CombatWombat51

First Post
I think helmets should be more important (read: makes SOME difference) in combat. I was thinking that they could be incorporated into the game as good ol' mundane armor. Say, a couple different degrees of helmets, like a skull cap, chain coif, great helm, etc. A helmet wouldn't add AC, but it would add to your AC against critical confirmations. Of course, every character would start wearing a helmet, so a drawback would be in order. I think a penalty to Listen, Spot, and maybe Initiative checks. The amount of the penalty would scale with the amount of protection that the helmet provided. So a skull cap probably wouldn't provide any penalties, but would only give +1 or +2 to AC vs. crits. A full helm would give +4 or +6 (I'm just throwing numbers out there), but would impose -6 or so to Spot and Listen, and maybe a -2 to Initiative. Like I said, I'm just throwing numbers out there. Come to think of it, a penalty to Initiative probably isn't a great idea, since the penalties to Spot and Listen would make it more likely that the character would be surprised.

Armor of fortification is certainly cool, but I don't like the mechanic. I was thinking that instead of using a flat percentage roll to negate criticals, fortification could give a bonus to the wearer's AC against critical confirmation rolls. I don't have any specific numbers in mind, but something like +3 for light fortification, +6 for moderate, and +9 for heavy. To me, it seems like it's more in the spirit of opposed rolls and using existing mechanics than the d100. Using that flat percent chance reminds me too much of 1E/2E thief skills; success has nothing to do with your opposition.

Any thoughts? Good idea, terrible, scrap it?
 

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As for fortification armor, that's exactly the mechanic I'm using for it (the additional armor enhancement bonus applies only to critical confirmations). Additionally, light fortification reduces sneak attack damage by one die, medium by three dice, and heavy by five dice (so that a 19th level rogue inflicts 4d6 points of sneak attack damage rather than 9d6 upon a character with heavy fortification armor... complete sneak attack immunity screws rogues over too much).
 

Stalker0 said:
The idea has been brought up many times before... and overall I think its a good mechanic.

I've been prowling around here for a good time, but I must have missed the threads on it. Links? I'd like to see how other folks have done it.

EDIT: Er, which has been brought up many times? Helms vs. crits, or fortification w/o the d100?
 
Last edited:

Here's a more final version, at least of helmets.

Helmets
Headgear is a part of a combatants basic protection that protects him against deadly blows. However, not all characters will want to wear a helm because they can impede hearing, vision, and don’t make for a friendly face.
A helmet gives a bonus to armor class against critical confirmation rolls. Helmets are classified as light, medium, or heavy, just as with armor, and they require the same feats to be proficient. A character who wears a helm without the appropriate feat suffers double the listed penalties to Listen and Spot checks and only gets half the listed bonus against critical confirmation rolls.
Donning and Removing Helmets: Donning a helmet is a standard action, except for a full helm, which takes a full round action. Removing a helmet is a move action, except for a full helm, which is a standard action.

Skullcap
A skullcap sits on top of the head, and is held on by a strap around the chin. They provide minimal protection, but they have the advantage of not blocking the wearer’s face.

Coif
A coif is a chain mail hood with padding underneath. Unlike other helmets, a coif can be worn at the same time as another piece of headgear. Only the greatest of the penalties and bonuses of the two helmets apply, except in the case of a skullcap, where the effects of both helmets stack.

Open-Face Helmet
These helmets protect the wearer’s head, save for the face. The wearer is well-protected, and still has a commanding view of the battlefield.

Visored Helmet
Visored helms are very similar to open-faced helms, except for a visor which protects the wearer’s face. Raising the visor is a move action, as is lowering it. When the visor is raised, the helm is treated identically to an open-faced helm. Visored helms are built with heavier armors in mind, so a character that wears a visored helmet with light or no armor is treated as unproficient.

Full Helmet
Full helmets provide the greatest protection out of any piece of headgear. They are one solid piece, and completely shield the wearer’s head from attacks. Full helms are built with heavier armors in mind, so a character that wears a full helmet with light or no armor is treated as unproficient.

Code:
[B]Helmet          Proficiency       Cost       Bonus       Spot       Listen       Weight[/B]
Skullcap	 Light             5 gp        +1         -0         -1          2 lbs
Coif             Medium            20 gp       +2         -0         -3          4 lbs
Open Helm        Medium            25 gp       +3         -2         -3          5 lbs
Visored Helm     Heavy             40 gp       +5         -4         -4          6 lbs  
Full Helmet      Heavy             70 gp       +6         -4         -5          7 lbs

Feedback is extra welcome! :D
 

CombatWombat51 said:
I've been prowling around here for a good time, but I must have missed the threads on it. Links? I'd like to see how other folks have done it.

EDIT: Er, which has been brought up many times? Helms vs. crits, or fortification w/o the d100?


try here:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=912&highlight=trentonjoe

You'll see some real insightful comments from that Trentonjoe guy. Geez louise is he smart! :)
 

trentonjoe said:
try here:

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=912&highlight=trentonjoe

You'll see some real insightful comments from that Trentonjoe guy. Geez louise is he smart! :)

Ah, thanks for the link. Too bad the poster didn't go into much detail or refinement :( How do you think mine compares to his, with the adjustments you made? I think the ASF against verbal spells is a good idea, BTW, and I'll work that in in a few days. Sleep calls...
 

Nice work, CombatWombat51! I like your helms a lot. :)

I like the idea of adding arcane spell failure chance to your helmets as well, but perhaps not as heafty as suggested in the other thread. I would suggest something like the following for your helmets:

Code:
Helmet          Proficiency       Arcane Spell Failure Chance       
Skullcap	 Light             5%        
Coif             Medium            10%       
Open Helm        Medium            15%       
Visored Helm     Heavy             20%        
Full Helmet      Heavy             20%
 

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