Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Atridis" data-source="post: 1182009" data-attributes="member: 13919">First, I presume that everyone here acknowledges that D&amp;D makes no real attempt to be realistic, even while discussing &quot;realism&quot; topics such as this. The basic mechanic, established 20+ years ago, is simply flawed (from that perspective - it's a much more enjoyable system than those that try to be realistic, imo). That said, I've always thought that part of a character's defensive ability is reflected in his Hit Points. The Fighter successfully ducks beneath the swing of the Hill Giant, &quot;expending&quot; 6 HP in the process. But it's a rationalization, and it just that &quot;feels wrong.&quot; Although I've never played, the Star Wars damage system seems to pursue this idea more transparently. Maybe Spycraft also. d20 Modern uses a Class Defense Bonus that increases with Experience Level, much like BAB. You're right that D&amp;D unwary characters get into an unwinnable Armor Class race (I find it usually begins around 5th level, and starts to become foolish by 8th or 9th). Eventually, monsters and high-level warriors almost never miss each other. My most successful Fighters have always been of the high-HP variety. My best 2ndEd Fighter had a 15 Str and a 13 Dex, but he had 80 HP by 7th level. He got kicked around like a soccer ball, but he won more than he lost.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Atridis, post: 1182009, member: 13919"] First, I presume that everyone here acknowledges that D&D makes no real attempt to be realistic, even while discussing "realism" topics such as this. The basic mechanic, established 20+ years ago, is simply flawed (from that perspective - it's a much more enjoyable system than those that try to be realistic, imo). That said, I've always thought that part of a character's defensive ability is reflected in his Hit Points. The Fighter successfully ducks beneath the swing of the Hill Giant, "expending" 6 HP in the process. But it's a rationalization, and it just that "feels wrong." Although I've never played, the Star Wars damage system seems to pursue this idea more transparently. Maybe Spycraft also. d20 Modern uses a Class Defense Bonus that increases with Experience Level, much like BAB. You're right that D&D unwary characters get into an unwinnable Armor Class race (I find it usually begins around 5th level, and starts to become foolish by 8th or 9th). Eventually, monsters and high-level warriors almost never miss each other. My most successful Fighters have always been of the high-HP variety. My best 2ndEd Fighter had a 15 Str and a 13 Dex, but he had 80 HP by 7th level. He got kicked around like a soccer ball, but he won more than he lost. [/QUOTE]

Verification