ClaytonCross
Kinder reader Inflection wanted
Let's make sure I understand your proposal. If a PC is missed because of their armor alone, the armor takes damage. Armor has Armor Points (AP) depending on type of armor, plate has 54 AP, shields have 20 AP. Someone with plate armor and shield is going to have their armor damaged half the time they are missed. Your damage is only 2 points, so someone in plate armor could take 27 "hits" to their armor before it falls apart. Assuming damage to armor 20-25% of the time (depending on plate only or plate + shield) that's 0.5 average damage per attack. For argument's sake let's say the PC is attacked 10 times per combat for 5 damage per combat. That's low for most front line fighters at mid-to-high levels because most monsters have multi-attack. So being conservative, after 6 combats your armor falls apart. That's an average adventuring day according to DMG guidelines. In the real world, a soldier may need to repair their armor on a regular basis (although I don't think it would be that often) but then again in the real world anyone getting into fights 6 or more times per day wouldn't have survived very long anyway.
I have not looked at the math and know it needs adjustment but ok lets go.
Plate AC 18 x3 for heavy 54 durability check. Shield 20 durability check.
We are talking high level... but that is a vague number so I am going to say level 15
I am going to do pvp since I don't have an Monster Manual average attack so again level 15, Proficiency bonus +5 ability bonus +5? sure. So +10 to hit
You said a single attack is rare, so lets go 2 as an average between 1&3.
The range for hitting Armor and damaging plate is 10-17, 18 hits the character. The lowest you can roll is 1 but I as a GM would not even let hit the player maybe you through your sword across the room bay accident, So at +10 rolls of 2 - 7 hit the armor 8 - 9 hit the shield.
5% per number on a 20 sided die so 30% chance of hitting the armor, 10% hit the shield
2 attacks in a round for 10 rounds because apparently they are just standing there wailing on each other and 10 rounds is a long fight. 20 attacks
So 6 attacks hit the plate for 12 damage and 2 attacks hit the shield for 4 damage.
You will lose your plate halfway through your 5th fight, and your shield at the end of your 5th fight.
We usually do about "10 round fight" level but I will say around 15 that tends to double, we have some times 6 fights in a day but usually don't see long fights when we have so many and really every other post on that I have seen says the same thing but ... I will agree that does appear a bit low...
If I up it to (Light x2, Medium x4, Heavy x6, and shields to 40) then the armor lasts around 10 big fights and your looking at it needing repairs or breaking I am guessing 3-4 times from 1-20 the first time closer to level 10 with enough time to repair between major fights.
alternately I could drop the damage to 1 and get roughly the same effect. hmmm... that might be better. But I need to fix how mending effects it.
I am sure the reply will be something like "well that's not how we play"... return to play testing. I can't rate how you play I have no basis for comparison.
So instead what's going to happen is your fighter will just stock up on shields and replace their shield after 2-3 combats. Your heavy weapon fighters on the other hand are just SOL. Expect them to all become barbarians.
5 combats but I guess he never fights anyone with a shield and picks up a better one either. I also expect people will play fighter if they want to play fighter and barbarian if they want to play barbarian. I also might balance the fact barbarians take damage directly so I might for example make a another rule where anyone not wearing armor only heals a number of hit point equal to 1/4 their hit point (round down) during a long rest. This is as I explained before a starting point for the an idea. Though I was trying to focus on one at a time no who doesn't like the idea can seem to except that so ok. Before you complain about that rule its not solid I am just building ideas as I go and its on the list. Its not like we have not seen "healing is to fast and easy" threads from people thinking of making grittier campaigns before so I know there is support for the idea but just like this the implementation needs to be figured out.
Then you turn around and say it's not going to matter because it won't affect magical armor and you assume your PCs will have magic armor at mid to high levels, but then what's the purpose of a finicky rule like this? To me it's just extra tracking and paperwork on the part of the DM and the player.
So I mentioned this in another post but I don't intend to just hand out magic items but at the same time I have to have an answer for magic items. It would likely be a fairly low magic item campaign. Your statement I put in bold is D&D in a nut shell, paperwork and tracking things on a sheet, and I love it just the same. I am guess you do to or your just on these forums to be angry. I mean tracking health, temporary hit points, spell slots, inventory, gold, short and long rest abilities, who really wants to do this? THIS GUY every month at least once twice if I can.
But it also goes back to my basic issue. Every time people try to justify a rule like this because it's "more realistic" they never come up with any rules to make light or no armor dex based characters more realistic. All it does at this point is penalize one type of build and add a bunch of annoying tracking. Well, that and keep the shield merchants in business.
One rule at a time. Relax I am getting there but that will be another post. Its just too much to keep track of all the arguments at once. I theory craft one piece at a time and then see what fits together. Then what doesn't I fix one piece at a time. ...I don't know what more your going to ask of me but if you want whole thing wait until I have a complete book on GMguild before you post your complaints. lol (will likely not due that even if I get it all together)
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