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<blockquote data-quote="Urbannen" data-source="post: 416700" data-attributes="member: 7643">If I would change ONE thing:I would create a means to increase AC based on fighting skill rather than on magic items.&nbsp; Consider this:&nbsp; A 9th-level fighter is fighting a golem with an attack bonus of +14.&nbsp; The fighter is wearing half-plate +1, and has a medium shield.&nbsp; His Dex bonus is +2.&nbsp; His AC is 22.&nbsp; That's a decent AC, right?&nbsp; Wrong.&nbsp; The golem needs to roll an 8 to hit the fighter.&nbsp; The golem will hit the fighter 65% of the time.&nbsp; The golem does, what, 1d10+6 damage?&nbsp; That's an average of 11.5 hit points of damage.&nbsp; If the fighter has average hp and a +2 Con bonus, he has 72 hp.&nbsp; In three rounds (18 seconds), considering the golem misses on its extra attacks, on average the fighter will lose 32% of his hps.&nbsp; In D&amp;D, attack bonuses go up more quickly than armor class bonuses.&nbsp; Melee fighters must rely on powerful magical armor AND divine healing magic just to continue.&nbsp; An unarmored 15th level fighter, no matter how many hps, will soon fall to an armored one (and vice versa, realistically).&nbsp; Hit points are a precious resource, and at high levels, it is too hard for characters to hang on to them.&nbsp; This slows down play, since characters must seek out healing after every battle.&nbsp; One player must dedicate most of his energy to being a support character, the healing cleric.&nbsp; I advocate either giving all characters access to the Improved Expertise feat as a normal combat ability, or giving characters inherent Dodge bonuses based on their class and level (such as in Ken Hood's Grim and Gritty system).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Urbannen, post: 416700, member: 7643"] If I would change ONE thing: I would create a means to increase AC based on fighting skill rather than on magic items. Consider this: A 9th-level fighter is fighting a golem with an attack bonus of +14. The fighter is wearing half-plate +1, and has a medium shield. His Dex bonus is +2. His AC is 22. That's a decent AC, right? Wrong. The golem needs to roll an 8 to hit the fighter. The golem will hit the fighter 65% of the time. The golem does, what, 1d10+6 damage? That's an average of 11.5 hit points of damage. If the fighter has average hp and a +2 Con bonus, he has 72 hp. In three rounds (18 seconds), considering the golem misses on its extra attacks, on average the fighter will lose 32% of his hps. In D&D, attack bonuses go up more quickly than armor class bonuses. Melee fighters must rely on powerful magical armor AND divine healing magic just to continue. An unarmored 15th level fighter, no matter how many hps, will soon fall to an armored one (and vice versa, realistically). Hit points are a precious resource, and at high levels, it is too hard for characters to hang on to them. This slows down play, since characters must seek out healing after every battle. One player must dedicate most of his energy to being a support character, the healing cleric. I advocate either giving all characters access to the Improved Expertise feat as a normal combat ability, or giving characters inherent Dodge bonuses based on their class and level (such as in Ken Hood's Grim and Gritty system). [/QUOTE]

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