Geron Raveneye
Explorer
Vaxalon said:
Oh, and, by the way...parrying, either with shield or weapons, doesn't make it harder to hit you...only to damage you
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Parry: The Art of Defence
- Thread starter Jeph
- Start date
Oh, and, by the way...parrying, either with shield or weapons, doesn't make it harder to hit you...only to damage you
Geron Raveneye
Explorer
Yeah...
To me, too, effectively...but maybe he wanted to get at that kind of heroic parry...you know, the kind of masterful parry that neutralizes the one deathstroke of the villain, instead of a bonus against all attacks throughout the whole combat round...*shrugs*
hong said:
To me, too, effectively...but maybe he wanted to get at that kind of heroic parry...you know, the kind of masterful parry that neutralizes the one deathstroke of the villain, instead of a bonus against all attacks throughout the whole combat round...*shrugs*
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
We are defining Parrying as a deliberate attempt to intercept and neutralise a particular attack.
mechanically, no.
Expertise increases your AC, passively reducing the likelihood of an attack hitting, and is effective against all attackers and all attacks made for the next round.
So expertise is different in every particular.
hong said:
mechanically, no.
Expertise increases your AC, passively reducing the likelihood of an attack hitting, and is effective against all attackers and all attacks made for the next round.
So expertise is different in every particular.
Plane Sailing said:
...which is subsumed into your overall AC, just like blocking it with a shield, dodging out of the way, hiding behind a wall, and all the other things you do to keep people from hurting you. Just as D&D doesn't model individual swings of a sword, it doesn't model individual parries. That doesn't mean they don't happen.
I don't see why. Expertise means you know more tricks to keep people from hitting you. That could well represent increased skill at parrying, as much as anything else.
I don't think the D&D combat system is suited to modelling individual parries and swings -- the level of abstraction isn't right. This, incidentally, is also why I don't like the martial arts feats in OA and elsewhere that try to represent specific attacks (roundhouse kick, defensive throw, great throw, etc).
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Geron Raveneye
Explorer
Me, too
It uses the existing rules with minimal tweaking, and allows for outstanding parries while not meddling with the balance of the whole combat system. If the DM so wishes, one can even apply damage to the weapons on that kind of parry, making it more rare to be utilized...
It uses the existing rules with minimal tweaking, and allows for outstanding parries while not meddling with the balance of the whole combat system. If the DM so wishes, one can even apply damage to the weapons on that kind of parry, making it more rare to be utilized...
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Shalewind
First Post
The current "abstact" system already assumes that you are parrying. Do you know why you get a base AC of 10? Because your character is "Taking 10" on his defenses. (I believe I've read this somewhere before, flame away if I am mistaken).
That base AC of 10 assumes your character is blocking blows and moving around. He isn't just standing still in his little 5' by 5' square, he moving, blocking, parrying, and trying to land blows of his own.
This is the reason why precise shot exists. If a person was actually standing in a 5' by 5' square and fighting a guy 5' away from him, he wouldn't have a big penalty to hit. That is because the rules are abstract. D&D isn't meant to be blow by blow.
Now, I've fooled around with several parry options myself. The end result is this, IMHO. Combats are longer, critical hits become the only attacks that hit, and skilled characters never take damage. I'm all for the blademaster that can almost never be hit, but making ten rolls for five seconds... It got boring and labored quick. Parry mechanics really start to break down at higher levels.
I used to think AC was a crock too. Now I see how fluid it is and why the designers made things so abstract. Speed. You can resolve combats quickly (keeps the feel of that six second round).
If you want a more complex system, I say go for it. The NetBook of feats has lots of parry options. Just be prepared to face the re-balancing issue with the entire combat system. (Player: Why can't I block that Magic Missle with my shield or magical power sword +5?)
Good luck in whatever you choose to use.
That base AC of 10 assumes your character is blocking blows and moving around. He isn't just standing still in his little 5' by 5' square, he moving, blocking, parrying, and trying to land blows of his own.
This is the reason why precise shot exists. If a person was actually standing in a 5' by 5' square and fighting a guy 5' away from him, he wouldn't have a big penalty to hit. That is because the rules are abstract. D&D isn't meant to be blow by blow.
Now, I've fooled around with several parry options myself. The end result is this, IMHO. Combats are longer, critical hits become the only attacks that hit, and skilled characters never take damage. I'm all for the blademaster that can almost never be hit, but making ten rolls for five seconds... It got boring and labored quick. Parry mechanics really start to break down at higher levels.
I used to think AC was a crock too. Now I see how fluid it is and why the designers made things so abstract. Speed. You can resolve combats quickly (keeps the feel of that six second round).
If you want a more complex system, I say go for it. The NetBook of feats has lots of parry options. Just be prepared to face the re-balancing issue with the entire combat system. (Player: Why can't I block that Magic Missle with my shield or magical power sword +5?)
Good luck in whatever you choose to use.
Cantelope tastes like watermelon
Okay guys, wow, i seem to have started quite the little fued here....
well, my peers have suggested a mechanic change on the chain-like weapon parry bonus: change it to -4 instead of +1. Agree with them? I think I do now, but it took a bit of convinceing.....
-Jeph
Okay guys, wow, i seem to have started quite the little fued here....
well, my peers have suggested a mechanic change on the chain-like weapon parry bonus: change it to -4 instead of +1. Agree with them? I think I do now, but it took a bit of convinceing.....
-Jeph
Corlon Lemur God
First Post
Watermelon tastes nothing liek nantelope, everyone knows watermelon is better!
Its -8 for chains jeph, not -4, -8(that is if you're going to use it in my campaign)!
Its -8 for chains jeph, not -4, -8(that is if you're going to use it in my campaign)!
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