Envision this: the orc barbarian chieftan rushes your 15th level *apparently* unarmed bard. As his battle axe comes slicing down, it is suddenly blocked between a pair of crossed daggers.
How did this happen? The bard used a parry.
technically, he used quick draw and the Pick Pocket skill to get the daggers out from wrist holders, made a parry, failed it, then made a second one thanks to Combat Reflexes, Ambitexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, and a good dose of luck.
The basic parry rules....
- a parry takes up an attack of opportunity slot
- declare weather you are using a parry before your opponent's attack roll is made.
- make an attack roll with the weapon with which you are parrying. If it equals or exceeds your opponent's roll, their attack fails.
Now bonuses and penalties for weapon size...
- If your weapon is one size greater than your or two sizes smaller, you recieve a -4 penalty on your parry roll with it.
- If your weapon is smaller than your opponent's, you recieve a -2 penalty for each size category of displacement.
- If your weapon is larger than your opponent's, you recieve a -1 penalty for each size category of displacemeng.
And now bonuses or penalties for weapon type....
- Swords or Daggers: +3
- Axes, Hammers, or Halberds: -3
- Polearms and Spears: -2
- Chained Weapons (such as flails): +1
- Staff-like weapons: +2
- Clubs and Bludgoens: -1
- Ropelike weapons (such as whips): -8
Stack all modifiers that apply. For instance, a character might parry with greatsword against a rapier. The greatsword is one size larger than it's wielder (-4), one size larger than a rapier (-1), and a sword (+3), for a total of -2 on the parry check.
Remember this little rules tidbit: When fighting with a Large double weapon, it is as if the character is using 1 one-handed and 1 off-handed weapon. This could lead to a few misparries, if neglected.
I have done the best I can to simulate the momentum of a weapon and the size and manueverability of it's blade, haft, or whatever.
Also, using these rules, shields would be done a bit differently...
- Shields may be used for one free parry each round (does not use up an attack of opportunity slot), instead of providing AC bonuses.
- Each additional shield parry after that *does* use up an Attack of Opportunity slot.
- Shields are always counted as being the same size category as both their wielder and their opponent's weapon.
- Bucklers get a +1 bonus on their parry roles.
- Small shields get a +3 bonus.
- Large shields get a +5 bonus.
- Tower shields still provide cover (try swinging *that* in to parry
)
Here's a pretty cool alternate rule I worked out, but I'm not sure if it's very balanced: When a character succesfuly parrys with a weapon that gives a bonus on disarm attempts (such as a flail), or has paralel blades with which to catch and twist a weapon (such as a bladed gauntlet), they may attempt a disarm attack with a -4 penalty as a free action if they use up another attack of opportunity slot.
Admitedly, every part of these rules do make the feat Combat Reflexes much more useful, just one or two extra parry attempts can save your head multiple times.
Using this system, combats will be longer, as characters will not be hit as often. DMs are encouraged to therefore use a classless system where all characters have a smaller, fixed amount of HP determined by their Con score, or the VP/WP system appearing in Spycraft and Starwars.
By the way, a monster's natural weapons are all two sizes smaller than it, right? please correct me if I'm wrong, this could be a pretty major thing.....
Please give me comments or advice with this system! all help is appreciated (even mindless malevolent criticis--never mind.
)
"So, you work out?"
- King Jerall III, when he met the present queen of Thoria
-Jeph
How did this happen? The bard used a parry.
technically, he used quick draw and the Pick Pocket skill to get the daggers out from wrist holders, made a parry, failed it, then made a second one thanks to Combat Reflexes, Ambitexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting, and a good dose of luck.
The basic parry rules....
- a parry takes up an attack of opportunity slot
- declare weather you are using a parry before your opponent's attack roll is made.
- make an attack roll with the weapon with which you are parrying. If it equals or exceeds your opponent's roll, their attack fails.
Now bonuses and penalties for weapon size...
- If your weapon is one size greater than your or two sizes smaller, you recieve a -4 penalty on your parry roll with it.
- If your weapon is smaller than your opponent's, you recieve a -2 penalty for each size category of displacement.
- If your weapon is larger than your opponent's, you recieve a -1 penalty for each size category of displacemeng.
And now bonuses or penalties for weapon type....
- Swords or Daggers: +3
- Axes, Hammers, or Halberds: -3
- Polearms and Spears: -2
- Chained Weapons (such as flails): +1
- Staff-like weapons: +2
- Clubs and Bludgoens: -1
- Ropelike weapons (such as whips): -8
Stack all modifiers that apply. For instance, a character might parry with greatsword against a rapier. The greatsword is one size larger than it's wielder (-4), one size larger than a rapier (-1), and a sword (+3), for a total of -2 on the parry check.
Remember this little rules tidbit: When fighting with a Large double weapon, it is as if the character is using 1 one-handed and 1 off-handed weapon. This could lead to a few misparries, if neglected.
I have done the best I can to simulate the momentum of a weapon and the size and manueverability of it's blade, haft, or whatever.
Also, using these rules, shields would be done a bit differently...
- Shields may be used for one free parry each round (does not use up an attack of opportunity slot), instead of providing AC bonuses.
- Each additional shield parry after that *does* use up an Attack of Opportunity slot.
- Shields are always counted as being the same size category as both their wielder and their opponent's weapon.
- Bucklers get a +1 bonus on their parry roles.
- Small shields get a +3 bonus.
- Large shields get a +5 bonus.
- Tower shields still provide cover (try swinging *that* in to parry
)Here's a pretty cool alternate rule I worked out, but I'm not sure if it's very balanced: When a character succesfuly parrys with a weapon that gives a bonus on disarm attempts (such as a flail), or has paralel blades with which to catch and twist a weapon (such as a bladed gauntlet), they may attempt a disarm attack with a -4 penalty as a free action if they use up another attack of opportunity slot.
Admitedly, every part of these rules do make the feat Combat Reflexes much more useful, just one or two extra parry attempts can save your head multiple times.
Using this system, combats will be longer, as characters will not be hit as often. DMs are encouraged to therefore use a classless system where all characters have a smaller, fixed amount of HP determined by their Con score, or the VP/WP system appearing in Spycraft and Starwars.
By the way, a monster's natural weapons are all two sizes smaller than it, right? please correct me if I'm wrong, this could be a pretty major thing.....
Please give me comments or advice with this system! all help is appreciated (even mindless malevolent criticis--never mind.
)"So, you work out?"
- King Jerall III, when he met the present queen of Thoria
-Jeph
