Richard's SAGAized D&D

[richardgobble]

Armor System

There will be three types of amor: light, medium, and heavy. Any distinctions within these categories is flavor only.

Each armor type will give a penalty to Reflex Defense: light -1, medium -2, heavy -3. This will actually make it a little easier to hit you. This represents the fact that it is a little harder to lithely avoid blows in armor.

So why use armor then?

Each armor will have a damage reduction range: light +1, medium +2, heavy +3. This represents the fact that armor can turn glancing hits away.

Example: Imagine two 1st level fighters. All 10s for stats. BAB 5, Reflex Defense 16. It will take a roll of 11 to hit and deal damage.

In light armor, the reflex defense is penalized by -1, but the armor offers a damage reduction range of +1 (above original Reflex Defense). So a roll of 1-9 misses, and a roll of 13-20 hits for full damge. A roll of 10-12 will deal half damage.

In medium armor, reflex penalty -2, damage reduction range +2. 1-8 misses, 9-13 half half-damage, 14-20 full damage

In heavy armor, reflex penalty -3, damage reduction range +3. 1-7 misses, 8-14 half-damage, 15-20 full damage.

What does the math say? The average damage dealt with different types of armor is the same. The only difference is the width of the half-damage range. I like this because it allows the selection of armor to be primarily a flavor/character concept issue. A non-armored ninja can effectively fight a plate-wearing knight and so on. It also assumes that the higher the roll on the d20, the better/more solid the hit is. I will be using that idea for several other mechanics.

Masterwork armor would reduce the reflex penalty by one while maintaining the damage reduction range. Some sort of exotic material (mithral or whatnot) might increase the damage reduction range by one. No magic bonuses to reflex penalty or DR range.

The only thing I need to come up with now is a small advantage that the heavier armors can have to make the increased cost worthwhile. Any ideas?

 

[richardgobble]

Special Combat Actions

Nothing sucks more for me as a DM than to have a character try to grapple someone. Bleh.

So how about...

Treat Fortitude defense as a measure of stalwartness/stability in addition to its current uses. Then a person who wants to grapple/bullrush/trip/overrun you must target your Fortitude Defense. This would make it harder to do these things to a fighter.

It would go like this:

James wants to grapple Kyle. He initiates the grapple. This provokes an AoO from Kyle. Kyle can either take the AoO of try to sidestep the grapple. This means he makes James attack his Reflex Defense instead of Fortitude.

If James succeeds in "hitting" Kyle's Fort Defense, then Kyle is grabbed. If James overcomes Kyle's Fort Defense by 5, then Kyle is grappled (meaning that James had the advantage). On his turn, Kyle may try to break the grapple by attacking James's Fort save. He must hit the same threshold (+5) that James initially hit in order to break the grapple.

If James maintains the grapple, then on his turn he may attack Kyle with a light weapon or fist. He can also try to Trip or Pin.

Comments?

 

[FreeXenon]

Your Armor System is an interesting Idea.

 

[richardgobble]

Thanks.

It is the only thing I have come up with so far that felt like it had a light shining down on it.

 

[Daniel D. Fox]

Richard,

I myself was going through a standarized Iron Heroes conversion system to something resembling Saga a while back as well. The system detracts from the standarized D20 system in that there are three classes, and each class has a specific focus.Here is what I came up with (very similar to what you're using). I apologize for the formatting, as I have this all in an Excel spreadsheet at home:

Tri-class system

Warrior - focus is in feats
Adept - focus is in skills
Expert - focus is in talents

All classes received 30HP at first level/d10 at every subsequent level

Primary system relies off of 1/2 level modifier for BAB and Defenses.

Base Mechanical bonuses for Talents and Feats, as well as penalties revolve around a 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 principle. Base bonuses for Classes revolve around a 1, 2, 3 bonus structure.

Warriors get +3 Fort, +2 Reflex, +1 Will
Expert get +3 reflex, +2 Will, +1 Fortitude
Adept get +3 Will, +2 Fortitude, +1 Reflex

Warriors start out with 3 bonus feats/1 bonus talent
Experts start out with 2 bonus feats/2 bonus talents
Adepts start out with 1 bonus feat/3 bonus talents

Defenses are base 10+1/2 level+relevant ability mod+class modifier+magic modifier+misc. modifier

AC = Total Reflex

Armor and shields translate directly to DR and penalties by armor type are equal to the bonus to DR they provide (thus eliminating the max dex. by armor - e.g. Chain Mail is DR 5/-5 to skill checks)

base DR is equal to 1/2 level + armor and shield. Thus, a 10th level fighter with a tower shield and chain mail would have a DR of 5+5+5 = 15

Warriors get a +3 to strike with Martial Weapons (d10-d12 weapons) +2 to strike with Finesse Weapons (d6-d8 weapons), +1 to strike with Simple Weapons (d2-d4 weapons)

Experts get +2 to strike with Finesse Weapons (d6-d8 weapons), +1 to strike with Simple Weapons (d2-d4 weapons)

Adepts get a +1 to strike with Simple Weapons (d2-d4 weapons)

Warriors get 2 bonus skills at first level
Experts get 8 bonus skills at first level
Adepts get 6 bonus skillls at first level

Characters gain 1 feat at first level, and one every other level thereafter (1, 3, 5, 7, 9 etc...)
Characters gain 1 talent at second level, and one every other level thereafter (2, 4, 6, 8, etc...)

All characters start with Light Armor Proficiency, Shields and the relevant weapon group type they're strongest in (Warriors get Martial, Experts get Finesse, Adepts get Simple).

There is no class limit as to what skills or feats you can take. Each class has a specific Talent tree, and can opt to adopt other Talent trees by taking a Feat to open up that Talent tree.

I did a complete conversion of the Archer Talent tree I'll post here sometime in the next few days.

 

[richardgobble]

That sounds pretty cool.

Some of the ideas remind of things that I am cooking up. For instance, certain elements of your weapon system reminds me of mine.

Here is what I am going to do:

Weapon proficiency will gained through weapon groups (axes, maces, pole-arms, swords)

Weapons will range in damage from d4 to d12. d8 weapons will be the baseline, or "normal" weapon with all other weapons trying to balance out in some way.

Advantages to using d4 or d6 weapon (to balance less damage)
-they can be finessed
-they can be used in a grapple,

Disadvantages to d10 or d12 weapons (to balance more damage)
-2 handed weapons (d12) require a Large weapon feat in addition to the weapon group feat to effectively weild. Hand and a half weapons (d10) require the same feat to be used one handed.
-large weapons will cost some sort of "weapon check penalty" to any skills that are affected by armor check. Seriously, a 5-foot long greatsword is going to make tumbling or swimming a little harder.
-large weapons cannot benefit from the Quick Draw feat.

I have also considered a possible weapon focus feat tree that would culminate in opening up some sort of "weapon trick" that is unique to the specific weapon. For instance, a greatsword might grant the weilder the Cleave feat...or a rapier might gain an improved critical range...a Guisarme might be able to dismount a rider.

Basically all of those "real world" things that these weapons were supposed to have been good for. By making the players focus on a weapon group to the level of mastery, I save myself the head-ache of trying to make these abilities inherent to the weapon.