GMMichael
Guide of Modos
3rd Ed handled the spear formation with Attacks of Opportunity and Reach. If you were 10 feet from a spear formation, the front rank could attack you (3 attacks). Then if you advanced on them, well, the front rank wouldn't get another attack because five foot adjustments don't provoke AoOs. But if the second rank had Readied their actions (3rd rule), you'd suffer 3 more attacks. At which point the front rank would dutifully switch to daggers, since you'd be inside the range of their spears. Or the whole formation could move back and stab you repeatedly again.
The streamlining in Modos comes from:
- removal of grid rules
- reduction in listed skills
- take half rule (which eliminates a lot of dice rolling)
- removal and streamlining of ability scores, so there's no hit point bonuses for Con or Strength damage bonuses, or spell per day bonuses or what have you...
- removal of Attacks of Opportunity, movement actions, standard actions, and full round actions. You simply get three actions. You can use them all during your turn, or save them as reactions called Reserve actions.
- removal of cover, squeezing, flat-footed, concealment, higher ground, prone, and all that other jazz. There is simply Difficulty. If things get difficult, you take a penalty.
Now you're right, some things have been added in. Rolling to reduce damage is (relatively) new. Rolling to defend is (relatively) new. Please note, anytime rolling dice is required, you can simply settle for half the greatest result on the die. This effectively turns a Parry contest into a touch Armor Class. If you'd rather "full attack" than defend yourself, don't save any actions for Parry, spend them all on attacks, and let your armor absorb damage.
From what the Fantasist had to say, 1d6 damage for all weapons didn't last long.
The streamlining in Modos comes from:
- removal of grid rules
- reduction in listed skills
- take half rule (which eliminates a lot of dice rolling)
- removal and streamlining of ability scores, so there's no hit point bonuses for Con or Strength damage bonuses, or spell per day bonuses or what have you...
- removal of Attacks of Opportunity, movement actions, standard actions, and full round actions. You simply get three actions. You can use them all during your turn, or save them as reactions called Reserve actions.
- removal of cover, squeezing, flat-footed, concealment, higher ground, prone, and all that other jazz. There is simply Difficulty. If things get difficult, you take a penalty.
Now you're right, some things have been added in. Rolling to reduce damage is (relatively) new. Rolling to defend is (relatively) new. Please note, anytime rolling dice is required, you can simply settle for half the greatest result on the die. This effectively turns a Parry contest into a touch Armor Class. If you'd rather "full attack" than defend yourself, don't save any actions for Parry, spend them all on attacks, and let your armor absorb damage.
From what the Fantasist had to say, 1d6 damage for all weapons didn't last long.
