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I run a few play by post games and was looking to change up some rules after a long break from gaming. Here are some of the ideas I have had that I would like some feedback on. These are rough ideas that have not been tested in-game, but they are ways to make some parts of the game more relevant.
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- Classes get a defense bonus to AC based on the BAB of the class. This would be the same alternate system from 3.5 and other RPGs that used class defense.
- Armor now provides a percentage damage mitigation calculated by (Armor Bonus x 5%). Enhancement bonuses would increase this by 5% per plus. This way the front line forces can better do their job of fending off the enemy and absorbing blows to protect the weaker members.
- Armor now gives a penalty to the dexterity modifier equal to half the armor check penalty, rounded up. This replaces the max dexterity bonus. Enchantments and materials would be added to the modifier prior to the calculation to get a new result. I see this as making more sense, as a guy with no dexterity modifier to begin with will be easier to hit when wearing full plate than a guy with no armor and the same dexterity. Its just not as easy to move quickly.
- Shields now have a percent chance to deflect a confirmed hit equal to the (Shield Bonus x 10%). As with armor, enhancement bonuses will increase this by 5% per plus. 10% seems like a bit much with a +5 tower shield blocking 90%. May impose a max blocks per round with possible class/BAB/Feats increasing this.
- Armor, Shields and Weapons will have a durability that will decrease as they are hit or hit other things. The way this total is calculated is still in progress. Magical items will have a percent chance to take no durability loss. These items will be able to be repaired, but reduce the maximum durability. Items will decrease in effectiveness as the durability decreases.
I would also like to have the weapon damage type effect the damage mitigation, but that is a much more daunting task, as each armor type would have a different number based on its construction.
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I also want to revamp the item creation system to utilize Craft(x) during item creation and increasing the minimum level to make items. Right now magic items, As written, get trivialized around mid-level. I would like them to seem more special and unique and not commonplace. I would also like to implement more unique materials to supplement getting magic items later. The new materials would have different interactions with durability and offensive factors based on hardness and weight. This task segment is very difficult and will take me a lot of time to think up. right now, I am just focusing on the first bullet points since those are a bit more manageable.
I've played a couple of games before that used alot of those systems.
I'll tell you right now some of them seem great but aren't.
For instance, Individual durability values for each armor:
You have to have a sheet tracking each value, for each armor, on each character, as well as on every enemy you make, every NPC companion character, Even the stupid horse barding...
You also have to create fair sounding values so that armor breaks only when they've gained about X times the amount of gold used to repair it.
Make multipliers for the durability based on what kind of enchantment it is...
Etc. Etc. etc.
As you can see this gets very annoying, expecially when your characters like to use peice-meal armor, or are spontaneous barbarian-gladiators that like to use improvised armor. I survived a couple of bullets one time because I was running away wearing nothing but a barrel, So having to create these complex values on the spot is not conducive to proper game flow.
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I like your value of percentage blocking for armor, but at that rate, It's legitimately possible to be blocking 100percent damage once you slap a basic enchantment on a tower-shield and a suit of heavy. Even worse how will you implement features that increase your natural AC? When your skin turns into bark, how much will that block?
Plus you'd have to ramp up the damage and health of everything by 2x just to get level 1 damage/health numbers to a managble value to work with percentages.
I'd say to go ahead an do the multiplication of damage and helath, and put it at a 5% flat bonus for default values, including shields, and enchantments and spells will only give 5% for every +2 it gives to AC. This way a Bulky paladin will still be taking less damage than say... and alchemist or druid, and will no longer mind him having -24 stealth and swim.
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Also on that note, If the Dexterity value was the case, your average paladerp's dexterity bonus would be -14, leaving his would be armor class at around 3 -THOUGH that does make sence if you go with what I advised making heavy armor reduce damage by ALOT to compensate- But I would say to only apply the penalty to things like Touch AC and Combat Manuver Defence, as You don't need to double up on the skill reduction armor gives you. Sure -36 stealth instead of -24 doesn't matter that much, but it would really screw over those medium armor classes who are trying to balance out dodgy stealth with some minor defense. You don't want to force one of two extremes, let your players fiddle around with wearing an armored coat as a ninja if they want.
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Since this is a slower running play by post, having a spreadsheet to track equipment conditions will be simpler. I will be able to add items on the fly pretty easy and always encourage creative play, so I would like to see someone improvise protection on the fly.
As for the shield block, it can get out of hand. I will be crunching those percents. There will be a max blocks per turn and armor will only soak a percent of the damage, not negate a hit like the shield block percent.
Not sure about those numbers on the dex issue. Full plate would give a -4 penalty to the existing dex modifier. Someone that dumps dex will net -2 more on that, resulting in a -6 penalty to AC. This seems fair, as normal AC in this modification is basically the same as touch AC, and someone clumsy and wearing bulk armor will not be that hard to hit.
I have not decided yet how Natural armor should work, whether it be soaking or deflecting. Soaking up damage seems more appropriate