Streamlining Combat Expertise with Fighting Defensivley

[Laurefindel]

Characters are given the options to fight on the defensive for a -4 attack /+2 AC trade off.

Combat Expertise is a feat that allows attack bonus to be trade for AC bonus. It use to be up to -5/+5 for everybody who could spare a 13 in INT (judged too powerful by many). It is now limited by your INT bonus (judged too unfair by many)

Since the mechanic is already there, I suggest that Combat Expertise halves the penalties for fighting defensively (for a flat -2/+2 trade off), keeping INT 13 as its prerequisite.

Power attack could follow the same logic for a more uniform system, but it would require a new option that would allow characters to fight Aggressively (or something like that) for a -4 attack /+2 damage trade off (+4 damage if weapon is 2-handed). Power attack would simply cut the penalties in half the same way it was done for Combat Expertise.

If players are willing to live with the lost of options, it would streamline the system toward simplicity and make the job of DMing easier and the combat system more intuitive for new players.

I've mention this on another thread before, but this seems the right place to put it...

Benoit

[Brit O]

Laurefindel wrote:

Characters are given the options to fight on the defensive for a -4 attack /+2 AC trade off.

Combat Expertise is a feat that allows attack bonus to be trade for AC bonus. It use to be up to -5/+5 for everybody who could spare a 13 in INT (judged too powerful by many). It is now limited by your INT bonus (judged too unfair by many)

Since the mechanic is already there, I suggest that Combat Expertise halves the penalties for fighting defensively (for a flat -2/+2 trade off), keeping INT 13 as its prerequisite.

Power attack could follow the same logic for a more uniform system, but it would require a new option that would allow characters to fight Aggressively (or something like that) for a -4 attack /+2 damage trade off (+4 damage if weapon is 2-handed). Power attack would simply cut the penalties in half the same way it was done for Combat Expertise.

If players are willing to live with the lost of options, it would streamline the system toward simplicity and make the job of DMing easier and the combat system more intuitive for new players.

I've mention this on another thread before, but this seems the right place to put it...

Benoit

I don't like the lack of control over it anymore. I liked the days of just picking the modifier I wanted and rolling with it. Sometimes my INT or STR modifier is just too big for what I wanted.

I think they need to be streamlined too, but instead of working on how to put the two together I've always wished Combat Expertise for at least 2 should count as fighting defensively. A lot of abilities and such mention benefits when fighting defensively but taking the -4 penalty for +2 AC and the benefits seemed contrary to why I took combat expertise in the first place.