Enemies have low AC compared PCs and also have lower HP (and no stamina) compared to PCs.
So yes, PCs are supposed to have relatively low to hit values.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I am very concerned about the hit curve. Bonus to attack roll has basically gone away in Starfinder (except weapon focus of focus of course).
But defense bonuses seem to be alive and well, is the idea that everyone is just going to miss a lot more? Am I missing something?
At least from the limited data that we have, monster AC's are fairly low. Low enough that characters won't need massive bonuses to hit.
Keep in mind, NPCs and monsters are going to be having lower ACs than characters.
1st level
So the maximum to-hit you can have by yourself at first level is:
+1 BAB + 4 Stat + 1 Weapon focus = +6 to hit.
For melee you can add on Flanking (+2).
If you're on a coordinated team, as a ranged striker you might get +1 from the Coordinated Shot feat on a melee.
Then there is Flat Footed (effective +2) and Get 'Em (+1).
CR 1 threats are going to typically have ACs around 11-13. Even CR 3 threats are going to be around AC 13-15. It is very possible to be hitting on a 2+ if your team is really focused on it at level 1.
10th level
By level 10, optimized teams will be looking at:
+10 BAB + 5 Stat + 2 Personal Enhancement + 1 Weapon Focus = +18 to hit.
You can get Flanking (+2), Flat Footed (effective +2), and Improved Get 'Em (+2) for another +6 against a solo big bad. Ranged might be getting 1 less for Coordinated shot.
The one CR 13 in the First Contact booklet has a EAC of 26 and KAC of 27. Assuming you've got all those bonuses, you are looking at +24. You hit the EAC on a 2+ and the KAC on a 3+.
20th level
Taking the joke CR 20 monster in the CRB as a typical armor class, we have EAC 34 and KAC 35.
+20 BAB + 6 Stat + 3 Personal Enhancement + 1 Weapon focus = +30 to hit
Add the possible +6, you would be hitting on a 1 if 1s were not automatically misses.
Even if you relax the optimization a little, having the possibility of hitting on a 4+ roll isn't that bad.
Now non-full BAB classes will be hitting less often, but they tend to have other options, like spells. Or they are the envoy providing the +4 to all the other characters in addition to themselves.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Unless Enemies are running defenses well below the way they are calculated for PCs (ie 10+Dex+KAC/EAC) it seems like characters are going to be hovering much closer to 50%, which I think most tables are going to feel is pretty low.This causes you no concern?
The enemies are running defense well below the way they are calculated for PCs. My examples were from actual typical enemies, not unusually low ACs.
For why this is the case, you can try reading Mark Seifter's post.
I'll draw your attention to the middle of the post where he states: "Starfinder went with a third option: Monsters tend to have higher accuracy than the PCs and lower AC."
As for Personal Enhancement, its the stat enhancements you can buy. Its on page 212. I guess they call it Personal Upgrades, but its basically +6, +4 or +2 to a stat. My apologies for the naming confusion.
Get 'Em and Improved 'Get Em are Envoy improvisations. See pages 62 and 63. While you're at it, look at Clever Feint and Clever Attack improvisations, as well as the Operative's Debilitating Trick on page 94.
Unless Enemies are running defenses well below the way they are calculated for PCs (ie 10+Dex+KAC/EAC) it seems like characters are going to be hovering much closer to 50%, which I think most tables are going to feel is pretty low.This causes you no concern?
Not really.
You may notice that NPCs get their KAC and EAC from their level. They do not add their Dex Bonus, we see this from the write ups in the Starfinder Society Scenarios and First Contact (and I presume Incident At Absolom Station). Likewise, any armor they are shown as wearing appears to be cosmetic (and/or loot for victorious PCs).
A snipped quote. Not meaning to pick on Claxon in particular.
Enemies have [...] lower HP (and no stamina) compared to PCs.
From what I've seen, enemies' HP values for a given CR are about the same as PCs' HP+SP values for that same level. Am I mistaken?