| Lady Asharah |
In an effort to see Combat Maneuver mechanics (not necessarily combat maneuvers themselves) see more use I started thinking up of ways to make them take effect as a part of other actions. So I started with Sunder.
You start by splitting your AC into 3 parts
Full AC
AC Without Shield
AC Without Armor.
Compare attack roll to your AC table and see where it lands.
If the hit lands on you regardless of AC, you take normal damage
If the hit was prevented from landing by the difference between Full and Shieldless AC, it means you managed to block the blow, and the shield takes damage (apply hardness and shield HP)
If the hit was prevented from landing by difference between Shield and Armor AC, that means your armor took the blow and takes damage (again apply hardness and armor HP)
And if the roll was so low that your AC without shield or armor prevented it, you merely sidestepped the attack.
This would lead to seeing more wear and tear on gear (useful if you're planning some sort of survival mode campaign) and also allow the DM and players for a more accurate description of attacks and hits.
Will regular Sunder still be useful? Yes! If you declare a Sunder attack and deal more damage than the item you are targeting has, the excess damage overflows onto the target creature carrying/wearing it.