I have found most systems for armor and defense unsatisfying.I find pure damage negation doesn't represent that armor doesn't just reflect but also reduces a lot of damage too, a hammer to the helmet won't just plink off its going to have some significant concussive effect, if less than against an unhelmeted head. But on the other end, armor as pure static damage reduction often doesn't illustrate the other end, that many attacks SHOULD simply be negated, a knife thrown at a breastplate won't just deal less damage, it will ping off harmlessly.And Barbarians of Lemuria, Specifically the Mythic version, I believe addresses both those concerns for me.This is done by a. health and damage being kept rather conservative and relatively equal, not becoming exponential as levels go up and b. armor being a die you roll for damage reduction rather than a static number. The range of damage that armor protects just so happens to align with the damage most weapons can do. damage being 1-6 + strength and armor protecting 0-5 damage. meaning that a low roll on most attacks and a high roll on most armor saves will have the armor totally negate attacks, while a high attack roll and a low armor roll will totally bypass armor, and a medium attack roll and a medium armor roll will deal reduced damage.This is all modified by the fact that 2 handed weapons you roll 2d6 and pick the highest damage, medium weapons you roll straight 1d6 and light weapons you roll 2d6 pick the lowest. And armor ranged from light reducing d6-3 damage (0-3 damage), medium reducing d6-2 damage (0-4 damage), and heavy reducing d6-1 damage (0-5 damage). This means a dagger has the potential to deal as much damage as a great axe if situation permits (like dagger to the eye slit), but is less likely too, and that light armor could fully protect you from a glancing blow like heavy armor, but is also less likely too.
>>97817261And it all happens fairly quickly:>Roll to see if you hit>roll your damage>opponent rolls for armor, deal difference as damageNot that I think the system as a whole is the best or anything. I think 4 base attributes is limiting and I liked to have a number of default skills as a basis for out of combat actions instead of only using careers.I just find its armor/damage system in particular really elegent.
GURPS
>>97817299Only if you use the low-tech edged weapons variant rule, otherwise is fucking shit.
>>97817261As with all my favorite TTRPG mechanics, my favorite armor mechanic is one I had to bash together myself.>armor weight is decided when making a character, each piece among the four features (head, pair of arms, body, pair of legs) don't have to be the same>armor weight determines "durability modifier", base 0.10/0.25/0.63 for unarmored/light/heavy; further character options may increase this modifier>the feature's final strength + vitality is modified (gasp) by the durability modifier to determine the durability points of the feature>durability acts somewhat like "temporary hit points", but the type of armor and certain passive skills can reduce or even ignore damage in some cases>unarmored won't protect the feature from a critical hit (but durability won't be reduced, so you can heal the injury and still have armor)>light armor protects from critical hits, but is instantly broken>heavy armor protects from all damage, and only multiplies critical hit damage>unfortunately, heavier armor reduces that feature's reflex rating, which is important for resolving reactions, and reduces any "repeat chance" of skills used by that featureI feel this is a way to differentiate not just armor weight, but also armor types, and incentivizes building characters in different ways.I enjoy games which offer diverse character options and play styles, not ones that have one or two correct choices or those you have to beg a DM to be effective.
>>97817261prowlers and paragons
>>97817394>durability acts somewhat like "temporary hit points"I liked that idea. That there is a collection of points that refrersh between engagements, and might be ignored by certain armor piercing/circumventing things high a high draw weight arbelest or a dagger to the armpit.
Static damage reduction is about right for how armor functions. Add in specific armor penetrating effects and you're good.
>>97817766you know that most armors dont cover every possible spot on the body and that no armors recieves tensions/ aka damage the same and from all angles in every location so obviously the amount of damage potentially absorbed from the armor ranges. a part of the armmo's dr should be fixed damage reduction and the rest based on a roll
