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From: dove@mit-bug.UUCP (Web Dove)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: ad&d mods for lesser damage
Message-ID: <276@mit-bug.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Sep-85 09:53:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-bug.276
Posted: Mon Sep 30 09:53:50 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 2-Oct-85 20:16:24 EDT
Reply-To: dove@mit-bugs-bunny.UUCP (Web Dove)
Organization: MIT Digital Signal Processing Group
Lines: 84

While we are on the subject of game balance, here are some changes we
are playing.  They have to do with damage.

1) Roll all damage
All adjustments to the damage of a weapon (magical plusses, ranger
bonus vs giants, elf bonus with sword/bow, monk bonus with weapon,
strength bonus ...) contribute to an additional die that is rolled and
added to the basic dice of the weapon.

For example, a 10th lvl 18/00 str ranger swinging a +3 two-handed
sword against a hill giant gets

10 (ranger) + 3 (sword) + 6 (strength) = d19

in addition to the basic 3d6 of the weapon.

Of these pluses, only the ones directly attributable to the magic of
the weapon are unlimited (e.g. a +20 sword is possible though
unlikely).  The sum of the pluses of the other catagories cannot
exceed the maximum roll of the basic weapon.  So in the example above,
if the ranger only had a +5 daggar, the adjustment for ranger and str
would be limited to +3 (the maximum roll of a daggar vs giants) which
when added to the (unlimited) +5 of the weapon itself yields d8
additional damage.

Notice that this reduces the damage in the first case from

3*3.5 + 19 = 29.5 (avrg)  22 (min)

to

3*3.5 + 10 = 20.5 (avrg) 4 (min)

More importantly for us, it makes the damage RANDOM again.  Guaranteed
damage takes a lot of the excitement (and frustration) out of the game
and replaces it with enourmous monsters that kill you in the
first/second round.

Also, it makes big weapons worth having (before this everyone
gravitated to longswords).

(The pain of rolling a d13 or d17 isn't too bad.)


2) damage reduction
AC lower than 9 allows you to roll a damage reduction at the end of
the round (i.e. after all creatures have swung at you).  For each
point below 9, the reduction die gets an additional face (ac 8 means
no roll is necessary, it is always a 1).  The reduction can NEVER
exceed the cumulative damage for that round (if you are hit you always
take at least 1 point).

For purposes of this reduction, the only things that count are
inherent creature AC and non-magical ARMOR (not shield).
Magical contributions to AC DON'T COUNT.  Dex adjustments DON'T COUNT.
(We are right now counting monk AC, but that may change).

So for humans, leather gives AC 8 (1 pt reduction), plate gives AC 3
(d6 reduction).  These are the limits for humans.  For monsters, a
demon with AC -10 gets d19 points of reduction!

This reduction applies to most damage (e.g. fireball, falling).
However, some cases can be excluded (metal armor won't reduce
electrical damage).  See the section in the DM guide under saving
throw adjustments from armor for guidance.


This rule has several purposes:

it gives low level fighters/clerics some help (since they tend to be
the front line in melee)

it puts some significance back into wearing armor (Previously everyone
was gravitating to bracers where possible.  Now armor is definitely
worth it)

it is a big help for monsters.  (doesn't mean much to low levels, but
biggies are MUCH tougher to kill).


--

Both rules are easy to implement.  They were intended to give monsters
a hand and put some randomness back into high level battles.