No Love For Armour?

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by hcobb

ITL 124: "will not initiate HTH combat"
.

So, apparently bats and rats are zero threat to any labyrinth-delver who carries a torch. I can see a large conflagration keeping a wild animal at bay, but not a mere torch, regardless of what this rule.

[hcobb]

Swarms do not engage in HTH combat.

But having two weapons and Staff IV lets the witch attack three rats per turn. (Note carefully the restriction on Staff IV that prevents this from being four rats per turn.)

[Shostak]

It amounts to the same thing, since a rat or bat must be in the same hex as you to attack you.

[hcobb]

In a one on one fight if you can put 8 hits on the foe before his DX order then your armor doesn't matter.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by hcobb

In a one on one fight if you can put 8 hits on the foe before his DX order then your armor doesn't matter.

And when you fail to do so, you will almost certainly be thankful for a little armor. Just like when you’ve lacerated your leg on a mountain hike, you’ll be glad you were prudent enough to bring a first aid kit.

[Infornific]

Originally, high DX & ST could be used to offset armor DX penalties. The soft cap on Attributes in the Legacy version makes that less practical. But in Legacy Talents are supposed to be used to expand character abilities, more than Attribute growth. So one way to show a little more love for armor might be a Talent.

Armor Familiarity (2)

Requires IQ 9+

Each level reduces the DX penalty for Armor by one. This Talent may be taken three times. Requires ST 10 for level 1, ST 12 for level 2 and ST 14 for level 3.

Cost is based on Toughness. If that seems a little high, maybe drop it to 1/level.

This would make it possible for relatively modest DX characters to fight effectively in heavy Armor. E.g., a knight with DX 13 ST 14 IQ 11 could have three levels of this and fight in plate with an adjusted DX of 10.

[tomc]

Originally Posted by Infornific

...This would make it possible for relatively modest DX characters to fight effectively in heavy Armor. E.g., a knight with DX 13 ST 14 IQ 11 could have three levels of this and fight in plate with an adjusted DX of 10.

I like this a lot. An old grizzled guardsman is so used to his armor that it doesn't hurt his fighting ability, but taking it off doesn't make him any quicker.

Nice!

[larsdangly]

I've used a rule like this in my house rules for 'original edition' TFT. I haven't revived it (yet) for Legacy Edition, but I understand why you might want to do this. But, you'll want to think through the details and possibly modify so it doesn't enable a game-changing character type. E.g., if I can reduce armor penalties by 3, and have accumulated the modest amount of money I need for standard Fine Plate, and put up 2 levels of Toughness and Shield Expertise, then I can have 10 points of armor for 1 point of DX penalty. That is equivalent providing every character a pretty straightforward route to a very powerful magic item.

[Infornific]

Originally Posted by larsdangly

I've used a rule like this in my house rules for 'original edition' TFT. I haven't revived it (yet) for Legacy Edition, but I understand why you might want to do this. But, you'll want to think through the details and possibly modify so it doesn't enable a game-changing character type. E.g., if I can reduce armor penalties by 3, and have accumulated the modest amount of money I need for standard Fine Plate, and put up 2 levels of Toughness and Shield Expertise, then I can have 10 points of armor for 1 point of DX penalty. That is equivalent providing every character a pretty straightforward route to a very powerful magic item.

True, but you'd need to spend 12 Talent points (6,000 xp) plus the cost of the armor. Up until you've got 38 total Attributes you're better off buying up DX than buying Armor Familiarity. And you'd need ST 14. Also, I don't think Shield Expertise eliminates the DX penalty for a large shield. Though -2 DX and 10 points armor is still scary.

Admittedly I'm blue skying this so I could easily be missing some critical flaw.

[KevinJ]

Originally Posted by FireHorse

If we can have ultra-rare materials, then I want my armor made from Kevlar.

Err, I mean… Kevlarite. Ium. Kevlaritium. Yeah, that's the stuff. Weight of hardened leather, strength of fine steel plate. Handcrafted by secret (and patented) processes known only to a reclusive enclave of Dwarven armor-smiths, whom only wealthy kingdoms have enough gold to hire.

Aramid fibers are of little protection from cutting or sharp stabbing weapons. The best Kevlar armor still requires a .002 inch thick titanium steel stab plate to stop a knife from killing you.