TFT Defense

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by larsdangly

Honestly, TFT would be a stronger game if it adapted something like the mix of passive defense and protection rules from GURPS for armor and shields. This would make some people uncomfortable because it feels like you are sliding toward remaking GURPS, which no one wants. But there are a couple of technical details to how damage, protection, etc. worked in GURPS that are just better versions of the treatment in TFT, and they are not really any more complicated or slow. If I were in the captain's chair, that's what I would do. Melee is a combat engine; why wouldn't you want all the coolest, highest-verisimilitude pieces in it?

TFT makes almost all deflection issues a matter of an extra die in the pool.

Simply adding a point or two of damage reduction is NOT in any way giving fidelity to the realities.

Judging when to apply a much more severe reduction is the key to giving realism.

the cost in handling time is why I suggest the off-color die. Increasing by a die is already the extant rule (it's in Melee), but that's a clean hit or clean miss.

Which is why I suggest a roll once, count twice, and only if the two counts disagree do you make a second roll.

My suggested mechanism: If you have the parrying talent for the wielded weapon type, your opponent rolls their normal 3d6, plus an off color (for 4d6). If the 4d6 hits: no parry.
If the 4d6 total misses, but the 3d6 hits, the attacker and defender both roll the relevant damage, and the defender reduces the attacker's damage by their weapon damage.
If the 3d6 misses, it's a miss.

The parry talents would be Shield Block, Weapon Block, and Fencing Parry.
Shields used add 1d6+AV as their "Damage" for parrying. The others use the weapon damage.

My suggested mechanism, in action:

Fred AdjDX15, is attacking joe, AdjDX 15. Both have broadsword, and Weapon Block talents.

As long as Joe is aware, and fred's not in the rear of Joe, Fred has to roll 3d6+1d6 to hit Joe. Joe rolls 3,5,6,[2]=14+[2] ... Fred hits, as the 14 is under his Adj DX, but Joe gets to parry. Both roll damage. Fred rolls an 8, Joe a 3, so Joe's armor has to stop 5.

Joe now slides around fred, and whacks him from the side, giving him an AdjDX 17... but note the 3d6 still needs to be 15 or less... and his 4,4,6,[1] is a fail. The 1 on the parry is ignored.

Fred returns the favor, and gets 5,5,5,[2] vs an AdjDX 17... and he hits. So, checking the 4d6, he's at 17, so he hits, and does normal damage, no parry.

If one hates the extra roll of damage dice, simply count each die as 3, then add the adds. If you have the parry talent, you need to then write a parry score... so their broadswords would have a parry of 6.

Expert would allow a second parry per round.
Master a 3rd.

Combined with defending, it uses 4d of color A and 1d of color B... so the 4D first get compared to 20 or AdjDX (lower of), and then 24 or AdjDX (Lower of) for the 5D to see if a parry reduces.