Hey tough guy!

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

In my game, then, TOUGHNESS is replaced by three increasingly potent talents... DEFENSIVE TRAINING, DEFENSIVE EXPERTISE and DEFENSIVE MASTERY.

Rather than expanding Toughness (Defensive Training) to stop three hits at a third level, I've adopted some additional ST-based talents that give benefits other than damage reduction, such as increasing the threshold for injury-induced penalties and making it harder for wounds to knock a figure down.

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Another idea I'm playing with is an extention of a figure's size-based advantages...

What if hex-size also provided a baseline 'toughness' score? I've been experimenting with hex-size /2 (rounded down) = hits stopped. So a giant and a centaur both take 1 hit off by default, while a 14-hex dragon deducts 7 hits from attacks.

What is interesting is that this principle actually holds true (or comes really close) for a decent percentage of creatures as-written. I also like the idea that it represents a 'base' that I can improve on. For example, I wanted my 14-hex dragons to be a bit more formidable so their armored scales actually stop 10 hits (base 7 + 3 bonus).

That's an interesting idea that provides a useful rule of thumb for creating new creatures.