Active defenses as modifiers

[harlandski]

Thank you for the discussion and ideas everyone!

Originally Posted by benz72

If it is indeed quicker, how much time did you save?

As Varyon said:

Originally Posted by Varyon

I'd imagine you'd just write what your Defense Modifier is on your sheet ahead of time, then when someone attacks you just see if their MoS was enough to soak the penalty. So if you have Block 15, Parry 12, and Dodge 9, you just note that you impose a -5 to hit with a Block, -4 with a Parry, and -3 with a Dodge.

Thanks also to Varyon for doing the maths, it's also and interesting idea how to make a linear modifier.

Originally Posted by Tinman

Also, does you modifier let me choose to retreat or fp defense?

Yes, as ravenfish said my idea is that the defender would still get the choice, and should decide before they are attacked. I totally get it that people might like the defense rolls too.

Originally Posted by Otaku

You may wish to check out an article from Roleplayer 23 (included in Compendium II):

This sounds very interesting, I will definitely follow it up.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I came into the hobby in the late 70s with a _lot_ of combat in Chivalry & Sorcery 1e which worked a lot like this. It was nice when you were the more skilled fighter that it was more difficult to be parried or dodged.

I would love to try Chivalry & Sorcery one day.

Originally Posted by Rupert

In Runequest 2 at least a successful attack could damage the parrying weapon or possibly smash through a shield.

This sounds like a cool limitation on parrying & shield blocking.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I came into the hobby in the late 70s with a _lot_ of combat in Chivalry & Sorcery 1e which worked a lot like this. It was nice when you were the more skilled fighter that it was more difficult to be parried or dodged.

Yes, basically I am trying to get around the slogfest, though I take benz72's point that tactics can also get around this.

Originally Posted by RyanW

You just write down the modifier on your character sheet. As long as you either never fight with a shield or always fight with the same sized shield, never get flanked or stunned and have to defend with a penalty, never retreat, All-Out Defend or use a defensive grip that gives you a bonus, and never have anything else that applies any temporary modifiers to skill and/or defense, it saves loads of time.

The very thing that GURPS defenses add to combat (tactical decisions matter) turns into an extra math step added to every attack, hit or miss.

And thanks for the list of cases where you would need to recalculate, RyanW!