Fantasy Trip Glitches, Contradictions, Ambiguities

[JLV]

4 and 5 seem like the easiest choices to implement (no new math for the players and GM to remember, straightforward tactical decision). I might try those unless Steve does something with the Defend Option in the new rules...

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by Tywyll

*Abstraction of damage/bonus from high strength.
By this I mean removal of the idea that there are progressively larger weapons within each category that does slightly higher damage with a point of strength increase. We don't need to progress damage through the arc of every historical iteration of 'broadsword with slightly different name' as though that is how they work, especially when the system works essentially on a 3d6 curve and characters with 14+ strength are less than 10% of the population.

TLDR-either make weapon damage wholly based on strength or make weapons do a base damage for size and a bonus for high strength

Originally Posted by Tywyll

*More Xp for things other than killing

Originally Posted by Tywyll

*No death at 0ST, especially from casting

I agree it's nice if there's at least a chance of survival of some number of damage greater than ST. The window between unconscious and dead at one point is very small.

As for dying from spell-casting, some groups only have people die from wounds, so exhaustion/fatigue can make you collapse/unconscious if wounds + fatigue/exhaustion add up to ST or more, but you only die if the wounds get high enough, not just fatigue. Makes sense.

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

Ty’s Ridiculously Simple Defense Rule

A figure with adjDX 11+ and a ready weapon can elect to reduce his adjDX (but he can’t reduce it below 10). For every -1 DX adjustment, all opponents are -1 DX to hit him with melee weapons. The character declares this at the beginning of the combat round, in initiative order (lowest initiative goes first).

This cannot be combined with the Defend option, which will become pretty useless for high adjDX figures.

A figure must have a ready weapon to use this option.

Seems like from the TFT email list that something very like this is a pretty common house rule - this sort of rule has been discussed there several times.

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

Those wanting to refine this rule can try the following enhancements:

[FONT="Times New Roman"]1. You can combine it with defense. Your opponent rolls 4d to hit and suffers the defense modifier as well.

Yeah, I don't know why you wouldn't allow this.

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

2. Defense can never reduce an opponent’s adjDX below 7. (This keeps high DX folks from mowing down low DX opponents, which may or may not be a good thing). Mechanically, apply all other DX modifiers before applying the defense modifier.

I can see wanting or not wanting this, as a matter of taste or thinking.

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

3. Defense can only be used by figures in leather or lighter armor. (I like this, as it makes swashbucklers useful).

Doesn't make sense to me except in terms or realism, though I can see some players liking it (maybe it makes more sense if you think the TFT DX penalties for armor make sense ;-) The DX penalty already reduces the ability to use it by that amount.). Also seems to me armored people are also just less likely to choose to use it anyway.

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

4. Replace the main rule with this - a figure with adjDX 13+ and a ready weapon may take the defense option. He must roll 4 dice to hit his foes with melee weapons and his foes must roll 4 dice to hit him.

Sure, and/or allow -3 to be converted to a die, or -7 to 2 dice. As written though, this option 4) means people below DX 13 can't do this, which seems off to me, as trying to avoid getting hurt is a natural thing even non-agile people can and do do, even if they might not do it as well as others.

Oh, I mis-read what you meant. You mean change the existing Defend option to allow an attack at 4d, but only if they have DX 13+? Why have that be a precondition?

[tbeard1999]

Originally Posted by Skarg

Oh, I mis-read what you meant. You mean change the existing Defend option to allow an attack at 4d, but only if they have DX 13+? Why have that be a precondition?

Adding an extra die to your hit roll is more or less like taking a -3 DX penalty. Since the other variations don’t let you reduce your DX below 10, this one is restricted to characters of DX 13+.

I see this as a sort of parry-riposte move that highly skilled folks can use. Lower DX folks can just use the normal Defend option.

My issue with combining it with the Defend option is that you can make figures virtually impossible to hit - a DX 13 figure selects the Defense and the Defend option. His opponents are -3 DX AND need to roll 4/DX.