User:Spazalicious Chaos/The Book of Frenzied Warfare (3.5e Sourcebook)/FIGHT!

FIGHT!

D&D is fantasy combat, and should look awesome, but for some reason a lot of the way combat is set up leaves it feeling like this, which I believe sucks ass.

Defense and Attack

Several refferences to "target" will be made in this section. Your target is the thing you attacked last, and is very much a facing rule. While you take no attck penalties when attacking multiple targets, only the last target counts as your target. If it is a space due to an area effect, your target is a space. This also goes for non-attack actions; a lock is your targwet while picking it, your friend is your target while healing him, etc. Attacks from things that are not your target result in a -2 penalty to defense, while attacks that come from directly oppisite your target always target your Surprise Defense.

Making an attack is resolved normally. Absolutely no changes here. Sorry for the lett down, but I'm finding nothing wrong with attacks. A few additions have been made to melee attacks to get people moving: every melee attack allows the character to take a five foot step. This will be important in regards to defense

Armor CLass, however, has been killed and scattered into three parts of awesome- Parry, Dodge, and Surprise Defense. Armor itself will also be covered in this segement, as well as how to get around it.

Each for attack a character is subjected to that does not surprise him he can Dodge or Parry. Each has it's restrictions, both both require the character to be able to react to the attack and be mobile. An immobolized or unaware character can only use his Surprise Defense.

Parry Defense

Parry uses the following formula- 10+BAB+Str mod+Shield bonus+universal defense mods. To use your Parry Defense, you must be armed and take a simultaneous actions every round to keep your relative position to your target. This include free 5 foot steps as he takes them, but you may have to sacrifice move actions to keep up with him. Parry is ineffective against porjectile attacks and touch attacks that originate from outside melee reach, and attempting to use Parry on such attacks result in an automatic hit. Also, equipment tends to get chewed up in a Parrying defense, as each missed attack results in a sunder attack against the defenders choice of his weapon or shield. There are two exceptions to this rule- shields and Improved Unarmed Strike. Shield allow the use of Parry against porjectile attacks, but misses always sunder the shield. More detail on object damage can be found in chapter 2. Improved Unarmed Strike allows a character to Parry armed attacks and take no damage. Natural attacks that are used in Parry also follow this rule.

Dodge Defense

Dodge uses the following formula- 10+BAB+Dex mod+Dodge bonus+universal defense mods-Armor Check Penalty. Using your Dodge requires that you take a 5 foot step for each attack you are subjected to. This step can provoke an attack of opportunity, but never from your target. If you can not take a 5 foot step, you can not Dodge. However, Dodge is effective against all attacks that you are aware of and attack that misses as you Dodge is a total miss.

Uncanny Dodge Rewrite: Whenever subject to an attack that would normally target your Surprise Defense, you may instead Dodge, though all the restrictions for Dodge still apply, including the 5 foot step.

Surprise Defense

Surprise uses the following formula- 10+Armor+Natural Armor/DR+Universal defense mods. Unlike damage that was dealt by blasting through othe forms of defense, Surprise is when you are unaware of an attack and the attacker is free to work around your armor, utilizing the chinks and flaws. As a result, your natural armor and armor do not porvide Damage Reduction against attacks that target Surprise Defense. Any condition that leaves you flat-footed reduces you to your Surprise Defense. The only exception is touch attacks, which still target your Suprise Defense but without any of the Armor or Natural Armor bonuses. Yeah, it would suck to be you...

Minor Sneak Attack Rewrite: Whenever an attack would target Surprise Defense, you deal extra damage. That's it.

Universal Defense Bonuses

These apply to all your Defense traits- Circumstantial, Deflection, Sacred, Profane, Size, Cover, and Insight. Racial and Alchemical bonuses are gone and change into one of the other types, probably natural armor or insight...

What Happened to Armor?

Armor and Natural Armor now provide Damage Reduction equal to their protective value on Parry and Dodge. In the case of creature with Natural Armor and Damage reduction, use the higher of the two values and tack the result on to Surprise Defense when that comes up. "But Spaz, what about DR that comes from fast healing rates?" Bullshit, DR should always be from toughness of exterior. If you want a creature to have freakish healing rates, I recommend Fast Healing. DR and Natural armor are the same in this system. A Barbarian does not have an unsual healing rate upon gaining DR, he just has skin like a leahter pancake as a result of his life style.