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Re: DECIDE: Drop Excess Combat Info from Defense Evaluation
I can't help but think this idea would go smoother by replacing the defence roll with attack penalties.
Announce attack (and roll in secret as desired), pick defence, check dice. Obviously, if you don't mind a player roughly knowing the NPC's skill level, you can let him roll for the attack once he's announced a defence.
Your new defence scores count as a penalty to the opposing attack; dodge at Move - 3, parry/block at half skill - 3, and apply approximately *half* the normal active defence modifiers to the attacker as a penalty.
Examples ...
Unarmed parry, half skill -5.
Knife parry, half skill -4.
Quarterstaff parry, half skill -2.
Flail, +2 vs parry, +1 vs Block.
Thrown weapon, +1 vs parry.
AoD, +1 to any defense.
Stunned, -2 to all defences.
DB from shields, all reduced by 1 (to 0, 1, or 2).
Encumbrance counts normally, one can't dodge when loaded up.
Any advantage, power, or spell that adds to or subtracts from defence should cost double, and be limited to half the normal modifier.
NB: Defences like this are much more dependent on relative skill levels of the combatants, kinda like giving a free feint before every attack, but they'll keep the skill 20 types away from your eyes a bit better.
I'd most likely remove the feint mechanic from the game, double dipping there would be a bad thing, and the ones that need it now don't have the skill to use it.