Armor As Damage Reduction
Status: Open for discussion and playtesting feedback
The Problem
The current Defense formula has a rounding flaw that makes Light and Medium armor unreliable:
Current formula: Defense = 1 + ⌊(Speed + Armor) ÷ 3⌋
- Heavy armor (+3) always bumps Defense, regardless of Speed
- Medium armor (+2) only bumps Defense ~2/3 of the time (depends on Speed value)
- Light armor (+1) only bumps Defense ~1/3 of the time (depends on Speed value)
This means Light and Medium armor can cost you Talent dice (−1D/−2D penalty) with no guaranteed Defense payoff—a poor deal compared to a shield (flat +1, no penalty).
Also: Armor is worthless against area attacks. The current rules ignore Defense for bursts and zones, so armor provides zero protection in those cases.
The Proposal
Shift Armor from Defense bonus to flat Damage Reduction.
New Formula
| Stat | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Defense | Speed (minimum 1) | No armor component; cleaner and more intuitive |
| Armor DR | Flat reduction per tier | Light −1, Medium −2, Heavy −3 damage |
Effect: When you take damage, subtract your Armor DR from successes rolled (minimum 1 damage always gets through).
Example
| Scenario | Defense | Armor DR | Attack Hits? | Damage Before DR | Damage After DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed 3D, Light armor | 3 | 1 | Threshold 2 ✓ | 3 successes | 2 damage |
| Speed 3D, Heavy armor | 3 | 3 | Threshold 2 ✓ | 3 successes | 1 damage (minimum 1) |
| Speed 2D, Heavy armor | 1 (floor) | 3 | Threshold 2 ✓ | 3 successes | 1 damage (minimum 1) |
Why This Works
✓ No rounding surprises. Every point of Armor always does exactly what it says.
✓ Armor works against area attacks. Damage reduction applies regardless of whether Defense was rolled.
✓ Consistent with other systems. Resistance powers (Hardened, Stone Skin) already work this way.
✓ More legible. Light/Medium/Heavy each have a clear, predictable trade-off.
Critical Balance Issue: Speed-Stacking Exploit
The Problem
With Defense = Speed and no armor component, the proposal creates a game balance exploit: characters can invest heavily in Speed at generation/advancement to become nearly unhittable without any trade-off.
Example: - 9D Generation package: Speed 4D, no armor, no Body investment - Defense 4. Attacker with 9D pool vs. Threshold 4 has ~40% hit chance - Speed 5D in same package: Defense 5. Same attacker has ~20% hit chance - Speed 6D (pushing limits): Defense 6. Attacker essentially cannot hit
The exploit incentive: - Unarmored Speed-focused character: high Defense, no Armor Penalty, no damage reduction - Balanced character (Body + Speed + Armor): lower Defense, Armor Penalty, damage reduction - The first path is mechanically superior because it sacrifices nothing
This breaks the intended design trade-off where armor's mobility penalty is offset by damage reduction and situational Defense improvement.
The Proposed Solution
Armor must reduce Speed-based Defense in proportion to its mobility cost:
| Armor | Mobility Impact | Defense Reduction | Armor Penalty | Armor DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | — | — | — | — |
| Light | Slight encumbrance | −1 | −1D Athletics/Acrobatics/Odd | −1 damage |
| Medium | Moderate restriction | −2 | −2D Athletics/Acrobatics/Odd | −2 damage |
| Heavy | Significant restriction | −3 | −3D Athletics/Acrobatics/Odd | −3 damage |
Revised Defense Formula:
Defense = Speed − [Armor Defense Reduction] (minimum 1)
Examples with Revised Formula
| Scenario | Speed | Armor | Defense | Armor DR | Attack Hits? | Damage | Effective Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unarmored scout | 4D | None | 4 | — | Threshold 4 | Full | None |
| Light armor rogue | 4D | Light | 3 | −1 | Threshold 3 | −1 from hits | Small reduction, more hittable |
| Medium armor fighter | 3D | Medium | 1 | −2 | Threshold 1 | −2 from hits | Substantial reduction, easy to hit |
| Heavy armor tank | 3D | Heavy | 1* | −3 | Threshold 1 | −3 from hits | Maximum reduction, easy to hit |
*Minimum Defense of 1 applies; 3 − 3 = 0 rounds up to 1.
Why This Works
✓ Eliminates the Speed-stacking exploit. High Speed + no armor is still good but not "impossible to hit."
✓ Armor is a real trade-off. You trade hitability for damage mitigation; both matter equally.
✓ Tank fantasy preserved. Heavily armored characters are easier to hit but survive more hits—classic tank role.
✓ Glass cannon trade-off visible. Light/unarmored fighters are harder to hit but die faster.
✓ Consistent mechanics. Armor already reduces Athletics/Acrobatics/Odd Talents; Defense reduction mirrors this principle.
Playtesting Questions
-
Armor and Defense interaction (CRITICAL). With Defense = Speed − [Armor Reduction] (minimum 1), does the Speed-stacking exploit disappear? Do characters feel incentivized to choose armor for its damage reduction rather than avoiding it to keep Defense high? Does the tank/glass-cannon split feel balanced?
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Speed baseline and Defense spread. Without the current rounding system, does Defense 1–5 range feel like it creates meaningful variation? Should we adjust the raw Speed calculation (e.g., Speed ÷ 2 instead of flat Speed) to compress the range further? Or is the current spread (plus Armor reduction) sufficient?
-
Armor Penalty offset. Does Endurance's penalty reduction (every 2D = −1 penalty) still feel fair when Armor also reduces Defense? Should heavily armored characters get additional Defense mitigation options (e.g., Shield still grants +1 Defense, stacking with Speed − Armor)?
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Minimum 1 damage. Should there always be at least 1 damage on a successful hit, or should armor ever reduce damage to 0?
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Stacking armor and natural defenses. If a character wears Heavy armor AND has a natural Scales perk (also +3 DR), do both apply (total −6 damage reduction)? Do Defense reductions also stack, or does only the highest apply? (E.g., Heavy armor −3 Defense vs. Scales perk −1 Defense; which wins?)
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Low-tier Threat viability. With Armor reducing Defense, do Minions and Standard Threats still have a reasonable chance to hit armored PCs? Should Threat damage output increase slightly to compensate? At what point does armor become "too good" against weak enemies?
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How does this feel at the table?
- Does the shift from "harder to hit" to "softer when hit" change the tank fantasy in a way your group likes?
- Are unarmored characters satisfying to play, or do they feel punished for not wearing armor?
- Does combat feel faster, clearer, and more strategic with explicit Defense penalties for armor?
What Stays the Same
- Armor Penalty (−1D/−2D/−3D) to Athletics, Acrobatics, Odd Talents stays as-is
- Endurance still offsets Armor Penalty (every 2D Endurance = −1 penalty reduction)
- Shields still grant +1 Defense
- Damage is still successes rolled (no separate damage die)
Next Steps
Playtest and collect feedback on: - Does combat feel faster/clearer? - Are tanks still satisfying to play? - Do low-tier Threats (Minions) become trivial for armored PCs? - What's the preferred answer to the stacking question above?