What do you think of the armor system?

[Ninth Hour]

Unlike other RPG's, armor in this game does not give you a consistent damage reduction but a variable number than can include zero.

Do people like this idea? You can be wearing heavy plate armor and, with an unlucky roll, either reduce damage by 1 or 2 or not at all, making armor feel highly unreliable.

I suppose that a zero is meant to represent a lucky hit landing in an unprotected area but, in my opinion, high damage rolls from weapons and critical hits already simulate this idea. There was no strict need to subject armor to an extra layer of RNG.

It doesn't make the game unplayable by any means and the same rules apply to enemies, so I suppose it balances out. It's just unconventional and I'm not sure I like it.

[DarkHarlequin]

it's even worse. The whole armor skil tree does nothing but reduce the encumbrace. You can achieve the same result by simply putting the armor off bevore the skill check. And it even doesn't affect encumbrance from helm and gloves. Really?
I like the game, but the armor system is a horrible mess.
I suggest armor skill should add to min damage reduction and encumbrance.

[Ace-Of-Blades]

Honestly I like it. It stops you from just loading up a couple of characters and making them stand at chokepoints while enemies ineffectually chip at them. It's also why I came to appreciate characters moving to the position of an enemy they've just killed. Stops the battles from being too static and helps convey the tug of war, too and through that I imagine real combat is like. And as you said, helps simulate cases where a strike gets a lucky opening, or even just jolts the wearer from the force of the impact.

Originally posted by DarkHarlequin:

it's even worse. The whole armor skil tree does nothing but reduce the encumbrace. You can achieve the same result by simply putting the armor off bevore the skill check.

I could be wrong, but doesn't encumbrance from body armor negatively effect your dodge change? So to get the most out of it (dodge+defense) you do have to spec in to the armour you want to wear.

[DarkHarlequin]

Originally posted by Ace-Of-Blades:

Originally posted by DarkHarlequin:

it's even worse. The whole armor skil tree does nothing but reduce the encumbrace. You can achieve the same result by simply putting the armor off bevore the skill check.

I could be wrong, but doesn't encumbrance from body armor negatively effect your dodge change? So to get the most out of it (dodge+defense) you do have to spec in to the armour you want to wear.

You are not wrong, that is indeed an argument. But for me still not enough to justify spending skill points on armor skill. Again, armor skill could affect both min damage reduction and encumbrance.