Str and attack rolls

[DevianID]

my 2 cents about True20 combat...
With my countless searches of the internet looking for a system to handle a real combat with swords/armor/shields and the like, I came across duelmasters and reality simulations, that go into great detail for their combat system PBEM game. While the hard rules arnt there, the descriptions of the different fighting styles were amazing, and there were 10 styles total: (http://www.reality.com/dmconte1.htm) They fit in rather well with True20 rules, with a few exceptions...

The Bashing Attack Style (easy to dodge goes through a parry, deadly)
Rage

The Slashing Attack Style (wide slash hard to dodge, potentially deadly)
Feint, (bluff or acrobatics) with Suprise Strike

The Lunging Attack Style (fast lunge hard to parry, tiring)
Basicly Combat Sense (Attack)

The Striking Attack Style (multiple attacks)
Can be done with 2 weapon fighting since there is no full attack action

The Aimed Blow Attack Style (focused, hindering attacks)
Basicly Accurate Attack combined with multiple attacks (only two weapon fighting exists for multiple attacks) or Stunning Fist

The Wall of Steel Attack Style (tiring, good at parrying and damaging)
Basicly Enhance Self (Strength only) with Combat Sense

The Total Parry Attack Style (focus on not getting hit)
Two Weapon Defense with Total Defense

The Parry-Lunge Attack Style (modern fencer more or less)
Nothing really fits this style that I can think of

The Parry-Strike Attack Style (multiple parrys)
Two Weapon Defense with Fighting Defensively and Defensive Attack

The Parry-Riposte Attack Style (counterattack after a parry)
(Parry-Sunder and Weapon Bind are all currently)

How does this fit in with True20? Well in True20 we have parry and dodge defenses, and regular and finesse attacks. The problem on this board is how they match up, since a parry is always strength and a dodge is always dex, but the only difference is which one is higher. You can only get rid of defense with a feint currently... which is sad considering that it only kills the dodge bonus. There should be a way to kill a parry bonus as well.

To balance things out and add realism:

Armor Max Dodge bonuses are max Parry bonuses as well... if you want to parry REALLY well, you gotta sacrifice your armor. Also Feint gets rid of all bonuses, Dodge and Parry.

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As for a defensive house rule to tweak a bit and replace both dodge and parry rules, it seems that the disarm rules work well, substituting a disarmed result for a miss result. Whenever someone hits your base defense (10 + combat bonus), make an attack roll, and if you hit THEIR base defense compare attackers damage versus defenders strength. This way works out a bit cooler, since there is now only a base defense (Combat Bonus) and it means you can have a dextrous parry (you'll hit more with the parry, but without STR you'll lose the opposed roll) and a strong parry (you wont often hit with the parry, but when you do you'll much more easily knock the weapon aside)

Let me know what you think

[The Shadow]

As for a defensive house rule to tweak a bit and replace both dodge and parry rules, it seems that the disarm rules work well, substituting a disarmed result for a miss result. Whenever someone hits your base defense (10 + combat bonus), make an attack roll, and if you hit THEIR base defense compare attackers damage versus defenders strength. This way works out a bit cooler, since there is now only a base defense (Combat Bonus) and it means you can have a dextrous parry (you'll hit more with the parry, but without STR you'll lose the opposed roll) and a strong parry (you wont often hit with the parry, but when you do you'll much more easily knock the weapon aside)

Let me know what you think

Hmm. It slows down combat a bit (up to two extra rolls per character per attack), but I think I like it. Have you tried it out yet?

And what happens to Dodge in this sytem? Does it just disappear? If so, I don't think that's right. Perhaps you if you choose Dodge, you add your Dex to Defense - but then can't try for the opposed roll. If you choose Parry, you use the system you outline.