- ---snip---
The D&D system is abstract. It needed tinkering. But it is very good a
representing a certain kind of combat- men at arms vs men at arms.
Armored warriors fighting one another is handled very well in the core
rules. The fighters sup and the BR rules add to that. The real defect in
the system is the fight between lightly armored rouge types and heavily
armored warrior types. For a while this just kind of irritated me, but
thieves in my campaigns have tended to be skulkers, I never devoted myself
to finding a solution.

With the advent of the Brechts and their preference for light armor and
weapons I had to deal with or never satisfy myself with Brecht-Anurian
combat. Now I felt forced to resolve the problem. Eventually I settled on
a two level approach.

1) I stole the Italian and Spanish fightingn styles from the renaisance
era sup (the name of which eludes me just now) and re-named the Brecht
fight style and Berghagen fighting style. Its a type of weapon
specialization.

2) A revised armor class system that produces all the familiar armor
classes (warrior in plate, w/shield=2, thief in leather=8, mage=10) but
was based on a combination of class and armor type. My armor class
calculation goes like this:

Start at 10, just like the core rules.
The following AC table supercedes the standard one:

Armor Armor Class
None 10
Leather, Padded, Hide, Studded 9
Ring, Scale, Splint 8
Brigandine, Chain, Banded, Plate 7
Dwarven Plate 6

A shield increases AC by 1

Character AC
Class modifier
Wizard 0
Rouge -1
Bard -2 (and a few Rouge kits as well as some Priest types)
Priest -3
Warrior -4

All monsters use their Monsterous Manual AC's

According to this system:
a mage with no armor is AC 10
a thief in leather is AC 8
a warrior in plate mail and shield is AC 2

however,
a warrior with no armor is AC 6
a bard in chain is AC 5
a warrior with no armor parrying with a fireplace poker has AC 4

Furthermore, armors absorb some damage:
armor slash pierce bludgeoning
Banded Mail 3hp 1hp 1hp
Brigandine 2hp 1hp 0hp
Chain Mail 3hp 1hp 0hp
Hide armor 2hp 1hp 1hp
Leather armor 1hp 0hp 1hp
Padded armor 0hp 0hp 0hp
Plate Mail 3hp 3hp 2hp
Ring Mail 1hp 1hp 0hp
Scale Mail 1hp 1hp 0hp
Splint Mail 2hp 1hp 1hp
Studded Leather 2hp 1hp 0hp


Brecht Fighting Style: (replaces One-Handed Style for those trained in it)

Costs one proficency slot. Character must have rapier or saber proficeny.
Brecht Style grants one AC benefit per level of proficeny. One may be taken
upon starting out. Additional slots can be purchased once per three levels;
eg. a second at 3rd, a third at 6th level &c. These bonuses rely on evasion
and movement and hence are allowable only when the normal dex bonus is. The
character must be fighting with a saber, rapier, dagger, or be unarmed to get
this benefit. Available for fighters, rouges, and some priests (Nesirie, Sera,
Eloéle).

Berghagen Fighting Style: (replaces Sword and Shield Style)

Costs two proficency slots. Character must have rapier proficency. The
Berghagen Style teaches the swordsman to mirror his opponent's posture and
guard, making it impossible to attack without first shifting position or
attacking the defender's blade. Therefore, a Berghagen Style swordsman cannot
be attacked with a small or medium weapon of weight 4 or less in my revised
weight system, in any round in which he has the initiative. Also, using
Berghagen Style gives the practitioner one free parry. In order to parry some
type of protection must be employed for the left (off) hand. In addition to a
buckler, a second weapon (of smaller size) a leather glove, cloak, or floppy
felt hat are all common. If an attack hits the character, they roll to hit
against the attacker's AC. If successful, the attack was parried and no
damage is taken. If not successful, normal damage is taken. Available for
fighters, rouges, and some priests (Nesirie, Sera, Eloéle).

For characters with both Brecht and Berghagen Styles:
Only one can be employed at once. This must be declared before initiatve is
rolled. If no mention is made, the previous round's style is still in effect,
or on the first round, Brecht Style is assumed.

When using a weapon with a speed of 4 (or 5 on horseback) or less, a critical
hit allows a second free attack, rolled normally.

On a fumble against an opponant with a rapier, a fumble may mean a broken
blade. Roll a saving throw vs crushing blow (succedes on a seven or above)
failure indicates a broken blade, now possessing the characteristics of a
dagger.

***
This system is abstract. But it satisfies my demands for a sence of who
should beat whom in combat, and how often. I also demand Endurance
proficency checks after 15 rounds of combat (for a rested character), or
20 rounds for characters with the Endrance proficency. PC's without the
prof check at -5, as always. Failure gives you a -2 for all rolls. The
exaustion rules come into effect here. Dwarves have staying power.

Whether its a judo competition, boxing, what have you, scoring is somewhat
abstract. What counts is not the realism of the system, but the
reasonability of the results.

Kenneth Gauck
c558382@showme.missouri.edu