ED4 Preview #2

[Roth]

[etherial]

[Kasbak]

[Slimcreeper]

It makes for more variety if some low-dex (which keeps auto-correcting to 'low-sex') characters are viable. Plus, you put an hour into making a character a month or two playing the character, only to find that if you didn't max dex you ain't squat?

addendum - 'dex' did not auto-correct to 'sex'. Not sure what my computer is trying to say, but I don't think I like it.

[Danger]

[Gkeckley]

I get that it would make high attack rolls usefull against both armored and nonarmored opponents. But, I do not see how it solves the great attack but crummy damage scenario. Say my damage step is base 20. I roll to hit and get 4 success levels. That would be +6 steps to damage for a damage step 26. I roll a crappy damge roll for a total of 10. If my opponent has 10 or more armor I have now done no damage at all. At least with the current rules for armor penetration you at least did some damage.

Currently right now your issue is that some one with a low PD has little need for armor as it is often penetrated. I have found that once the characters reach 5th and 6th circle this is less and less of an issue as they find ways to either increase their PD or ways to avoid the hit either through avoid blow/parry or a spell like throne of air.

Also, would not the new rules for success levels help mitigate the issue of someone with a low PD always being penetrated? If you have a PD of 6 your opponent would need a 16 to penetrate. Even if you have dex step of 8 then 4 ranks of melee wepons you would still need to spend a karma die to penetrate 50% of the time. If that is still too much then raise armor penetrations to needing 4 success levels (+15).

One potential issue I see happening with no armor penetration is the classes that do not get damage enhancers like crushing blow/downstrike/charge. Disciplines such as the airsailor, archer, scout, swordmaster, thief, troubadour, and weapon smith rely on armor penetrating hits at the higher levels. If you are a swordmaster at 7th circle wielding two broadswords your damage step will probably be around step 18 to 20 plus karma for an average of 22 to 24 damage. As opposed to the 7th circle warrior wielding a two handed sword who is doing around step 31 to 34 plus 2 karma die for an average of 39 to 42 damage. If the opponents armor is between 15 and 22 then the swordmaster is relying pretty heavily on those armor defeating hits. Where as the warrior even without the armor penetration is putting the hurt on his opponent. To be fair I think that swordmasters and archers not getting good damage enhancers is an issue in and of itself at the higher levels and hope that it will be looked at and addressed.

Another effect this would have is on spells. Until a mage gets willforce their damage step is usually step 6 to step 13 depending on the spell. If it is a physicall spell getting through the armor is rough unless you penetrate. The +2 per success will help but I am not sure if it is enough. Also spells that do mystic damage are now even better than before as it is harder to raise mystic armor. Typically mystic armor at low levels is not often higher than 5 points and quite often is in the 1 to 2 range meaning that the +2 per success is going to be more damage per attack than the armor penetration.

[etherial]

[Gkeckley]

The bonus to the overall effect instead of the step would help some.
I was not ignoring the reduction to armor, just not being sure how much they plan on lowering it raises a concern. Plus I am not sure that merely lowering the armor value some would compensate for no armor penetration. All I was really trying to get across was that eliminating armor penetration is a lot bigger change than you would think at first glance. Not knowing what other changes they are planning you can not really say if the change is good or bad just that it is different. I have played Earthdawn since it first came out and it is by far my favorite system and have high hopes for the new edition. It is just when you start seeing what at first appears to be a small change that could easily have larger effects on how the game is played without seeing the whole picture it causes one to get nervous about the changes.

[Kasbak]

I believe the armor penetration issue for Disciplines that rely on it may be mitigated depending on changes with how called shots and Spot Armor Flaw are handled. A called shot could still be used to hit an area without protection, and Spot Armor Flaw could be adjusted to make attacks function like the old rules for armor penetration. As I noted before though, it will all come down to the play testing.

[Roth]