FinalHavenLarp.com

brainstorming about armor and how its handled and other ways it could be handled.

(slight disclaimer: I don't really consider the FH system bad, but it does leave room for some cheese that I wont mention here, as I benefit from said cheese and will probably never reveal all the sneaky things you can do in this system so I can keep my competitive edge. /disclaimer end)

1) Current FH system:
restrictions. FH puts restrictions on certain skills and abilities. the big downside I will mention here is that it simply punishes everything except heavy armor, you really want to always wear heavy unless skills say you cannot, at no time do you want to wear light or medium if you can wear heavy, more armor is better. (disclaimer, there may be some super rare and vague example that proves this wrong, but its an exception.)

2) granted instead of restricted:
one option I thought of was instead of everyone being able to wear everything and skills having restrictions. what if everyone could wear nothing and being master in paths and disciplines granted you proficiency in a class of armor, at this point, no skills have armor restrictions. example

every proficiency is granted upon MASTER or FULL ranks in path or discipline, 1 or 2 levels or skills does nothing.

empath = light
warrior = heavy
healer = medium

knight = heavy
assassin = medium
etc.

so if you were an empath you could only wear light, but if you were trained as a master knight as well you would be able to wear heavy armor. now while I do like this idea as well and it makes sense from a realistic point of view it does not address a problem that I had with FH version, that heavy is simply the best.

3) various benefits:
in this version the first thing required is a slight separation of skills into a theme as well as full set of armor instead of per location.
-mental skills (example: first aid, healing, empath booms, wizard spells, etc.)
-physical skills (critical strike, knockout, various 5 crush and 5 vorpals, etc.)

now that we have that done we can get to the armor and doing full set instead of the FH location
-light armor = grants 4 armor and reduces the charge time of mental skills by 5 seconds if under a min (min 2 sec), and 1 min if over a min (min 1 min)
-medium armor = grants 8 armor and reduces the charge time of physical skills by 5 seconds if under a min (min 2 sec), and 1 min if over a min (min 1 min)
-heavy armor = grants 12 armor and 1 life point.

benefits can be changed around, but you get the idea. this provides flexibility in armor choice, various reasons to wear any kind of armor instead of just heavy if you can, and still enforces classic stereotypes (light armored mage, heavy armored tank, etc.) this idea is far and away my favorite for various reasons.


please note any actual numbers or times were just examples to prove a concept, things can be changed.

enjoy -Ark >(^_^)><3

(slight disclaimer: I don't really consider the FH system bad, but it does leave room for some cheese that I wont mention here, as I benefit from said cheese and will probably never reveal all the sneaky things you can do in this system so I can keep my competitive edge. /disclaimer end)

Wait, your going to admit to using exploits and think its ok?

1) Current FH system:
restrictions. FH puts restrictions on certain skills and abilities. the big downside I will mention here is that it simply punishes everything except heavy armor, you really want to always wear heavy unless skills say you cannot, at no time do you want to wear light or medium if you can wear heavy, more armor is better. (disclaimer, there may be some super rare and vague example that proves this wrong, but its an exception.)

uhm..thats not FH..its real life. Heavy IS always best, unless you need to be more agile for your skills and combat style. I know.... its crqzy that such common sense statement needs to be made and how its just like reallife and all right?

2) granted instead of restricted:
one option I thought of was instead of everyone being able to wear everything and skills having restrictions. what if everyone could wear nothing and being master in paths and disciplines granted you proficiency in a class of armor, at this point, no skills have armor restrictions. example

every proficiency is granted upon MASTER or FULL ranks in path or discipline, 1 or 2 levels or skills does nothing.

empath = light
warrior = heavy
healer = medium

knight = heavy
assassin = medium
etc.

so if you were an empath you could only wear light, but if you were trained as a master knight as well you would be able to wear heavy armor.

uhm...why?

now while I do like this idea as well and it makes sense from a realistic point of view it does not address a problem that I had with FH version, that heavy is simply the best.

Heavy...Is the best. Just like real life...oh wait, I already explained that once.

3) various benefits:
in this version the first thing required is a slight separation of skills into a theme as well as full set of armor instead of per location.
-mental skills (example: first aid, healing, empath booms, wizard spells, etc.)
-physical skills (critical strike, knockout, various 5 crush and 5 vorpals, etc.)

now that we have that done we can get to the armor and doing full set instead of the FH location
-light armor = grants 4 armor and reduces the charge time of mental skills by 5 seconds if under a min (min 2 sec), and 1 min if over a min (min 1 min)
-medium armor = grants 8 armor and reduces the charge time of physical skills by 5 seconds if under a min (min 2 sec), and 1 min if over a min (min 1 min)
-heavy armor = grants 12 armor and 1 life point.

benefits can be changed around, but you get the idea. this provides flexibility in armor choice, various reasons to wear any kind of armor instead of just heavy if you can, and still enforces classic stereotypes (light armored mage, heavy armored tank, etc.) this idea is far and away my favorite for various reasons.

double why?

1) the Final Haven system is full of cheesy things you can do, but it fixes based on a "when this broken mechanic finally ruins an important scene" basis. the day a bunch of rogues stomp town (as almost happened by NPC's last event) it will get fixed. I would have to blatantly play and show broken mechanics on the field to the point that people complained or it got noticed to get it fixed. (as has happened in the past) but I really don't like doing that both personally and because it gives me an even worse rep then I already have.

2) as a high fantasy game realism does not really count for anything. but if heavy is the end all be all why do wizards wear robes? Gandalf, Saruman, etc. why do rogues and assassins wear medium? the third idea enforces and gives reasons for the stereotypes while not restricting people to them and allowing for personal character concepts to shine. aside from why, do you see any problem with the basic mechanics?