Re: Odyssey Melee Combat

From: sjoerd@cs.vu.nl (Sjoerd Schreuder)

Date: Wed, 06 Mar 1996 00:00:00 +0000

Brian Enright <bpest1+@pitt.edu> writes:

>Hi,

>>>
>>>>I was just looking at the algorithms for calculating initiative, to-hit
>>>>percentages, etc., and was struck by the fact that any armor heavier than
>>>>leather is basically a disadvantage all around.  Losing mobility can kill
>>>>your initiative not to mention making you easier to hit.  The only bonus,
>>>>and it seems to be a small one, is that you can absorb several percentage
>>>>points more damage with heavier armor with the increased melee defense
>>>>ability.
>>
>>Not true; as Sjoerd points out, the defensive ability allows the
>>character to "avoid being hit" - it doesn't reduce the damage done
>>by a single attack.
>>

>Wait, perhaps I'm just misunderstanding what you're saying, but I believe
>you're wrong. In the section on melee combat, just after the the rules
>state the formula for h2h base damage, it says "This is adjusted by
>multiplying it by a random amount between 0.51 and 1.50. The defender
>then has a chance to reduce it by absorbing damage.  The amount absorbed
>is a random amount from 0% to the square root of the defender's melee
>effectiveness defense.  The resultant damage in points is applied to
>the defender."   So the heavier your armor is (and so the greater your
>melee defense) for a certain level, the less damage you will receive
>on average.

It seems that I'm being misunderstood, so I'll try to make my point clear:
I totally agree with the original poster that leather is better than
chainmail, (I've given my fighters nothing but leather and shield, not even
a weapon) but in some rare cases the "amount absorbed" could compensate.

WRT high enchanted armor: once you have access to those items, the fighters
will have high natural defense anyway, and the +1000 defense will only
add 10%, while the -10 mobility will hurt more.

Now the fun begins: what to do with Chainmail of Magics: it gives -6
to mobility, but adds to the affinities, reducing damage of natural
attacks and spells, and is moderate enchanted chainmail.

Another option: sometimes I just want to reduce my mobility, to get
a special order of actions. Eg: I've a spellcaster and 5 (quick) fighters
against 3 monsters. I could have a quick spellcaster, but when his monsters
rush to my spellcaster, they will have enough attacks to kill him. So
I reduce the initiative of the spellcaster, hoping that he gets some
damage in case he's attacked. Flee at 1%, and if he hasn't fled,
he's not engaged in h2h combat, while my fighters have engaged all monsters,
so it's safe to cast a spell. (Not to mention that the above spellcaster
most likely has low defense, so will benefit highly of the heavy armor)

In short: Fighters usually won't use heavy armor, but in some rare cases
it's a good option.

Sjoerd Schreuder

References

Odyssey Melee Combat
dman@p-o.widomaker.com (dman)
Tue, 05 Mar 1996 00:00:00 +0000