Topic: possible house rules simplifying armor penalties and exhaustion

[BrotherOats]

Rolemaster armor stuff:

House rules

TAKE 1 Armor as encumbrance

•   Eliminate armor penalties and simply treat armor as added encumbrance.
•   But the minimum maneuver penalty still applies to stealth and delicate operations.
•   No maneuvering in armor skill exists.
•   Exhaustion rules replaced by a quick post-fight dice-throw to avoid taking X number of concussion hits (hit points include fatigue, as in most versions of D&D). Now there is no need to track EPs.

TAKE 2 Reduce penalties

•   Keep the armor penalties to maneuver but eliminate MiA skills and reduce all maneuver penalties to the minimum for each armor type. Ignore armor quickness penalty.
•   Fold exhaustion into concussion hits, as above.



I think if I implement these house rules, the effects on play will be:

1
Less stuff to track.

2
Armor does not hamper maneuvers or quickness as much as in RAW, but the only nonmagical way to cancel out the penalties it does impose is to get big swole. Pumping iron, baby!

3 Sneaking about in anything much heavier than a gambeson or buff coat remains difficult. Mail and plate clinks, rattles, clanks.
4 effects on Realms/professions:
ESSENCE No real change for Essence casters, as they cannot cast in armor and therefore will seldom wear it.
CHANNELING Not much difference for Channeling casters, who will be wearing (lighter than metal) cloth and leather armors as a rule.
MENTALISM Mentalists may benefit as they can wear the heavier armors and now will not have to blow DPs on maneuvering in armor skill. I will have to keep that in mind when thinking about game balance/niche protection.
ARMS
Fighters will save DPs on the now-excised Maneuver in Armor skills.
Well-armored archers will be more effective. Too much so? Should I perhaps keep the minimum penalty for armor as the missile penalty?
Armor is less of a hindrance, overall, and characters who are not worried about casting spells or sneaking around have a stronger incentive to favor heavier armor types

[jdale]

Even channeling casters may be saving a significant number of points. They may be wearing lighter armor, but those ranks of maneuver in armor can definitely add up in cost for those pure channeling professions.

[Witchking20k]

I like the idea of having the base ATs be AT 5, 9, 13, 17 and using their MMPs.  No Skill.  Then having a Talent that allows you to buy off the penalty if you wish.  One of the great blind spots in RM is that finding and donning new armour mid-dungeon crawl is just plain fun and the standard armour skill system is a barrier to that.

[BrotherOats]

Even channeling casters may be saving a significant number of points. They may be wearing lighter armor, but those ranks of maneuver in armor can definitely add up in cost for those pure channeling professions.

Good  point.

A possible third route:

Eliminate Quickness penalty for armor.

Keep Maneuver Penalty, but collapse MiA into a single skill and use the cheapest cost by profession (1) for the Fighter and the most expensive costs (as plate) for any pure casters.  Scouts and Rangers  could but it at 4 per level of skill, perhaps.

Fold exhaustion into hits, as above.

[BrotherOats]

EDIT-- Hybrid casters, too.

[Witchking20k]

The Combat Companion has rules for armour as a single skill if I recall. 

[BrotherOats]

The Combat Companion has rules for armour as a single skill if I recall.

That one is on my wish list. I'll definitely want to see what changes were made to armor and related skills.


My design goals with house rules are:

1 simplify the game a bit

2 reduce  what seem to me to be a rather too harsh set of armor penalties

3 do the two things above without screwing up play balance (but a shift favoring heavy armored fighters in melee is fine).

 

[Witchking20k]

Many of us do the same thing.  I've done dozens of little tweaks based on the style of game I want to play over the years.  I'd take a look at MERP and see the way it handles armour.  The penalties are present but not as egregious.   

[BrotherOats]

Many of us do the same thing.  I've done dozens of little tweaks based on the style of game I want to play over the years.  I'd take a look at MERP and see the way it handles armour.  The penalties are present but not as egregious.

I'll take a look at MERP armor penalties, thanks.

[Hurin]

RMU also folds armor into encumbrance in a way. You might find it useful.