Masteries -- Parry

[Stormcrow]

Surely, choosing a stance should govern your defense. Choosing a forward stance and then converting attack dice to parry dice smacks of wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

[Rich H]

Yes, agree with Stormcrow here. Using Weaponskill dice to roll and add to Parry looks like a pretty bad idea as defensive values in TOR are static - ie, a combination of character Parry Value and stance that is chosen each combat round. I personally wouldn't fiddle with that design element.

[Glorelendil]

Two player-hero Dwarves died today, sacrificing themselves so that the Rohirric hero with them could escape to report his reconnoitering of the disposition of Isengard to Theodred. Just before the Dwarves fell, they were facing 5 Orcs each with more coming (each Eye of Sauron they rolled generated another 1d6 Orcs to join the fray...one player rolled a new game high of 8 Eyes in one session...all during this fight!). Only 1 in 5 Orcs seemed to hit, but 4 points of damage per hit took its eventual toll). Anyway...

I'm not sure any rule tweak is gonna save your players. You're hard core.

/hatsoff

[Angelalex242]

There's no rule tweak that can save negatively fixed dice.

My personal rule is:If the players roll at least 2 Eyes with the same die in one session, fire that die and use a different one.

[Glorelendil]

There's no rule tweak that can save negatively fixed dice.

My personal rule is:If the players roll at least 2 Eyes with the same die in one session, fire that die and use a different one.

Do you do the same if they roll 2 gandalfs?

[Angelalex242]

Of course not. Those are the dice I want them to use!

On topic...

+1 parry for a virtue is rather weak. Recall that defensive parry boosts in existing cultural virtues are usually better then that...

Compare Small Folk, Durin's Way, Swordmaster, Great Strength etc.

[Rich H]

+1 parry for a virtue is rather weak. Recall that defensive parry boosts in existing cultural virtues are usually better then that...

Compare Small Folk, Durin's Way, Swordmaster, Great Strength etc.

All those have restrictions to when they can be used, the +1 to Parry is universal.

[Angelalex242]

Some of those restrictions aren't very restrictive.

Small Folk and Swordmaster are almost always useful, and Great Strength just means 'no armor (or a leather shirt) for you.' And since armor reduces your endurance a LOT...

I'll admit Durin's Way is pretty situational though.

Still, +1 seems too weak vs. the cultural virtues. I wouldn't take it.

[Rich H]

Still, +1 seems too weak vs. the cultural virtues. I wouldn't take it.

I would and two of my players have - the Daleman (he saw the strength in its universal application) and the Woodsman (who doesn't have access to those specific Virtues). It also being +1 maps pretty well, and is balanced, to the other universal virtues - eg, dour-handed, fell-handed, and resilience. I think you're off the mark thinking it should be higher considering how the universal and cultural virtues have been designed in the game.

[Angelalex242]

Eh. I'll have to run the numbers through the simulator Elfcrusher's got. It'd need to produce a pretty significant percentage difference for me to consider it.