AC rules where your characters have a
base that is the same if they're wearing nothing or wearing normal
clothes are a nice gameplay abstraction, but not super “realistic”.
People wear clothes to protect themselves from the elements and from
nature; your character is most vulnerable when nude! They shouldn't
have the same AC as when they're wearing clothes. So...
For each one of these totally
unnecessary rules you add, reduce the base AC of your game by -1
- Shoes grant +1 AC when worn. Having your shoe sucked off by quicksand or destroyed means your feet are more vulnerable, making an easy target.
- As long as you're wielding a melee weapon, gain +1 AC. You can use the weapon to parry and deflect blows. Alternatively, this only applies to weapons longer then a dagger.
- If your character is fully clothed, add +2 AC. Reduce base AC by 2 instead of 1. Skimpy clothes like loincloths only grant +1 AC
- Fighting with any kind of protection for your head (hat or helmet) grants +1 extra AC. You need this to keep the sun out of your eyes, and to avoid your hair being grabbed.
- If you're fighting in a uniform or under war banner; you get +1 AC. Fighting with a group makes you more intimating and less likely to be singled out- zebra logic.
- If your character is clean shaven or well groomed, they get +1 AC. Fighting while dirt or unwashed is a disadvantage, you're more likely to get caught on things or your own hair being used to grab and put you in a dangerous position.
- If you're fighting in a lighting condition that favors you, gain +1 AC. This isn't exactly the same as a negative modifier to enemies striking you, you have better footing. Orcs and subterranean creatures get +1 AC in darkness, surface dwellers get +1 AC in light.
- If you're dry, warm, and not savaged by the elements gain +1 AC. Characters who get wet or bogged down by flies or otherwise disadvantaged by nature carry this into combat. Bit of a play on the idea of using things like “Freezing cold” or “Wet” as a negative condition that fills an inventory slot, ala Skerples or Goblin Punch.
I have no idea why I wrote this. You
could also use the above as a 1d8 table.
I still don't know wtf is going on with this blog sometimes but its entertaining to no end. This is probably why I've added it to the list of other OSR-related on mine.
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