[Ranylyn]

I honestly don't see the issue. Over half your current health? So, it turns being dead in 1-2 hits into being dead in 2-3? Whoopdy freaking do, you're still going to die faster than you can actually do anything about it. Maybe if healing effects weren't so easily outdamaged, I would agree that this needs a tweak. However, even one on one in PVE, it can be impossible to outheal monsters if you spam heals twice per turn. IMO, this just makes PVE healing even a remote semblance of an option, and marginally reduces the risk of a melee character wiping. Epecially since evokers really want Arcane Tattoo for long dungeons.

As for PVP, I'd argue the other armor effects can very much be worth it. But rather than give examples that will make people rage and scream "no u" at me, I will instead propose another alternatives on how to better balance heavy armor in general.


- As the bodyguard is, if I recall correctly, the heaviest armor in the game, might I propose some kind of weight based penalty weighed against your strength? A penalty to defensive stats per point the weight exceeds your total strength. 10 strength too few? +10 damage taken. As such, if you don't have the strength to wear the thing efficiently, you can't correctly adapt to enemy attack to angle yourself better so the blows glance off it, taking heavier direct blows. As only very high str characters would be able to wear the bodyguard, this would help discourage people from taking bonus damage. Meanwhile, this would prevent much nerfing of light armors, while guaranteeing that only actual tanks wear heavy. This would also give Galdric armors an actual use rather than simply being discarded for lower defense.

- Likewise, weighing Strength against weight for terms of calculating the actual weight. For example, a Light Armor might have 10 weight and 5 evade, which is a net evade penalty. I propose that every 3 strength negates the armor's weight penalty against evasion by 1. This would make more medium weight armors actually viable for more of a "I CAN dodge, but I CAN take a hit" setup rather than being forced into one camp or another. They'll never be as good a dodger as an unarmored character or as tanky as a heavy, but that's exactly the point. Right now the only real benefit is the extra effects like resists to one element, which are situational.

- To balance the two points above, raise the raw defense modifiers on heavy armor a bit, without touching their weight. With these ideas, heavy armor would be like a reward for passing a certain strength threshold, and not be rendered obsolete by light armors.


Just some random brain farts brought upon by the migrane I happen to have at this exact moment. Maybe I can explain better once I get some painkillers in me.