Part 1: The Basics ☰
Whether you’re defending a caravan from bandits on the road or plundering an ancient lost temple, one thing holds true between adventurers of all levels, backgrounds, and skillsets: a strong offense will only get you so far. Any adventurer hoping to last more than a day or two needs a something to defend themselves in the event things go south. For some, this means being quicker than a bullet with unmatched reflexes. To others, this means thick plates of metal that no Sentient’s sword nor dragon’s tooth could penetrate. And for all, a weak body and mind will get you about as far as an unstrung bow.
In Iron & Aether, there are 2 primary forms of defense: Dodge and Armor, both detailed in greater detail below. Your Armor and Dodge scores combined form your Melee Defense (M-DEF) and Ranged Defense (R-DEF) scores.
Additionally, a creature's Fortitude and Willpower scores protect them from poison and psychic damage respectively.
A character’s Armor score tells them how well-defended they are from attacks that connect with their physical bodies; a low Armor score means that the gear your character is wearing hardly protects them, while a high Armor score means that they are quite well-defended, likely wearing thick plates of steel or something enchanted. Though a high Armor score is desirable, keep in mind that heavier armor will weigh you down and restrain your Dodge score, as well as make it more difficult to travel on foot.
Your Armor score is comprised of your Natural Armor and the literal physical armor you are wearing on your body, and makes up half of your M-DEF score. The lowest a Sentient’s Armor score can be is 0.
Your Dodge score - separate from the Dodge Penalty determined by your Size - quantifies your character’s ability to avoid immediate danger: it is a collection of their reflexes, defensive agility, and instinct for danger. A high Dodge score means that hardly anything, from a flying arrow to a swung blade, will get anywhere near you. Keep in mind that heavy armor and equipment will reduce and constrain your Dodge score. Dodge makes up half of your M-DEF score, and the lowest a creature’s Dodge score can be is 0. Additionally, a creature's Dodge score assumes they are actively avoiding danger and defending themselves; if they are doing neither of those things, then a character's Dodge score effectively becomes 0.
Your Dodge score is determined by your Size and your AGI and DEX scores, and is directly modified by the armor you are wearing:
Light, Medium, or no armor: Dodge = Dodge Penalty + AGI score + DEX score;
Heavy armor: Dodge = Dodge Penalty + AGI score.
The Melee Defense (M-DEF) of a creature is a number that tells the player and the GM how much damage is reduced from incoming melee attacks, and is determined by adding the creature’s Armor and Dodge scores (M-DEF = Armor + Dodge); the lowest a creature’s M-DEF score can be is 0. A creature’s Ranged Defense (R-DEF) functions very similarly, except that it is applied to any and all attacks made at range or over an area, including explosives, ranged spells, traps, and the like. R-DEF is determined by adding a creature’s M-DEF score to the R-DEF bonus they get from their Size.
To find out how much damage has been dealt to a creature, take the result of the attack roll and subtract the target’s M-DEF or R-DEF score as appropriate. This damage is referred to as the final damage of the attack.
In the next chapter, another type of defense is covered: saves. Two of these saves, Fortitude and Willpower, also function as forms of defense against poison and psychic damage respectively.
Some creatures have resistances and vulnerabilities to certain types of damage; this just means that they take more or less damage from an attack that deals damage of that type. If a creature is resistant to an attack’s damage, then the final damage dealt to them by that attack is halved. If a creature is vulnerable to an attack’s damage, then the final damage dealt to them by that attack is doubled.