Weapons and Armor

Given the Pip System for Skills, it follows that Weapons and Armor should have a fixed value for how much damage they can do and how much damage they can resist. First, we have to decide that weapons don't kill people, skilled warriors do. Weapons are simply tools used by creatures with widely varying levels of skill. If you give two combatants each a dagger, the more skilled (or lucky) is going to win. If you give one combatant a sword, and the other a dagger, then the sword gives an advantage, but more skill will win out.

The theory is that the possible damage of the weapon is added to the combat role. The opponent also rolls. Whoever has the higher total overcomes the other's defensive skill and the difference is the damage dealt. This damage is then reduced by the Armor Rating of that being's armor. So, if the successful attack scores 5 points of damage, but the defender has chain mail that reduces it by 6, then no damage is dealt. (in hard-core rules, the Armor takes the damage and must be repaired).

To make this terribly simple, I will use the top damage listed in the d20 equipment list as the base damage of each weapon type. There, a dagger would do 1d4 damage. Here a dagger does 4 damage. A poor quality dagger would do 3, while a well-made dagger might do 5 or more, etc. Again, the skill of the weapon user is a much higher determiner of success than the damage rating of that weapon.

Armor, on the other hand, would either have a simple rating or a flexible rating determined by its condition. For example, some fine studded leather armor has a rating of 8. It could either always be 8, or it could have 80 damage absorption points, and its armor rating could be one tenth of this point total rounded up at any given time. Example: this armor absorbs 4 points in the first combat round. 80-4=76. 76 divided by 10 is 7.6, which rounded up is 8. So, for the next round, the armor can absorb 8 more point. In the next round it absorbs 2 points, so 76-2=74 which still rounds up to 8. In the third round, it absorbs 7 points, and 74-7=67, which rounds up to 7. So, the next round it can only absorb 7 points, etc.

Armor, regardless of damage absorption point totals, can only reduce the damage so much. If the example armor, which is at 7 points was hit with 13 points in the next round, the armor would take the first 7 points, and the wearer would take the rest.

The real problem with armor is its weight. For each 50 lbs of equipment, the character subtracts a d6 from their Athletics skill die rolls.