Yearly Archives: 2013

JRPG Basic Classes

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Black Mage

Black Mage (personal sketch)

The set of starting classes is relatively limited, despite the many classes sometimes available in console RPGs. I think Moldvay had it about right with 7 major options for PCs at the beginning of a campaign. In console games, other classes are often made available by the recruiting of new party members as the game progresses, so the complexity is introduced slowly. To allow for something similar, I’m also planning on including “unlockable” classes that must be discovered through play (I do this in my OD&D game too, so it’s not really novel, but seems extra-appropriate here).

Right now, the core classes are black mage, red mage, white mage, thief, warrior, and wushi (a martial artist). Summoner, dragoon/lancer, and mana engineer are all also prime contenders, though some of those may work better as “upgrade” classes, which will be provided to support progressions like black mage → black wizard or warrior → paladin, drive adventures after third level, and make new, specialized powers available (without adding more hit dice or numerical inflation, hopefully). I don’t see upgrade classes having levels, but rather just adding one or two abilities to characters.

Thanks to Brock C. for mentioning spell medallions that must be affixed to hats, which was partially responsible for my spell crystals idea here. I’m still on the fence about whether to refer to “one mana spells” or “first level spells.” Intercept wording is a cut and paste and requires improvement. Red mage mana capacity may need to be tweaked for balance. When considering the various class abilities, remember that max level is 3.

Every class has two primary stats: HD (hit die) and AC (armor class). HD is a measure of combat skill and resilience. HP is determined at the beginning of each session by rolling 1 HD per level and adding CON (+CON to the total rolled, not to each die separately). The lower of hit die and weapon die is used for weapon damage. That is, hit die is a limiting factor on weapon damage. AC is fixed by class and does not depend on the armor worn.

Some examples. A third level warrior rolls 3d10 +CON for HP at the beginning of each adventure, and rolls up to 1d10 +STR for damage (depending on the weapon die). A black mage can wield a sword, but it’s damage die will still only be 1d6 (though other weapon properties may still apply).

Summary of Classes
Class HD AC Features
Mage, Black d6 10 black magic, 3 mana/level +INT
Mage, Red d8 14 black & white magic, 2 mana/level
Mage, White d6 12 white magic, 3 mana/level +WIS
Thief d6 12 surprise attack, improved basic skills, thief skills
Warrior d10 16 attack bonus, cleave, intercept
Wushi d8 14 counterattack, deadly fists, pummel

Locked Classes

Some classes must be unlocked through play before they become available. Future versions of this game will include several locked classes.

Upgrade Classes

Characters may not gain any levels above 3, but once level 3 is reached in a base class, that class may be upgraded. Upgrade classes do not provide more HD, but do make new abilities available. For example, a warrior might become a paladin, and gain a limited ability to use white magic. Rules for upgrade classes will be provided in future versions of this game.

Mage

Mages use the energy of mana to cast spells. Each mage belongs to an order as well, which teaches a certain style of spell casting.

Spells

Magic uses special alchemically prepared, mana-infused crystals that contain spells. Mages can use a spell crystal directly to cast the contained spell, which destroys the crystal, or set the crystal in a focus, such as a wand or staff, which allows the spell to be cast multiple times. Focused spells require the mage to supply the necessary mana, whereas crystals may be consumed to cast a spell for free.

Mages begin with two spell crystals (each containing a one mana spell) and a wand with two slots. More spell crystals may be bought from mages in town or found during adventures, as can foci with more slots.

Mages acquire titles in their order as they increase in level. These titles are:

  1. Apprentice
  2. Journeyer
  3. Master

Black mage

Black mages study the powers of destruction and death. This does not necessarily make them evil, but they are widely feared. The symbol of the black mages is a pointed hat.

Black mages only know how to cast black magic and have 3 mana per level +INT. For example, a third level black mage with INT +2 has (3 x 3) +2 = 11 mana.

Red mage

The order of red mages prizes broad learning, and thus red mages are able to use both black and white magic. They also train for battle, and thus have greater combat resilience and skill with weapons. However, this versatility comes with drawbacks. Red mages have less mana than black or white mages and have poorer fighting skills compared to classes that are more dedicated to combat.The symbol of the red mages is a red, wide-brimmed hat.

Red mages know how to cast both black and white magic and have 2 mana per level with no modifier by ability scores. For example, a second level red mage with 2 + 2 = 4 mana.

White mage

White mages eschew the dark arts in favor of spells that are mostly defensive and restorative. They can only cast white magic. The symbol of the white mages is a white, cowled cloak.

White mages only know how to cast white magic and have 3 mana per level +WIS. For example, a first level white mage with WIS +3 has (3 x 1) +3 = 6 mana.

Thief

Thieves specialize in stealth, cleverness, and surprise.

Surprise Attack

Thieves roll one extra damage die per level for attacks from surprise.

Improved Basic Skills

Thieves have better chances with most of the basic skills (climb, listen, search, and stealth). These skills begin at 3 in 6 (rather than the default 1 in 6) and improve by 1 every level (so a third level thief has a 5 in 6 chance). The only basic skill that they do not have an improved chance with is force (which has a chance of 1+STR in 6, just like any other character).

Thief Skills

Thieves also have access to several skills which no other class has by default. These thief skills are devices, locks, and steal. Thief skill chances also start at 3 in 6 and improve by 1 every level.

Warrior

The warrior class focuses primarily on weapons and combat. With the largest hit die of all the classes, the warrior generally has the most hit points and also deals the most damage with weapons. Warriors also add their level to attack rolls, and have the highest AC.

Cleave

After dropping an enemy in melee combat, warriors may make a free melee attack against another target in melee.

Intercept

To throw yourself in the path of an attack directed toward another character, make an attack roll. If this intercept roll is equal to or higher the attack roll being intercepted, the interceptor becomes the new target of the attack and moves between the attacker and the original target. The decision to intercept must be made prior to the attack roll.

Wushi

Wushis are martial artists that specialize in unarmed combat and mobility. They train either in monasteries or in a master/pupil relationship. The legend is that the wushu tradition began as a method of combat when weapons were forbidden to the common people by a tyrant.

Wushi titles by level are:

  1. Eagle
  2. Tiger
  3. Dragon

Counterattack

If an enemy attacks a wushi in melee, misses, and rolls a 5 or less on the attack roll, the wushi automatically counterattacks, assuming the attacker is not immune to attacks from the wushi. No attack roll is necessary, just roll damage as per standard attack.

Deadly Fists

Wushis deal lethal damage and add their level to melee attacks when unarmed.

Pummel

If fighting unarmed, wushis gain one extra strike per level (against the same target in melee). For example, a second level wushi takes three strikes.

JRPG Basic Ability Scores

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In the previous post about this system, I said I was going to write about classes next. I think I should go over ability scores first though, so I guess I lied. This system uses the standard 6 (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma), but doesn’t bother with the 3 to 18 range and just records the modifier, which ranges from 0 to 3 (no negatives). It also collapses saving throws into ability checks, for simplicity.

The paragraph explaining the difficulty math and when to roll needs to be improved, and maybe moved into a referee section. More info about what ability checks are actually used for will also be provided in sections about specific rules (drowning, falling, catching, contests, and so forth). A summary (or at least list) of those rules also probably belongs here (and will be added to this section of the final document later, probably, if the flow works out).

Ability Scores

Pick one of the following arrays, and assign them to the six ability scores as desired.

Ability Score Arrays
Array Scores
Focused +3 +2 +1 +0 +0 +0
Versatile +2 +2 +2 +1 +0 +0
Well-rounded +2 +2 +1 +1 +1 +1

A quick note regarding compatibility with other games that measure ability scores with numbers ranging from 3 to 18: +0 = 10, +1 = 13, +2 = 16, +3 = 18.

Ability Scores and Their Application
Ability Applications
Strength STR carrying capacity, melee damage, force skill
Dexterity DEX missile attack
Constitution CON hit points
Intelligence INT mana (black), magic attack, magic damage
Wisdom WIS mana (white), magic defense
Charisma CHA social reaction, retainers, retainer loyalty

In addition to the applications mentioned in the table above, each ability score is used for ability checks and saving throws. So even if you don’t cast spells, for example, wisdom is still used to resist magical effects.

Ability Checks

To make an ability check, roll 1d20 and add the appropriate ability and your character level. 15 or higher is a success. Given that the max level is 3 and the max ability score is +3, the max (natural) bonus for an ability check is +6. Some rare enchanted items may be able to raise abilities beyond +3, however, and thus also increase the ability check chances.

For example, say a first level character with a constitution of +2 needs to make a constitution check. The roll is 1d20 +3 (+1 for level and +2 for ability).

The number 15 is not meant to be modified based on task difficulty. Tasks are either impossible, uncertain, or trivial. If it’s impossible, the referee will just tell you, and you won’t need to roll. If the task is trivial, you just do it. Only if task is uncertain should you bother rolling. A first level character has between a 35% and 50% chance of passing an ability check, depending on the ability score. This raises to between 45% and 60% at third level.

Saving Throws

Sometimes characters are called on to make a saving throw to avoid some danger. Saving throws are resolved exactly as ability checks, and every saving throw will make use of one ability score. Think of them as reactive ability checks.

JRPG Basic

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Not too long ago, prompted by Huge Ruined Scott’s musings about creating a starter dungeon for Moldvay Basic, I started thinking about what a “basic” style tabletop fantasy RPG would be like if it were a complete game mechanically, rather than just an introduction to a more complicated set of rules. A sort of E3 (level advancement would stop at 3). As it developed, the basic concept remained, but it came to incorporate many elements inspired by early Japanese console RPGs, especially those from the 16 bit era. I have to say, the freedom to ignore cultural and genre consistency (following the syncretic style of Japanese RPGs), is quite liberating. Many of the less central Moldvay classes (dwarf, halfling) were quickly replaced with alternatives like wushis (martial artists).

I’m still looking for a title, though Reynaldo M.’s suggestion of “Sword Saga” is my current, tentative favorite. Maybe I should just call it AFP (“Another Fucking Project”). With this in the works, I have three (maybe four, if the Pahvelorn rules modifications and interpretations count) rule sets under development. In some ways, however, they are all different aspects of the same thing, and all share many of my favorite house rules. They all, for example, use essentially the same encumbrance system. It feels a bit like slowly revealing a single statue by chipping away at different areas of a stone.

Originally, I was thinking about doing this as a Swords & Wizardry variant, but looking at the material I have so far, I don’t think I actually need to use the OGL. On the other hand, I still may, to emphasize the compatibility with other neo and retro clones (though working under the aegis of S&W requires dual armor classing everything, which is kind of a drag). Much of the streamlining that I have done is also somewhat reminiscent of a simplified and level-limited LotFP. Anyways, here’s a bit of preliminary material.

System Highlights

  • Max level is 3.
  • No weapon restrictions; damage is limited by class hit die.
  • AC is by class, so armor doesn’t matter.
  • Spell casting system uses mana.
  • Spells divided into black and white magic.
  • One extra “feature” at 1st level supports simple multi-classing.
  • Skills use a simple d6 system.
  • Town inventory system to drive equipment upgrades.
  • Upgrade classes to gain specialist powers after third level.

Setting

In the recent past, the world was struck by a great storm of meteors. This threw the settled lands into turmoil, toppling kingdoms, remaking geography, and transforming what was once a peripheral, frontier region into what remains of civilization. This event has come to be known as the Meteorfall. Further, the physical devastation was not even the greatest danger posed by the meteors, which were in some cases eggs (or vessels?) from which emerged monstrosities.

Further, while there have always been monsters, the meteors themselves seem to have strange magical properties that warp natural life around them, creating strange and terrifying creatures. Many of the meteors are also good sources of mana crystals, which are extremely precious to mages, as mana is required to power spells.

Inspirations

  • Final Fantasy (especially I, IV, and VI)
  • Dragon Warrior and Dragon Quest
  • Shining Force
  • Moldvay Basic

Classes

The six classes that I’m focusing on to begin with are black mage, white mage, red mage, warrior, thief, and wushi. I’ll post more about them tomorrow.

Vio-Lance

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The Inferno, Canto 21

The Inferno, Canto 21 (source)

Vio-lances are wicked hell weapons. They usually look like large spears or halberds, with purple-tinged blades of unknown (and seemingly indestructible) metal. Holy magic does not function within throwing range of a vio-lance. If a death blow is struck with a vio-lance, the victim explodes messily, showering all nearby with gore, and making any attempt at resurrection futile.

Echo of Fitzwalter

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Echo of Fitzwalter

Echo of Fitzwalter (personal sketch)

Summary:

  • +1 to hit, bolts fired from it inflict magical damage
  • Cumulative damage bonus of +1 per hit, max +6, resets after combat

This arbalest is said to have once been a standard light crossbow, of wood and steel, before it was taken into the Vaults of Pahvelorn during the time of the Order of Gavin. It was wielded by the adventurer Fitzwalter, warder of Eraria the Sorceress. Fitzwalter fell defending his mistress, but the energy released by his heroism in that cursed place bound something forever into the weapon, perhaps the soul of the fallen warrior or maybe the shades haunting that place. The crossbow’s wood was warped to dark ebony, the steel of the bow twisted into an amalgam of bone, and the tip became a grinning skull. The weapon is chill to the touch. When loaded, shadow seems to bleed from the aperture, which appears like dark, wispy drool from the skull’s mouth.

The Echo of Fitzwalter is a light crossbow +1 to hit that charges bolts with dark energy (counts as magical damage). Each time it inflicts damage during combat, it gains a cumulative damage bonus of +1. So, the first shot that hits does 1d6 damage, the second 1d6 +1, the third 1d6 +2, and so forth, up to +6. This damage bonus resets following combat.

Light crossbows may be loaded and fired in the same round, but don’t have a bonus against armor. (That is, they follow my crossbow rules from before the weapon properties post.)

I have so far avoided “plus” style magic weapons in my ongoing Vaults of Pahvelorn campaign, mostly out of a desire to rein in numerical inflation. However, Green Devil Face 5 (also available from RPGNow) has d30 critical hit and fumble tables that we have been using. Last session, this result was rolled:

18. If this attack is the killing blow, your weapon acquires a permanent +1 bonus to hit.

Further, it was indeed the killing blow. This just seemed like a golden opportunity to break my rule. So this is the first +1 Pahvelorn weapon: a bound spirit fused to a crossbow and sealed with the death of a retainer.

A report about the session that spawned the Echo can be found at Dungeon of Signs.

Shamans of Pahvelorn

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In addition to the ancient mystery religion of the lost True Empire (to which traditional clerics belong), numerous spirits and powers are worshipped by the folk in the lands around Pahvelorn. Here is one example of a shaman class, which calls on Legatus Rattus, servant to the Mother of Thousands, rat goddess often worshipped by the poor and oppressed.

Shaman: HD, combat, armor, advancement as cleric. Prime requisite: charisma.

Proper obeisance is required each morning. Doing this lets a spirt (such as the mother or one of her high ranking servants) into you and makes the spirit’s spells available. While you have the spirit in you, you detect as chaotic. You turn as an undead of your own HD, but a successful turn drives the spirit out rather than causing fear or anything else (you must find a sanctuary and perform the proper rites, as in the morning).

Chant in High Murine (which sounds high pitched but echoey, like thousands of rats chanting in a draughty hall) and roll 1d20 and add level to activate a power. Beat the target by 5 and get some extra effects. Miss by 10 or more and there will be consequences. 1 is always a failure, 20 is always a success. Spells must be maintained after cast (meaning you can’t have more than one spell active at once, but you can take other actions after the initial casting).

Target numbers proceed spell descriptions.

Spirit: Legatus Rattus

  • 11 Speak with Rats: self explanatory.
  • 12 Sticky Feet: climb rough vertical surfaces at half movement, no chance of falling (save might be required if you take an arrow or something).
  • 13 Psychic Swarm: target is afflicted by a swarm of shadowy psychic rats swarming over them. -2 penalties to AC, saves, and attack. Further, save versus magic or must use actions to either attempt to flee or claw madly at the illusionary rats.
  • 13 Fever Bite: grow long ratlike incisors for one encounter/exploration turn. Hits require a save or the target becomes afflicted by a wasting disease that automatically does 1 HP damage per round. Ineffective against huge creatures or those with more than 6 HD.
  • 14 Hole Spotter: spend a turn and perform a smoke ritual that may reveal hidden hidey-holes. Only hidden things with gaps that smoke could find are discoverable, so some sophisticated secret doors might not be located, even on success. The smoke seems to take the form of thousands of tine, questing rats.
  • 15 Summon Dire Rats: 1d6 semi-corporeal rats materialize. 1/2 HD, 1d3 damage, +1 damage for each hit beyond the first if they gang up on an enemy. Semi-intelligent. Rats disperse following combat or one exploration turn. If slain, they may not be summoned again until the proper rites have been performed (that is, the next day).
  • 20 Summon Legatus Rattus: Miss by 10 here, and the Legatus will likely be hostile.
    HD 10, AC 3, attacks 3, Sv 5, Mv 24/12 (climbing)

Regarding more spells: other spirits can be discovered in play. Then before a session you can pick which you want to invoke. Basically, it is preparing a set of spells as a group rather than one by one.

Basic feats

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Pick one of these at first level. You can either double down on your archetype (such as a magic-user taking an extra spell slot) or grab something from another class (like a fighter with climb walls). Or you can roll 1d20 and trust in the Norns. This should allow the creation of many different hybrid character types with minimal fuss. I was working with the Basic rulebook in mind, but I bet this would work with many other, similar systems.

  1. Magic-user spell slot (and one spell)
  2. Scroll casting (and one scroll to start with, determined randomly)
  3. Wand proficiency (and one wand to start with, determined randomly)
  4. Cleric spell slot (and one spell)
  5. Turn (or command) undead as cleric of equivalent level †
  6. Tough/lucky: +2 all saving throws ‡
  7. Increase hit die one step (for example, d4 becomes d6)
  8. Dwarf-sense: notice dungeon features as dwarf
  9. Elf-sight: infravision and find secret doors as elf
  10. Harrier: +1 missile attacks, AC bonus of 2 vs. large creatures (as halfling)
  11. Backstab as thief
  12. Pick pockets as thief of equivalent level
  13. Climb as thief of equivalent level
  14. Move silently as thief of equivalent level
  15. Hide in shadows as thief of equivalent level
  16. Open locks as thief of equivalent level
  17. Remove small traps as thief of equivalent level
  18. Hear noises as thief of equivalent level
  19. Armor proficiency (ability to use the next better category of armor)
  20. Weapon proficiency (ability to use a weapon not usually allowed)
My Basic Rulebook

My Basic Rulebook

Some of these options are likely to be redundant (such as a thief with “open locks as thief of equivalent level”). You can either not pick such options, re-roll them if rolling, or use the following guidelines for handling redundant options. Weapon proficiency becomes weapon specialization, and means +1 to attack and damage with the weapon in question. Armor proficiency becomes armor specialization, and adds a bonus of 1 to AC when wearing armor. A redundant thief skill grants a bonus (+1 if using d6, +15% if using d%). Redundant backstab adds an extra die of damage. Redundant elf-sight or dwarf-sense adds +1 to the d6 roll. The “harrier” feat stacks with the halfling class. Redundant turn undead grants a +1 to the 2d6 roll. Redundant scroll caster or wand proficiency? I don’t know; make something up. Maybe it’s just a free item at first level, or extra charges when using wands, or bumping up the exhaustion die if using something like abstract wand ammo.

You’ll note that there are not really any new abilities on this list. That is intentional, to keep the options as familiar as possible. If you’ve ever played Basic D&D, it should be super obvious how all of these things work.

† Choose either turn or command when the feat is taken.
‡ +2 is equivalent to the difference between the dwarf and fighter saves in the Basic rulebook.

Telekinetic sword

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The striking edge of a telekinetic sword works over a distance. That is, you swing your sword here and something over there gets cut. When activated, the live edge of a telekinetic sword shimmers slightly, as if it were coated in psychedelic foil, though this does not produce any light. Radiant arcs accompany the delivery of the telekinetic strike at the point of the target, along with noises somewhat like a buzzing whip-crack. Effective range at full power is equal to the wielder’s HD x 10 feet. Range at reduced power (half damage) is HD x 20 feet. So, a 4 HD character attacking with a telekinetic sword can hit targets up to 40 feet away for full damage, or 80 feet away for half damage.

Telekinetic swords are disorienting to use, as they don’t react to the wielder kinesthetically as is commonly expected. Becoming accustomed to the quirks of a given sword requires at least a week for familiarization (roll two dice and take the lowest result for attack rolls prior to the completion of this period; familiarization is assumed during downtime, so telekinetic swords can generally be used “next session”). The physical edge of a telekinetic sword is not actually sharp, and only does 1d3 damage if used unactivated as a mundane melee weapon (though they may be used as melee weapons when activated). Telekinetic swords are psychically resonant when active and their use can be sensed by any psychic creatures nearby. Further, as psychic antennas, they may also amplify certain psychic effects, which could be either positive or negative for the wielder depending on the situation.

Some version of Final Fantasy 4 (screen shot from here)

Some version of Final Fantasy 4 (screen shot from here)

AC by class AND level

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Armor of Stefan Batory (source)

Armor of Stefan Batory (source)

In my recent post about magic-users and armor, there was one option for doing strict class-based AC (that is, all fighters have AC 3, all magic-users have AC 9, and so forth). One downside of that system is that other than gear with special enchantments it doesn’t allow for much in the way of advancement (which is a big part of what makes D&D work as a game).

Here’s another idea that works with OD&D hit dice to address that concern. Take the combined hit dice value (for example, HD 5+1 = 6) and subtract that from 9 (or add it to 10 if using ascending AC). That is the characters armor class (improved further by one if using a shield). This gives fighters the best AC, but also allows gradual progression. Following the same example, a character with 5+1 HD has an AC of 3 [16]. This is sort of the defensive equivalent of using hit dice as attack bonus. AC should also be capped, depending on the desired campaign power curve (if I was using this for Vaults of Pahvelorn, the best AC from hit dice would be 3, or 2 with a shield, because danger should always remain). Really, the term “AC” here becomes a bit vestigial; it’s really more of a defence stat, but continuing to call it AC probably helps from a UI perspective, given that it works exactly the same as AC.

If you wanted to preserve some mechanical effect from armor, maybe allow it to add a bonus to the death saving throw† (light = +1, medium = +2, and heavy = +3). This further reinforces the idea that HP is a mixture of elan and resolve, and that there are no potentially telling blows until HP have been exhausted. The downside of armor would be an encumbrance style penalty to ability checks, non-death saving throws, and escape rolls.

† Rather than deal with negative HP or have death occur at 0 HP automatically, I allow PCs to make a death save. If this is passed, the character is unconscious. If it is failed, the character is slain. This is one of my favorite house rules, and probably deserves its own post so that it can be linked to directly.

Magic-Users and armor

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Brainstorming several different approaches. Goals: should provide interesting trade-offs while respecting the fictional logic.

  1. Chance of spell failure. Maybe N in 6 chance, where N is based on the armor heaviness (light = 1, medium = 2, heavy = 3). Problem: the rational course of action is to carry a suit of armor and put it on after all spells have been used. This is lame. Such an approach might even encourage annoying things like taking off armor to cast spells and then putting it back on (yes, this can be balanced with random encounter checks, but still lame).
  2. Wearing armor causes an armor penalty, equal to the type of the armor (where light = 1, medium = 2, and heavy = 3). This penalty applies to all physical checks (attack rolls, saves, ability checks, etc) and works much like the encumbrance penalty (and in fact is cumulative with it). This could be offset by a class-based armor skill (fighter = 3, thief = 1, magic-user = 0). Problem: while this would increase the game cost of magic-users wearing armor slightly (-3 to physical saving throws, escape rolls, and constitution checks associated with drowning are big deals), it doesn’t really impact casting spells at all. Further, one seeming corollary of this system is that zero level characters would probably have armor skill of 0, complicating the common case if consistency is maintained.
  3. Use a roll-to-cast system. I love this, but it’s also very invasive, and probably requires reworking many spells as well to do correctly. I would like a solution that supports the traditional Vancian system.
  4. Maybe magic-users just don’t get as much benefit from armor, but still take all of the downsides? Kind of like this. Magic-users could get AC 8 from leather, AC 7 from chain, and AC 6 from plate. Has promise, but is perhaps too complicated. Also, I don’t much like the corollary that magic-users have less skill with armor than standard zero level civilians. I prefer to think of all the character classes as somewhat competent adventurers; magic-users are not assumed to all be frail academics. I suppose zero level characters could also gain less benefit from armor, but that seems to introduce unattractive complications.
  5. Magic-users can wear armor, but only special enchanted armor (elven chain perhaps). This necessitates some justification for why magic-users can’t cast in normal armor (such as overly scientistic claptrap like how metal interferes with magic, which just invariably leads to subversion of the balance rule through creation of things like wooden or chitin armor). Also, it means that all “fully upgraded” magic-users must aspire to finding a suit of special armor (kind of like how cloaks and rings of protection are so critical in AD&D). Suboptimal.
  6. Learn to stop worrying and love magic-users in armor. I don’t mind this aesthetically. In fact, I quite like sorcerers in armor (picture by Stefan Poag), but it does seem wanting in terms of class balance (greatly decreasing the relative combat power of the fighter, specifically). That’s not the end of the world, especially as I have already improved the to-hit rolls of fighters in my current game.
  7. Provide compelling alternatives that compete with armor (such as robes). Combine with options 6, and maybe a increase the encumbrance cost of armor while not adding a full more physical penalties on top of the general encumbrance penalty. This is close to status quo, with the exception of explicitly legitimating magic-user armor use.
  8. Class-based AC. This has a certain attraction, especially if taken to the logical extreme where you literally say that fighters and clerics just have AC 3 no matter what they wear, thieves have AC 7, and magic-users have AC 9 (aside: clerics really should be the AC 5 class, but whatever). That solves the problem in one sweep, maintains both abstraction and balance, and makes armor only important as a kind of magic item or cosmetic affectation. That last bit is also maybe a problem though, as it does away with consequences of armor for things like drowning.

As you can see, my thoughts are all over the place. Anyone else have any good ideas or suggestions?

Edit: added option 8 based on Guy F.’s comment on Google Plus.