I am sorry but AC is not a measure of dexterity, Dex can give a bonus to AC and I can easy point out dragons continue to raise their AC as they grow older even when their Dex does not.
I'd say this is an appropriate rebuttal when TNO starts growing scales all over his body that hardens as he levels. But since PS:T doesn't have Red Dragon Disciples, the fact remains that his only two sources of AC are dexterity (which does apply to all classes, and is "natural") and items that you are wearing. That's it. And I didn't say "AC is dex", I said "AC is dex and items". If I am wrong as far as TNO is concerned, please tell me where else he gets some.
The reason this matters is because you claimed AC was some "natural ability" that should cross classes. Well, the dexterity does. So the only other thing that can mean is that... what... class restrictions on items should be removed? Well, I do have a tweak that lets fighters and thieves use the AC4 and AC6 armor bracers, which was my way of trying to resolve the class imbalances before I realized what was really causing them.
2nd Ed. AD&D is NOT a class balanced system, its not intended to be a class balanced system and in no circumstances should it be a class balanced system.
Erm. Okay. If you say so. I disagree. Chris Avellone seems to disagree as well, since he acknowledged that the proposed fix made sense as far as class balance goes. An odd statement for him to make if he agreed that under no circumstances should classes be balanced.
If you want for me to point out "the fighter is useless" then I would be doing what many have been doing for years ... we know, it breaks down at mid level and its very broken at high level were spellcasters are kings.
I actually don't think that's the case in PS:T, because mage spells are much weaker in PS:T than they are BG1/BG2. Look at Cone of Cold, 5th level spell. In PS:T, it's 1d4+1 per level, to a maximum of 10. In BG2 it's also 1d4+1 per level, but maximum level is 20. That's a vast difference. And Cone of Cold is one of the best PS:T damage spells for it's level. When the 20th level mage's Cone of Cold is no better than the 10th level mage's, the mage is no longer king of high levels.
I haven't gone over it analytically to make sure, but in PS:T I don't think there's a spell below 7th level that is as effective and damaging as a BG2 3rd level Fireball.
I actually think the classes will be much more balanced after these fixes are applied, but if any one -is- more powerful/easier than the others, it will actually be fighters. Both the other classes are going to have a hard time dealing out the kind of massive damage that 3.5 attacks per round of Celestial Fire can dish out. And you will now have a reason to take one beyond 13.
So no, I don't accept your position that fighters are useless as designed, or that therefore a bug that gimps over all their better attributes to the other two classes is acceptable.
Also as I said, PS:T broken the ruleset by allowing TNO to jump classes.
To an extent, yes. But I don't think they ever intended to break the ruleset as much as came about, by making this bizarre mishmash of the dual and multi-classing rulesets. He can jump classes, but each class is supposed to be that class mostly according to 2nd Ed. rules, not a bizarre hybrid that allows level 3 mages to go around doing 3.5 attacks per round with a THACO of 5.
You bring up daggers but you forget something, the THAC0 with a dagger IS different that the THAC0 with a bow ... when using a bow its not STR that gives the bonus to THAC0 but DEX, I am talking of the BASE THAC0 and not the MODIFIED THAC0 that exists after ALL bonus AND penalties are applied to it.
Um. Whut? How did bows come up? My point was, how can you argue that THACO is a natural ability that can never be lost, when you can't even pick up a -hammer- when you switch to mage? Not a bow. A hammer. Both strength based. TNO can't even pick up a bow as a fighter.
A kensai-mage's THACO... yes, his BASE THACO... with a hammer is non-existent. He can't even swing one. Why? What rationale do you have that can explain this naturalness of THACO that means he can never forget how to stab with a dagger, but becomes completely unable to hold a hammer when he's a thief? It's totally inconsistent.
Honestly ... the fighter in PS:T sucked even more that it usually did 2nd ed. AD&D because of how the fighter is depended on equipment and what the game did was restrict equipment ... armor? swords? bows? shields?
Fighters aren't the only ones who got nerfed. Mage spells got very much nerfed too. I think it's balanced, or would be if mages didn't get fighter's thaco on top of their spells and very superior AC.
However you are arguing the way to help the fighter is to ... remove one of remaining reason to play as one, THAC0 and that is not helping the class, its just making it even more obsolete.
With the existing rules, it is obsolete. You don't need to play one for even 5 minutes to get all the benefits of it, if you just wait till after Ravel, where you get enough XP to level a low level fighter 5 times in every other conversation.
Now, the only way you're going to be a kickass basher is by playing a fighter and sticking with it. He'll be every bit as good as the kensai-mages in combat were (which was insane), but he won't have the mage AC anymore to go along with it which means he might actually get hurt now. Mages will have their own problems... they'll keep that awesome AC but they will now have to find other ways than daggers to deal good damage.
Also its my opinion ... you are not going to change it
Aw hell, NOW you tell me. I didn't realize you were impervious to facts and reason. Damn, I just wasted that whole post... Aw hell, might as well hit submit anyway...
Qwinn
