Variant AC extension?

[Whaley]

Hey all, I was wondering if there was an extension for the variant AC rule where you get rid of the static 10 and roll a d20? If not does anybody know how to do it or could make it? Maybe a -10 AC +D20? Thanks

[Zacchaeus]

I can't say that I've heard of such a variant. Are you saying that instead of base 10 you roll a d20 and then add your armour and dex modifiers? If so wouldn't that make some character basically impossible to hit if they roll high?

There isn't a way to automate it but you could override the AC by entering a figure in the Misc box of the combat calculation dialog. (So if someone rolled 15 add a +5 into the modifier - if they rolled 2 then put a -8 into the modifier).

[Trenloe]

I’m not aware of anything like this for 5E. Someone created a base extension for this in 3.5e (actually, in response to a similar question you asked for that ruleset) here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?26006-Removing-the-Static-10-for-AC

Maybe you could take that extension, and the process discussed in that thread, and make one for 5E?

[LordEntrails]

I can't say that I've heard of such a variant. Are you saying that instead of base 10 you roll a d20 and then add your armour and dex modifiers? If so wouldn't that make some character basically impossible to hit if they roll high?

There isn't a way to automate it but you could override the AC by entering a figure in the Misc box of the combat calculation dialog. (So if someone rolled 15 add a +5 into the modifier - if they rolled 2 then put a -8 into the modifier).
The desire is to re-calculate AC on every attack roll. So every attack becomes an opposed roll. Makes metagaming harder to do.

[Zacchaeus]

The desire is to re-calculate AC on every attack roll. So every attack becomes an opposed roll. Makes metagaming harder to do.

Hmm, well that would require something quite substantial I think since FG doesn't really handle opposed rolls. You can't even create an effect which would handle that since the AC modifier doesn't accept dice strings - only numbers. I can't really think of any way to do that without rolling everything manually.

[Whaley]

I will see if that would work, didn't think about that one since it was not 5e...

[Whaley]

I can't say that I've heard of such a variant. Are you saying that instead of base 10 you roll a d20 and then add your armour and dex modifiers? If so wouldn't that make some character basically impossible to hit if they roll high?

There isn't a way to automate it but you could override the AC by entering a figure in the Misc box of the combat calculation dialog. (So if someone rolled 15 add a +5 into the modifier - if they rolled 2 then put a -8 into the modifier).

Yeah it's one of the official 5e variant rules. Instead of havi g a 10 base AC you have a d20 base AC. my group loves it. They hate getting hit on a 7 and missing on a 25 but it balances out so they also hit on a 7 so it works, plus I make them describe how they party, dodge and whatnot so combat is more descriptive.

[JohnD]

...I make them describe how they party, dodge and whatnot so combat is more descriptive.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cuihrjLNAo

[Zacchaeus]

Yeah it's one of the official 5e variant rules.

Where can I find this? I've gone through my DMG and I can't see it anywhere.

[Whaley]

Where can I find this? I've gone through my DMG and I can't see it anywhere.

https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/UA5_VariantRules.pdf

[LordEntrails]

https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/UA5_VariantRules.pdf
Oh, those aren't "official". Unearthed Arcana articles are playtest or beta things that WotC makes public to get feedback on. So even though they are from WotC, they aren't considered official rules. Until they get published in one of their products.

That said, their is an UA product you can buy (used to be done by a community member on the DMsG, but now a product on the SW store). But, it the UA product on the Store doesn't include stuff from previous years. Wizards has sort of deemed all of that older UA stuff as ... persona-non-grata? Stuff they kind of don't want around. Not sure how to say it, since they have never said, but did pull the community module from the Guild.

The official UA product (though it is not considered official rules) is here; https://www.fantasygrounds.com/store/product.xcp?id=WOTC5EUA

[Specimen1334]

Hi there I realise this is an old thread, but I have found a solution to this.
Instead of trying to apply AC: +1d20 to the defender, give the attacker ATK: -1d20.
Obviously you still need to give everyone a -10 to their AC to remove the base 10.
But yeah the math works out the same, and fantasy grounds is built to handle it.