Unarmed combat: Gloves and Boots

[Variaz]

I am thinking about providing extra damages bonuses from gloves. Like, a random from 1 to the gloves's AC bonus to the unarmed attacks base roll... So, a pair of cesti with 6 AC would provide the equivalent of an extra 1d6 to damages. That would help a bit, especially when the Martial Arts skill is still below 30, and not too strong yet... I guess the "kick" abilities could benefit from a similar bonus from boots instead.

But here's the something though: with normal unarmed attacks, a Monk or Fighter would probably use a combination of punches and kick to beat monsters... how would this work as to what provides bonuses? Should both gloves and boots provides bonuses to unarmed damages? What about abilities that are defined as "Punch" or "Kick"? Should these techniques benefit from only the gloves or boots? But then, that would weaken the base roll, which is not nice for a special ability.

I guess the bonus for normal, unarmed attack, could be an average of gloves and boots. For example, a monk wears a pair of gauntlets with 2 ac, and boots with 6 AC, averaging in a bonus of 4, so he/she would get like 1d4 bonus damages. If using "Ki Punch", he/she would benefit from 1d2 extra damages, and 1d6 for "Hard Kick" or "Spin Kick".

Let me know what you think. In any cases, I think this could provide an excellent bonus for monks, especially in the early levels, where the Martial Arts skill only has damages of 1d3...

[nork]

I agree that monks need some help in the early levels but I'm not exactly sure how to do it. Perhaps the glove/boot bonus to damage is a good way.

I think it might be better to just use gloves for this effect. In reality you would be using hands, elbows, knees, head, and feet (and passably other parts) as weapons in a real fight. I don't think it would be good to try and code bonuses for every body part depending on the strike type.

Long and short of it is I think using the glove AC would be a good way to add some damage to hand to hand skill.

Another thing about monks, have you considered having the duel wield skill work with hand to hand skill? Right now you can only attack with the main hand, you try and telling Jackie Chan that he can only attack with one hand (OK he probably could but normal people couldn't make it work).

[Variaz]

Err... I think it's actually the opposite you know! I have no weapons, and despite my blows beings listed at 1, I get two attacks... That was not intended at first, but I'm planning on keeping this one.

I agree with the gloves thing. It's just those "kick" abilities would be weird with a bonus from gloves!

[nork]

OK, I just double checked it. You do get one off hand attack, but only one no matter how many attacks you get with your primary hand and how high your duel wield skill is.

[Variaz]

That's probably because the number of blows is calculated based on the martial arts skill. However, I did not add anything to the second serie of blows for the second weapon, so that's why it doesn't give any blows...