combat

What happens when you miss?

As a player and a GM, there’s nothing more boring than a miss. So here’s a house rule that I’m wanting to try:

On a missed attack roll, the target’s AC is reduced by 1 until the start of their next turn. 

This represents being hemmed in by multiple attacks, being feinted into lowering your guard, or having your shield knocked out of position.

Benefits:

  • Makes battles against multiple foes more dangerous.
  • Makes battles faster (should result in more hits).
  • Fewer “wasted” actions.
  • Provides more information with which to interpret and describe the results of a miss or hit.

Drawbacks:

  • A little more record keeping.

Thoughts? Improvements? Let me know if you get a chance to test this in the wild!