Campaign Spotlight: Alternative Combat Rules

 

I'd like to hear your feedback on this idea.

Players Roll All Attacks

This variant takes a lot of the work out of the DM’s hands, since he no longer needs to make attack rolls for foes. That can free up his attention for more important things, such as NPC tactics, special spell effects, terrain, and the like. Conversely, it requires the players to become much more active and aware of what’s going on. No longer can players snooze through all the turns but their own: They’ll be rolling more dice than ever before—which (among other benefits) gives them the feeling of having greater control over their successes and failures.

With this variant, PCs make their attacks just like they do in the standard rules. Their opponents, however, do not. Each time an enemy attacks a PC, the character’s player rolls a defense check, versus a DC set by the DM. If that defense check equals or exceeds the attack score of the enemy, the attack misses.

To determine the DC, the DM adds 11 to the foe's standard attack modifier (the number it would use, as either a bonus or penalty to its attack roll, if it were attacking an ordinary situation using the standard rules). For instance, a Walstanian leafrunner has a standard attack modifier of +8 with its longbow. That means that it’s attack score is 19. To make a defense check, roll 1d20 and add any modifiers that normally apply to your relative defense (Fortitude, Reflex or Will). When a player rolls a 1 on a d20, it results in a critical hit for a foe.

Thoughts?