Balance skill vs DV

[Gorden the Pict]

For some time I've been confused about the flatfooted rule. some readings suggested to me that when flatfooted you lose dex bonus only. At other times I got the impression the writer meant dex bonus + class defense (ie parry or dodge bonus). Effectively meaning flat footed DV was always 10 (excluding size mod).

I have recently decided to take dex bonus loss to mean just that and the PCs can retain the class defense bonus - like in star wars d20. This seems better to me although it does mean being flatfooted is less important at higher levels where the class defense bonus far excedes the dex bonus anyway.

When considering balance however it means that although a PC balancing on a ledge loses his dex bonus it does mean he is still able to dodge ranged attacks (+using his shield providing the situation allows it). He will suffer a -2 penalty because there is no adjacent free space to jump into.

Does this sound reasonable to you guys?

 

[Ravager_of_Worlds]

i sorta took it as a matter of course... but that's because i hail from d20 SW, where class is ever so important to a character's survivability.

i'd agree you don't lose your class specific bonuses. do you lose the reflex, fortitude or will saving throw modifiers just because you were caught unawares? all that training out the window? nope, I don't think so. sure they can still fail, but that's rolling a "1" on a 20, right? winning the initiative/surprise round is important, but it isn't important enough to strip all of a character's defenses down to their ankles.

 

[Gorden the Pict]

Actually scrap all I said above. A rereading of the combat section in conjunction with the pirate, barbarian, and thief uncanny dodge and sneak atttack descriptions, and the said info under feat chapter has made me change my mind. When flatfooted you lose all modifiers except size.

looks like my Player's characters will have to trust in armour to hold off those arrows. Heh hee...! I feel the corruption flowing through my veins at the very thought of their sacrifice...its great to be GM