Weaponsmith Archive

This is an attempt to establish a clear set of rules for how AP versus AR seems to be working now. Note that these are hard and fast rules- there are no random factors at work here. Each of these equations will function regardless of what mob your are fighting/what your weapon's AP is/what the weapon's damage results are. Let me repeat: there are no random factors at work here. The only random factors (whether the weapon hits and the amount of damage it deals) are immaterial.

Terms:

1. Damage dealt: the amount of damage the weapon does to the target as a whole. Represented by the first number appearing in the combat spam- i.e.: You do X damage to the target

2. Damage suffered: the amount of damage actually done to the target's HAM pool. This appears as the "colored floaty" above the target's head and can also be measured by observing the target's HAM pools before the attack and immediately subsequent to it.

3. Damage blocked by armor: the amount of damage the armor blocks. This is the second number appearing in the combat spam of the target- i.e.: Your armor blocks Y damage.

Rules:

1. When the AP of a weapon is equal to the AR of the target, only the target's resistances to that damage type are taken into account.

2. When the AP of a weapon is greater than the AR of the target, and the target is not vulnerable to that damage type, bonus damage is first applied and then thetarget's resistances (if any) are taken into account. Total damage is equal to (1.25D)^n, where D is the amount of damage dealt and "n" is the amount by which the attacker's AP rating exceeds the target's AR. The amount of the bonus is equal to total damage minus damage dealt.

3. When the AP of a weapon is less than the AR of the target, and the target is not vulnerable to that damage type, damage is reduced according to the degree to which the target's AR exceeds the attacker's AP rating and then further by the target's resistances. Total damage in this case is equal to D(.5^n), where "D" is the amount of damage dealt and "n" is the amount by which the target's AR exceeds the attacker's AP rating, and then further reduced by the target's resistances to that damage type.

4. When the target is vulnerable to a particular damage type, regardless of the AR of the target or the AP of the attacker, damage suffered is equal to damage dealt. In this case there are no damagebonuses or penalties.

5. Unarmored player targets are treated as being vulnerable to all damage types.

Equations

1. AP=AR, no vulnerability to that damage type: Damage suffered = (Damage dealt("D")*(1-R))

2. AP>AR, no vulnerability to that damage type: Damage suffered = ((1.25D)^n)*(1-R))

n = AP-AR R = target's resistance to that damage type expressed as a decimal (50% = .50)

3. AR>AP, no vulnerability to that damage type: Damage suffered = ((.5^n)*D)*(1-R))

n = AR-AP R = target's resistance to that damage type expressed as a decimal

4. vulnerability to that damage type: Damage suffered = Damage Dealt

And a final explanation, pulled from the Complete Guide to Armor and Armorcrafting:

Part IV - Examples of Armor Attributes in Action

AP:0 vs AR:0, no resistances
Now, let's start with the most basic form of combat. AP:0 vs AR:0, no resistances. We'll use the example of Bob is attacking Joe. Bob is using his unarmed skill and not wielding any form of weapon (AP:0). Joe is only wearing clothing, and no armor (AR:0, no resistances). When Bob attacks Joe he will get notified of how much damage he did in the combat window. Let's say 100 damage. Joe will also receive notification of this in his combat window. And above Joe's head a number will float up displaying how much damage was done. In this example all three locations will display 100 as the amount of damage done and Joe will lose 100 points of HAM. This is a very simple and easy scenario.

What is going on here: When you attack an enemy wearing no armor with a non-armor piercing weapon, the damage you do to your target is applied directly to it with no bonuses or penalties.

AP:1 vs AR:1, resistances to that damage type:

Again we have Bob and Joe. Bob has decided to attack this time with his new set of Vibro Knuckles (AP:1, kinetic), and while Bob was out working hard to earn his Knuckles Joe managed to get his hands on some composite armor (AR:1) that has 40% resistance to all damage types. Bob attacks Joe and once again does 100 damage. In Bob's combat window he sees that he did 100 damage. In Joe's combat window he sees that Bob did 100 damage, however right after that it says that 40 damage was prevented by the armor! Both Bob and Joe see the number 60 float over Joe's head. So, we are seeing 3 different numbers here, let's go over what each one means. The number displayed in Bob's combat window is the amount of damage he did, this is before armor is taken into account. The first number in Joe's combat window will always be the same, it is the damage done before armor. The second number that Joe sees is how much damage his armor "absorbed". The number which appears over Joe's head is the actual amount of damage that is removed from his HAM pool. This is the number you want to look at to find out exactly how much damage you are doing to your opponent as it is always the final amount, after all modifiers are considered. Unfortunately, every time damage is done to you it is also done to your armor- so while Joe suffers 60 points of damage, his armor also takes damage (20% in the case of composite).

What is going on here: When you attack an enemy who has the same armor level as your weapon, your weapon pierces the armor but still must contend with the resistances. As a result, 40% of the damage in this case is blocked by the resistances.

AP:1 vs AR:0 with no resistances to that damage type

This is where things start to get tricky. Bob is now attacking Joe with his vibroknuckles (AP:1, kinetic) and Joe, caught unaware has no armor equipped (AR:0, no resistances). Bob hits Joe for his standard 100 damage hit. In Bob and Joe's chat window they both see that Bob did 100 damage. Indeed, the number floating over Joe's head shows 100!

What is going on here: When you attack a target vulnerable to your damage type (a completely unarmored character is treated as vulnerable to all damage types), there is neither a damage bonus nor a damage penalty. As a result, the amount of damage you do to the target is the amount of damage the target sustains. *Note: this is believed to be a bug. Presumably an AP weapon should receive the same damage bonuses to an unarmored/vulnerable target as it does to a lower-armored target with resists.

AP:0 vs AR:1

This time Bob forgot his Vibro Knuckles at home (AP:0) and Joe remembered to get dressed this morning (AR:1+40%). Bob hits Joe for a whopping 100 damage! Bob and Joe's combat windows both say that Bob hit for 100 damage. However, Joe's window also says something else. It claims that his composite armor prevented 70 damage! Oh lucky day for Joe. Above Joe's head floats the number 30. Now, at first glance this doesn't work out right. Bob's armor just absorbed 70% of the damage done to him, even though it is only +40% to kinetic (the damage type Bob is attacking with). This is because Bob is attacking with an AP level lower than Joe's AR. What happens is this that Joe's armor absorbs 50% of the damage just because it has a higher AR than Bob has AP. Then, after that calculation is made, Joe's armor absorbs another 40% of what is left because of it's resistance to kinetic damage. So 100(initial damage) * 0.5(AR is higher than AP) = 50 damage prevented by the armor and the other 50 goes on to the next step. Of the remaining 50 damage (which hasn't gotten to Joe yet), 40% of it is absorbed by the kinetic resists. So 50 * 0.4 = 20. The armor has successfully blocked 70 points of damage and Joe gets hit for a measly 30 points.

What is going on here: When you attack an armored target with either a non-armor piercing weapon or an armor piercing weapon with an AP rating that's lower than your target, your damage is reduced. If your AP rating is one point below the AR of the target (AP0 versus AR1, for example), damage is reduced by 50%. If the AP rating is two points below the target (AP1 versus AR3 (heavy) armor, damage is reduced by 75% (one half of one half). In the unlucky situation where you're attacking an enemy whose AR is 3 points above your weapon (AP0 versus AR3), damage is reduced by 87.5% (half of half of half). Note that all of this is before resistances are taken into account, so attacking something with heavy armor with 50% resists to that damage type would result in 6 points of damage suffered out of every 100 dealt.

AP:2 vs AR:0

Time to bring out the big guns. Bob, realizing that he was doing so little damage to Joe has decided to become a pikeman. He picks up a master made Long Vibro Axe which is reported to do an awesome 100 damage per hit! Before using his weapon on Joe, Bob decides to test it out on a kreetle (AR0, 10% resists to kinetic). Bob, sneaks up on the kreetle and lashes out with his new Vibro Axe, dealing 100 points of damage. In Bob's combat window we see the same 100 damage we always see. However, over the kreetle's head the number 140 is displayed. The kreetle dies.

What is going on here: When you attack at target that has a lower AR than your AP level and is not vulnerable to your damage type (remember, a completely unarmored player is treated as being vulnerable to all damage types), you receive a bonus depending on the degree to which your AP is greater than the target's AR. For each step your AP is greater than the target's AR, the damage you do is multiplied by 25%. So, against a target with AR0 (assuming it has no vulnerablility to that damage type), you receive a 25% bonus to damage. Likewise, when using an AP 2 weapon against an AR) target with no vulnerability to that damage type, the bonus is 56% (125% + 25%(125%). Finally, when using an AP3 weapon against an AR0 target with no vulnerabilities to that damage type, you receive a 95% bonus to damage (156% + 25%(156%). Note that resistances still apply- so in the case of the kreetle, the damage bonus resulted in total damage of 156 that was then reduced by 10% (16 points). Note that when attacking mobs that don't have a particular damage type listed as either a resist or a vulnerability you will generally see the bonus added in.

AP:2 vs AR:1 with resist to that damage type

Payback. After testing his axe on the kreetle, Bob is ready for his showdown with Joe. Joe grabs his armor (AR:1+40%) and rushes out to meet Bob in mortal combat. Bob is in the middle of showing off his Long Vibro Axe (AP:2) when Joe bursts in the door and rushes him. Bob being as fast as he is still manages to get the jump on Joe and hits him for 100 damage. Joe figures no problem though, he has his trusty armor on and it should absorb 70% of the damage leaving him sitting pretty. Joe is wrong. Although the numbers in the combat window still show 100,
the magical floating number is displaying 75! Oh not-so-lucky day for Joe!

What is going on: When you attack an enemy with an armor piercing weapon that is greater than your target's AR, you receive the damage bonus (25% in this case, because AP2 is one step greater than AR1). However, your resists still apply. In this case, Bob's damage is first increased to 125, then reduced by 40% (50 points).

AP:0 vs AR:3

Joe is now very annoyed with his inability to do anything about Bob's new form of attack. So he runs out and gets himself a quick 12,250 imperial faction points points to rank up and buy an AT-ST for himself (AR:3 + 75% kinetic). He then immediately rushes back to the cantina and finds that Bob has lent someone else his Long Vibro Axe leaving Bob with his fists again. Bob, being in the drunken stupor that he is, attacks the AT-ST without regard for his wellbeing. Bob immediately strikes a critical blow on the AT-ST for 100 damage (as both Joe and Bob can see in their combat windows). However, above the AT-ST's head a little 3 floats away. Bob, suddenly coming out of his drunken state, contemplates what has happened. He quickly realizes that it is futile to attack the AT-ST. Unfortunately Joe only trained the AT-ST to sit and stay. While he is busy training his over-sized pet to attack Bob beats Joe into the ground.

What is going on here: The AT-ST has an AR three levels higher than Bob's weapon. So before anything else happens he is hit with the 50% penalty 3 times. The 100 damage is reduced to 12.5 damage (100*0.5*0.5*0.5). Then, on top of all that, the AT-ST's resistance kicks in for another 75% reduction leaving bob with a measly 3.125 damage (12.5*0.25).

AP:2 vs AR:3+Vulnerability

Bob, now worried for his life, runs out and buys himself a nice Power Hammer (AP:2 Blast damage) as well as trains up to novice swordsman. In the meantime Joe runs around slaughtering the innocent with his war machine (AR:3+Vulnerability to Blast), but is unable to heal his AT-ST and it is eventually reduced to 100 health. But that's okay. He will save his AT-ST for the final battle with Bob. There is no fear of losing his AT-ST for Bob can only do 3 damage at a time to the mighty machine. To make a long story short, Bob attacks Joe's AT-ST with his Power Hammer for 100 damage (as displayed in the combat windows). The number 100 floats away above the AT-ST's head and it collapses in a heap of twisted steel.

What is going on here: Bob attacked the AT-ST with a weapon that does a type of damage (blast) that it is vulnerable to. When you attack an opponent that is vulnerable to your damage type, the armor has no effect. Likewise, you receive no damage bonus. As a result, the amount of damage you do to the target is the same as the amount of damage it suffers. *Note: this is believed to be a bug and may change at some point in time.

AP:0 vs AR:1(70% resists to kinetic) and a PSG

Joe's revenge. After weeks of mourning Joe decides that he is done with beating Bob. He has found peace in his life and takes up the carebear ways of entertainers and artisans. After shopping around for many minutes he sees a beautiful set of Ubese armor. It is a stunning gold color and makes him look dead sexy. So, using the money he earned as a dancer during his period of mourning he buys a full set of the armor (AR:1 Special Protection vs Kinetic: +70%) as well as a Personal Shield Generator (kinetic resist: 10%). Enter Bob stage left. While dancing the night away one evening, however, Joe sees Bob walk into the cantina. At the sight of Bob Joe is sent into a frenzy and, forgetting all past oaths, he rushes at Bob in a final assault against his arch enemy. Unfortunately, Joe took the attack button off his hotbar and replaced it with an emote and Bob gets the first shot in and hit's Joe for a surprising 100 damage. Joe, feeling that the battle is over already, is quite surprised. Bob's combat window shows 100 damage, but the number floating over Joe's head is is only 8! Joe's combat window shows that his PSG absorbed 55 points of damage and his Ubese armor absorbed another 42 points of damage! Joe is ecstatic, and he has a sudden revelation about how armor works.

What is going on here: Before Bob even gets close to Joe, his blow is stopped by the PSG. Functioning as a first level of defense, the PSG absorbs 55 points of damage (50 points because it is light armor plus another 10% of the remainder due to the kinetic resist), passing 45 points of damage on to the armor. Because Joe's composite armor is AR1, 50% of this damage is blocked, leaving 23 points remaining. Finally, Joe's armor has a high resistance to kinetic attacks (70%, the fact that it is called a "special protection" is irrelevent) and Bob's attack is kinetic, so Joe's armor blocks 70% of the remaining damage, resulting in Joe suffereing 7 points of damage. *Note: some bugs with PSG's may prevent them from working properly. Check the resistances on your PSG and unequip/re-equip it; this generally solves the problem.

AP:2(kinetic) vs AR:1(70% resists to kinetic) and a PSG

Bob, realizing that he cannot defeat Golden Joe with his bare hands, whips out his Vibro Axe one last time. Dodging Joe's wild swing, he slashes at Joe, dealing 100 points of damage. Above Joe's head floats the number 37 and Joe, puzzled at the amount of damage he suffered while wearing his beautiful armor and PSG, dies.

What is going on here: To begin with, when an armor piercing attack penetrates a PSG, the PSG blocks no damage, even if it is resistant to that damage type. Next, Bob's attack was AP2, which is one step greater than Joe's armor (AP1). As a result, his damage is boosted by 25%. Finally, because Joe's ubese armor has a 70% resistance to kinetic, the total damage is reduced by 70%, resulting in 27 points of damage.

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JaatoWaals wrote:
2. When the AP of a weapon is greater than the AR of the target, and the target is not vulnerable to that damage type, bonus damage is first applied and then thetarget's resistances (if any) are taken into account. Total damage is equal to (1.25D)^n, where D is the amount of damage dealt and "n" is the amount by which the attacker's AP rating exceeds the target's AR. The amount of the bonus is equal to total damage minus damage dealt.

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The Base Damage (what you have listed as "D") goes outside the parentheses.

Assume a shot for 500 points of Base Damage with a AP2 weapon vs. a critter with AR0 and 10% Resistance.

Compare:
500 * (1.25)^2 * (.90) = 703

vs.

(1.25 * 500)^2 * (.90) = 351562

Whoops, you're absolutely right. Sure wish I could edit my posts

The correct equation is (((1.25^n)*D)*(1-R))