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  "path": "/2026/06/defense-trumps-offense-in-gurps-df.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-05T01:05:07.539Z",
  "site": "http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com",
  "textContent": "My players have some recently discovered the whole \"amulets\" section of the magic item list. So, naturally, with a big windfall, there are a _lot of Ironskin Amulets getting ordered. They'll take 288 days to arrive, but it's +3 DR for, almost everyone. Oh, and at least one is looking at Defending Weapon, for a bonus to block or parry. Salamander and Serpent's Amulets are getting ordered as well.\n\nSo pretty soon everyone will be immune to fire and poison, and have +3 DR. Given that 8 DR is _low_ for this group, it's likely this will be DR 11 being the bottom end of basic armor. Foes with 2d attacks are going to have a hard time being a threat. Those with 1d attacks will be harmless barring a max-damage hit on an eye. I already expect to be asked about the **Armor** spell stacking with this - no, it does not. It probably _should_ by a strict reading of the rules, but do I really want people chucking +3-6 DR on top of their \"soft\" characters to give them DR 15+?\n\nNo, I do not.\n\nI regret not putting in a limit ala every video game - one ring on each hand maximum, one necklace. Even if I did, people would be asking about nipple rings, bracelets, anklets, pocket lucky charms they could sew into a pouch in their under-armor clothes, whatever. So I'm not sure it's worth the effort. But cash is becoming a route to flat-out immunities. It's my own fault for selling the things, true, but 15 years into the game is a bit late for deciding to restrict magic item purchases even further.\n\nWhat I find interesting is that the first, second, and third priorities of most people with money is improved defense. Better armor, enchanted with **Fortify** and **Lighten** , layered with other, better armor whenever possible (Knights always do this, thanks to **Armor Mastery**). Better shields, with DB boosted up quite high and further enchanted with **Lighten** and, of course, made Balanced. Defensive-oriented magic - the above-mentioned amulets - also factor in. Thank goodness I'm not allowing people to buy Bless items or they'd all have those as a matter of course.\n\nOffense is harder to come by. You can spend tens of thousands of dollars to get better and better defensive gear - those amulets, more armor, lighter armor, better shields. Getting a primo weapon is hard . . . and even if I allow for much more powerful weapon enchantments, people generally would rather have +1 DR than +1 or +2 damage . . . and you can buy nearly \"end-game\" armor - say, Fortify +2 Lighten 50% Fine Epic Plate - but the best you can get weapon-wise is just a few more points of damage. Or a specialty weapon, such as a meteoric weapon to bypass enemy defenses.\n\nEven then, defense outsells offense.\n\nI get the logic - this is my only guy, I don't want him to die, it's a dangerous dungeon. But from my side of the screen, if everyone has defenses that fail on 17-18 only, DR that shrugs off anything that isn't armor-bypassing or armor-dividing or very, very high damage, and immunities to very broad types of special attacks . . . what do you think comes along as a challenge? I think the answer is obvious. The arms race is real. And obviously I'll need to make foes that require more offense . . . which probably will just lead to \"we need EVEN MORE DEFENSE to keep up!\"\n\nAs I say, I can't blame them - it's the best use of the money in the system - but it leads to an arms race in which fun probably isn't the winner._",
  "title": "Defense trumps offense in GURPS DF?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-05T01:05:07.657Z"
}