Nothing groundbreaking here. I wanted to keep it simple and fairly standard. However, there are a few twists.

To attack, you add your combat skill + attribute bonus + other modifiers + D20.

This attack can be affected by various feats played both by the player and the NPC he is attacking.

The defending character can choose to use one of three different defenses: Armor, Dodge or Block. Armor is essentially the value of any armor worn + 10; Dodge is armor + Dex bonus + 10; and Block is combat skill + Str or Dex + 10.

The attacking character rolls a D20 and adds up the total, with the following effect:

less than or equal to the defensive score is a miss.

1+ to 9+ over the defensive score is a hit. Normal damage dice is rolled.

10+ to 19+ over the defensive score is a critical hit. Total damage is doubled and a critical die is rolled. On a 20, an NPC is automatically slain.

Furthermore, if a character can score a hit by using a Take 5 (Heroic Roll of 5) versus an NPC of a lower level, he not only scores a critical hit and automatically slays the NPC, but he gets to make 1 more additional attack.

20+ over the defensive score is a fatal hit. Total damage is quadrupled and a fatal die is rolled. On a 10 or higher, an NPC is automatically slain.

The point of the auto kill rule allows heroes to wade through swarms of baddies quickly--however, the tougher bosses will be around for a bit longer.

Feats, of course, can alter combat in lots of different ways.

I'm liking it. The rules for instant kills simplifies things and makes a good roll all the more exciting.

It's really annoying when you get a great roll against an opponent and it's just barely short of finishing him. It's anticlimactic, especially if it's an NPC in a random encounter.

I will definitely be using this idea as inspiration for my own system.

Ya, I just don't see a reason why a game shouldn't allow players to lay waste to a horde of baddies. It fun and dramatic, and will soften up the players for the boss, which will likely be a drawn out battle.

I am also adding feats, like Death Cleave, that a character can use once per gaming session to simply cut a lesser opponent in half. Once again, very dramatic.

But through some of these feats, the players can use a well timed feat to help tell the story, which is ultimately what gaming is all about.

This choice is also fueled by the advancement system that does not rely on experience points, but simply by the judgement of the GM--and some simply guidelines--that indicates when characters should "level up".

So players don't need to hunt for the big bad bossman and all the XP. Its about the story and what make the story fun and interesting.

Am i right in assuming that using Armor alone is the worst choice, since Dodge has that and an additional value added in?

Also, for the fatality die, assuming that its a d10, you could just say "on an even number that results in a 20+ value, the NPC dies." That does leave out any other factors you may want to include in the decision though.

That depends.

As it stands right now--with some playtesting occurring--armor is nothing more than that. The armor your character is wearing. That can be as little as a 12 for leather armor to as much as 26 for full plate with a large tower shield and great war helm. However, while buttoned up, a character's movement, dexterity and perception is greatly reduced--as are some of the combat manuevers he can use.

On the other hand, a fast-moving character with a Dexterity of +3-4 and a small-medium shield could rank around a 20-22. Although the character ranks lower than the maximum non-magical armor available--not everyone is going to be running around in full plate. Furthermore, using lighter armors offers more mobility and visibility and access to more combat feats which can be used.

That being said, when a character is attacked by a larger area-weapon, such as a dragon's breath, there is no dodging that. Armor becomes you default defense. Or if your character is somehow immobilized or surprised.

I working on building e-z, fluid rules that help to quickly determine which defense is most applicable--and once againt feats will play a big part of this.

Ultimately, the Block defense could be the best, as it allows a character to use his combat skill + attribute modifier (Str or Dex) + other modifiers to defend with. A master swords man with a Dueling  12, Dex 4, and a +3 magic sword could defend against an opponent with a 29, parrying and deflecting blows. Selected combat feats might allow him to block missiles, parry multiple opponent's simultaneously, or even deflect a spell cast at him.

On the fatality die, that is not a bad idea. But, characters can select multiple feats that make the chance of scoring a fatality even more likely.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Hm... I would suggest reading Iron Heroes for an alternate idea on how armor in D20 works. I like their solution.
Armor DR + WFRP ideas + your ideas... could very well = win.

I quite like the idea of having dodge an armour separately, but having armour deplete over time (nicks and dents). You have one extra damage thing for each weapon which is in the 1 or two region, which is their damage to your armour. Another way to do it is minimum dice rolls, with more amour piercing weapons using more dice. This way you pick between letting your armour take the hit or focusing on stopping the strike. This allows people to loose their shield mid fight because it's full of arrows, and things like that!

The autokill is very smooth, a much more elegant version of D&D's minion rules. Mind you, it's harsh if you're the low level guy though, although perhaps that is as it should be!