The text for a Total Attack says this:

There is no description of systematically what happens to your defense rolls for that turn. Is this meant to imply that you get NO defense rolls for the turn and take full damage for all attacks made against you? That would seem kind of harsh. I might run it as defense is at -2 for the first attack and then cumulative -2 for additional attacks as normal, but I'd like an official clarification.
Just to be sure, I also checked the Hollow Earth book and it says the same thing.

While not an official ruling, I would say they lose active defense. I wouldn't see armor needing to be "activated" or needing any attention to make it work.

On a side note, that makes me want to test a couple combats where being attacked multiple times in a round doesn't deminish defense granted by armor... ie only defense based on attributes is deminished...

Well, the answer is right there at the bottom of the paragraph (p. 179):

So Mannik's ruling is quite official after all.

Interesting. I must have an earlier printing than you do, Gilgamesh, my book doesn't have that "special" section. It goes straight from what I quoted to talking about Dual Wield, Flurry, and Rapid Fire. After that comes the section about Total Defense.

Oh, that's interesting indeed. I quoted this from the PDF version of the book. I can't check my printed copy right now because I don't have it here but I will do this later on. Maybe they forgot this first but added it later in the PDF.

Indeed it is, I was at work when I posted earlier.

Hullo, PaladinRevenant,



Well, unless Jamie, Matt, or Stephen pipe up here on the subject, you won't have an official ruling right away on this one.

That said, I think the rule itself, as you quoted it above, makes its own point on this. *... - disregarding her own safety - ...* is a pretty obvious kind of thing, even if there's no game mechanics as to what that part of it means. I've always run this such that the character receives no Active Defense in the Round where he does a Total Attack, although armour does count as usual. My players have never had a problem with this ruling, and it seems to be a common sense one.

Hope that helps.

Hullo, Gilgamesh,



Interestingly enough, that section of text that you quoted above is found only in the PDF version of the game, and not the print version of the game. (I checked my copy of this just now.) This may well be where I got the original notion for my games on how to handle Defense for someone who does a Total Attack.

That said, it is a common sense rule in and of itself, and I have to wonder whether for some reason it was omitted from the PDF or what.

Yep, I looked it up now. My printed copy of the book misses this paragraph as well.