>Example: an actor attacking with a sword ^7 and bids with 10 APs, against
>an opponent with armour ^5.
>What amount is forfeited or transferred between them?
>If the actor must forfeit x1 from above, is it (7-5) + 10 = 12?
No, the actor will forfeit his bid, 10 AP in your example. The defender would lose 12, though.
>If the
>opponent must transfer x2 is it ((7-5) + 10) x 2 = 24?
Yes. (For a while I thought that the defender would lose 24 and the attacker only gain 20, but I was wrong...)
>If the actor attacks with ^5 and the opponent has ^7, and the actor must
>forfeit, is it (5-7) + 10 = 8?
No, still 10. But if the defender forfeited it would be 8.
The paragraph on HW p.148 on Comparing Equipment has to be read very carefully. It also helps if you were on this list last week when Roderick gave a very detailed example of play. :-)
The rule works like this: when for instance a player hero is the actor in an exchange ("the attacker") he subtracts the opponent's armor rank from his own weapon rank to get a net handicap or edge. This is _only_ applied to results counting against the opponent/defender. (See the general rule for edges on p.136.) Then when it's the other guy's turn to be the attacker, he performs his own calculation. The defender's weapon rank and the attacker's armor rank are _never_ relevant.
I can't see any basis in the rules for using weapon ranks defensively, as some have suggested.
FWIW, I think that edges gained through enhancing abilities, magical or otherwise, are applied to a specific weapon or piece of armor, _not_ to your Combat ability in general. And yes, there are darned few defensive feats listed in the rulebook. You'll have to make up some of your own. E.g. Orlanthi can get Shield of Arran...
>What logic is behind the system?
Armor protects against enemy attacks, not your own clumsiness. So even if you're in full metal armor against someone with bare knuckles, you're only protected against his attacks - if you bid high on your own attack and screw it up, you lose the full amount.
I'm not sure if this really _is_ the logic behind the system, but it's the best I can do at reverse-engineering it.
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