How do helmets work?

[ebenweb]

Big fat NOOB question: I understand how the calculation works for shield hits, but can heads be hit specifically? Or is the helmet's protection just factored in to the overal "body" protection value?

[Maerlande]

Helmets don't work. The human skull is strong enough to resist a sword blow without help. Everything else is irrelevant.











Oh by the way, I'm full of carp. There is some kind of hit location mechanism in Dom3. I don't know the details, but no helmet can really hurt. You get those feebleminded and blinded afflictions. So helmet protection is NOT added into general protection.

[rdonj]

Heads can definitely be hit seperately. They make a huge difference to the survivability level of a unit facing heavy archer fire.

[ebenweb]

So you guys are saying head-related afflictions are reduced or avoided with helmets and that some kind of head-targetting hit mechanism exists?

The arrow thing: are you saying guys are more likely to die by archer fire without a helmet than in melée without a helmet?

Odd that there's nothing on it in the manual. I read a formula somewhere (Wiki?) that showed helmet protection being a factor in the protection value being displayed on the unit's stat screen. Who knows if this is implying that helmets are used somehow in damage protection during a "normal" hit...

[Maerlande]

Honestly, I don't know the details. But I do have confidence that dudes without helmets but wearing armour take some serious damage and afflictions.

It's worth wearing helmets.

[rdonj]

All I'm saying is that a guy without a helmet is more likely to die to arrow fire than a guy with a helmet. Helmetless soldiers take hard hits MUCH more frequently. I haven't really tried to figure out how big a difference it makes in melee as opposed to vs ranged weapons, so I can't answer you for sure there. Protection value is definitely not a combination of the two, honestly the main protection value is largely useless. It's all about the specific head and body values, they are all that matters.

[Jack_Trowell]

I think that it's something like 20% chance to hit the head with a normal attack, ignoring the body armor and using the helmet instead.

[Arralen]

IIRC Johann mentioned once, that the -relative- size of combatants does have some influence in melee.
Can't find it atm, sry.

[Krec]

basically you place the helmet on your head and anything that hits it goes thunk or bonk.............sry i couldnt resist

[Maerlande]

It's okay. We forgive you for making light of a very serious question! As a motorcyclist I can safely say that smacking into tree with a helmet is better than without. Duh Duh Duh, what was I saying?

[Knai]

As a cyclist, I can say the same applies to getting hit by cars.

Worth noting is also that helmets give another magical item slot for Thugs and SCs, and there is some fun stuff. Free lightning every turn? So worth it, even if effectiveness is questionable. At least use it in AI games, since you will win anyways.

[Lingchih]

Helmets reduce crit chance to head, "feeble minded", etc. I don't know the exact numbers.

[MaxWilson]

My experience is the same--even though thugs like Dai Oni and Tomb Oracles rapidly develop afflictions like Mute and Feebleminded if they don't have helmets. It seems as if the hit location picked affects both Prot and possible afflictions for that hit.

-Max