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?