by Shieba » 06/10/2013 9:09 PM
I think it should be allowed, except for the turn when you declare Bodyguard.
The reason is simple: If you can only attack with one pet and not with both and your opponent can still attack with both, you are losing more than you gain since you obviously dish out way less damage, but still take close to the same amount.
"The same amount", of course, comes from the bonus damage. Let's say you have two pets, one with high Offense and one with high Defense. Your opponent naturally tries to take the Offense-pet out first to keep their pets from taking more damage and because it's faster to take the pet with less Defense out and gain a 2-vs-1 advantage. So once your Offense-pet gets low on Endurance, your Defense-pet uses bodyguard. Let's say for...three turns, hoping that this will be enough to kill at least one of the opponent's pets.
Now your Defense-pet takes, of course, less damage than your Offense-pet did, but now both foes hit your Defense-pet for sure. And now comes the kicker: You always do scratch damage and, if your pet is over level 30, you have a chance to deal up to 14 bonus damage which doesn't get blocked by Defense. So let's say both enemies hit for an average of 7 bonus damage and we'll give you the benefit that your pet only recieves scratch damage. Since most people are smart enough to raise Precision, let's also assume your opponents hit these three turns. That would be 16*3= 48 damage in the three turns to your bodyguard-pet. Which is half the max possible Endurance. And in this time, you deal only damage with ONE pet instead of two. If you get unlucky, you might very well end up with a dead Defense-pet and then your already hurt Offense-pet is toast as well.
As such, I instead think that the defending pet should be allowed to attack, but suffer a precision penalty of 50% (since it has to concentrate on defending the partner as well). So if you normally hit on 1-8, you then only hit on 1-4.
EDIT: I just thought of something...if you consider using the speed-based idea, maybe the pet should automatically attack if it fails to defend? So that if the speed roll fails, the pet gets a normal attack roll towards the pet which damage it wanted to block? Because seriously, if it's speed-based and the pet fails, then not only does the pet which needed protection get the damage still, but the roll of the defender-pet would have been wasted completely then. Then the Trait would have waaaay too little use for low-level pets who have low speed.
I know my dreams are made of you
Of you and only for you
Your ocean pulls me under
Your voice tears me asunder
Love me before the last petal fallsHowever cold the wind and rain
I'll be there to ease your pain
However cruel the mirrors of sin
Remember beauty is found within