AC and Resting [ Rule Discrepency ]

[Amar]

A helpless character is paralyzed, held, bound, sleeping, unconscious, or otherwise completely at an opponent’s mercy. A helpless target is treated as having a Dexterity of 0 (-5 modifier). Melee attacks against a helpless target get a +4 bonus (equivalent to attacking a prone target). Ranged attacks gets no special bonus against helpless targets. Rogues can sneak attack helpless targets.

As a full-round action, an enemy can use a melee weapon to deliver a coup de grace to a helpless foe. An enemy can also use a bow or crossbow, provided he is adjacent to the target. The attacker automatically hits and scores a critical hit. (A rogue also gets her sneak attack damage bonus against a helpless foe when delivering a coup de grace.) If the defender survives, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die.

Delivering a coup de grace provokes attacks of opportunity.

Creatures that are immune to critical hits do not take critical damage, nor do they need to make Fortitude saves to avoid being killed by a coup de grace.

The script is on resting is lowering AC to 1, when we should just be losing our Dex bonus, and attackers hsould get a +4 to hit.

[ç i p h é r]

You're getting an additional -4 AC to effectively grant attackers +4 to hit. Lacking player events to handle attack bonuses, there's no simpler solution.

[Mayhem]

A helpless character is paralyzed, held, bound, sleeping, unconscious, or otherwise completely at an opponent’s mercy. A helpless target is treated as having a Dexterity of 0 (-5 modifier). Melee attacks against a helpless target get a +4 bonus (equivalent to attacking a prone target). Ranged attacks gets no special bonus against helpless targets. Rogues can sneak attack helpless targets.

The script is on resting is lowering AC to 1, when we should just be losing our Dex bonus, and attackers hsould get a +4 to hit.

Read it again - the RAW doesn't say you dex MODIFIER becomes zero, it says your DEX becomes zero.

So, thats a base of 5, - the additional 4 to simulate the opponents bonus (although that SHOULD only apply in melee) = AC1.

This doesn't take into account physical armour though. If a flat reduction in AC is the most practical way way of handling this, without taking into account armour worn, fair enough.

But since the vast majority of PCs will have at least some form of physical/deflection armour, maybe that AC 1 should be prodded up to AC 3 or 4? (depending on what we think the "average" character is wearing)

[Rotku]

Surely the average person would take off their full plate before going to sleep?

[Curmudgeon]

Surely the average person would take off their full plate before going to sleep?

If the average person doesn't, they are liable to not get the full benefit of resting.

[ç i p h é r]

If you sleep in armor (w/o the endurance feat), you risk becoming fatigued. A fatigued character takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity until the next successful rest. Again, the closest feasible approximation of the rules.

Edit: Endurance only applies to light and medium armor.

Rotku, is any of this in the player manual? If not, does it need to be?

[Mayhem]

Surely the average person would take off their full plate before going to sleep?

Something that would be represented by the simple expedient of the PC taking off their armour...

But the typical low level ranger (3+) doesn't have to, and probably wouldn't want to if they are out in the wild.