Non-Standard Defenses

Non-Standard Abilities
Abilities	Non-Standard Interaction - Non-Standard Defenses - Non-Standard Damage

Background

Non-Standard Defenses is an ability that refers to a character’s capability to differentiate and resist multiple types of damage separately. Unlike a singular defense stat that covers all forms of harm, Non-Standard Defenses involve having distinct measures or resistances tailored to various kinds of damage—most commonly physical and magical.

This concept is particularly prevalent in role-playing games, tactical games, and some fighting games, where physical durability alone doesn’t protect against spiritual, elemental, or mystical forces. As such, a character with Non-Standard Defenses typically has two (or more) separate defensive stats—one for physical impacts like punches, weapons, and kinetic strikes, and another for magic, psychic, or elemental energies.

Characters with this trait can more effectively withstand specialized attacks, forcing their opponents to adjust their strategies. Non-Standard Defenses also highlight the complexity of a character’s resilience, showcasing that a physically powerful warrior might still be vulnerable to mental assaults, or a magic user might need magical defenses even if they’re frail physically.

Also Called

• Dual Guard
• Physical and Magical Defense
• Split Barrier
• Twofold Resistance

Possible Applications

• Separate durability for physical and mystical attacks, forcing enemies to exploit the correct weakness.
• Enhances a character’s adaptability in combat, allowing them to counter different attack types.
• Promotes strategic planning, requiring awareness of each defense’s capabilities.
• May apply to other distinct types of damage—like elemental, psychic, or spiritual—beyond physical and magical.

Practical Uses

• In a game setting, players must choose their attacks carefully based on which defense is weaker.
• Characters can be designed with deliberate vulnerabilities to specific damage types, encouraging tactical play.
• Provides flavor for world-building by showing that damage is not uniform, and different kinds of protection matter.

Variations

• Physical and Magical Defense: Two separate resistances for physical blows and magical attacks, respectively.
• Physical and Special Defense: Two separate resistances for physical and special attacks, respectviely.
• Elemental Resilience: Distinct defenses against fire, ice, lightning, and other elemental forces.
• Spiritual vs. Material Resistance: A separation of defenses for attacks that target the soul versus the body.
• Technological vs. Organic Defense: In sci-fi or cyberpunk settings, defenses split between energy-based attacks and biological harm.
• Harmonic Defense: Advanced forms that can flexibly adapt to damage type, offering dynamic or shifting resistances.

Possible Limitations

• If one of the defenses is significantly weaker, the user can still be easily overwhelmed by that attack type.
• May be bypassed by hybrid attacks that mix physical and magical damage, rendering both defenses partially ineffective.
• Requires constant awareness and adaptation in battle to utilize the right defense for the right attack.
• Some universes or settings may not recognize distinct damage types, rendering this advantage moot.

Example Mechanics

• Defense and Resistance in Fire Emblem characters: Where units have separate stats for Defense (physical) and Resistance (magical).
• Physical and Special Defense in Pokémon: Pokémon have separate Defense and Special Defense stats to counter physical and special moves.