What thac0 u have when it comes to ToB?

[Larry777]

Hi, i have a question. Is a thac0 of -7 enough for actually hitting something (ToB)? Or should I go for -10? Are both fine or maybe not? Can u tell me yours so I get an idea where to be?

Thx in advance.

[JJComo]

THAC0 is to hit armor class 0.

So with a thac0 of -10 you would need a roll of 10 or better to hit. Let's say you have a +6 to hit then you would need a roll of 4 or better to hit armor class 0. With a thac0 of -7 you would need a roll of 13 or better to hit armor class 0. This also works for enemies attacking you.

J

[Philos]

JJ Como

Um, you're close and have the right idea but I think the negative number THACO has thrown you off. THACO is indeed as you say but if my character has a THACO of say 3, then all I need to hit AC 0 is just that, a 3. The THACO keeps going down as you advance in level and higher plus weapons. Eventually it will go into the negative numbers. You said that "With a THACO of -7 you would need a roll of 13 or better to hit armor class 0", but that is what I would need if my THACO was "13", not -7.
A THACO of -7 means that my to hit ability has gotten so good that I only need to roll negative seven in order to hit AC 0 which of course seems ludicrous and basically means I will always hit AC 0 (unless I roll a 1 because a 1 is always a miss). But where this THACO of -7 this comes into play is when your opponent has a negative value for their AC.
If my opponent has say an AC of -9 for example and my THACO is -4, I would need to throw at least a 5 to hit them (the difference between the two values) which is still pretty good odds. A THACO of -7 would mean that I would only need a 2 to hit AC-9. Having a THACO in the negative numbers is better than one in the positive numbers. If my THACO was 1 and my opponent had armor of AC-9 I would need at least a 10 (the difference) to hit them. Big change in the odds.
This whole concept of negative AC and negative THACO numbers is pretty confusing and is really the prime motivation why the third edition rules went to the concept of "adding" numbers to both AC and to hit bonus rather than lowering one and raising the other.

[kmonster]

A thac0 of -7 is perfect against enemies who have an AC of -9 or worse.

You will only benefit from better thac0 if you fight enemies with AC-10 or better and I doubt there are many of them even in ToB.