Perhaps instead of simply being an extra "health bar" type buffer between a guaranteed CC or not, armor could instead have a rating that increases based on how much each total (magic and physical separately) comes out to, providing a static damage reduction from magic and physical armor.
Of course, the higher this rating, the higher the chance that a CC with the appropriate check will fail, comparing your armor rating with their caster skill (much like bodybuilding vs. skill stat from D:OS 1)
Then add in specialized roles later, like, for example, stats that govern different classes of armor. Finesse for leather, Strength for Plate and Intelligence for Cloth, so that the bonuses from those respective armor pieces will scale higher along with your stat increases (this also gives split attribute users another use for each stat in their hybrid builds, without making them obsolete, but also limits them depending on the armor they choose).
This would also have the added effect of a shock factor when trying to fight a higher level opponent, it would make sense that your weapon wouldn't be able to even scratch (CC) their far superior armor (much less their skill with it).
EDIT: Hey DragynDance, nice to see you puttin' up some feedback.
