+1 for different text & animations dependent on the attack roll and armor type
I think it should have an element of randomness for variety's sake, e.g. if the enemy rolls between 10 and AC-1:
- Light Armor: 80% chance your character dodges (text says "dodged!"), 20% blocked with armor
- Medium Armor: 50% chance of each
- Heavy Armor 20% dodge, 80% block
- Shield: If the player is wearing a shield, they block it with the shield 30% of the time, appropriately subtracting ^ percentages
Something like that. This way both Dex and Armor feel effective. Larian could also add in a percent chance for parry if the character is dual wielding or using the parry ability, etc.
Alternatively, Larian could do exact calculations where if the attack roll is between 10 and the armor AC, it hits the armor; if it's between the armor AC and the Dex bonus, it's dodged, etc.
+1
And to add to it, HP specific animations. HP represents Strain, Stamina, and your ability to turn major wounds into minor cuts. So, you shouldn't see a ton of blood every time you are hit. Only when HP = 0 should major blood be seen. The last blow, big or small in terms of HP loss, represents that the character finally slipped up because they were worn down. At last, the blade, or whatever, struck vital organs, etc. Until that last blow, it's all flesh wounds. This is why a long rest heals full health. It's because the party spends time bandaging flesh wounds and non-lethal injuries.
Only an instant kill is a super major injury that should be animated as a decapitation or running someone through the heart, etc. with tons of blood and gore. Critical Hits, even, aren't lethal per se. They just represent getting hit in a weak spot. You could literally only lose a few hit points even with a Critical Hit, symbolizing things like getting hit in the head, but it was a minor glancing blow.
