A more complex system could actually take into account the roll, armor AC, and dex bonus:
- roll <10: "missed!"
- 10 < roll < base AC of armor (not including Dex bonus): "blocked!" or "absorbed!"
- base AC of armor < roll < full AC (including Dex bonus): "dodged!"
- if wearing a shield and the shield's +2 AC mattered: "blocked!" and the animation is of the character lifting their shield
Actually, something like this would be pretty cool.
We know what percentage of an AC is DEX, Armor, Shield (or other defensive bonus like a spell, or item), etc.
So a "miss" (with a roll greater than 10) could generate an animation and flavor-text calling out a "category of miss" due to a particular thing in the collective AC.
It would make combat more interesting to see and be told why seemingly "good" rolls result in ineffective attacks (like bouncing off shields, body armor/hides, other weapons (parry), magical fields, etc.)
Maybe in Baldur's Gate 5.
