dv vs. pv debate revival

[auricbond]

It seemed to used to be a widely accepted truth that high PV was good for beginners etc. but these days I much more highly value DV early game and secondarily 'adequate' PV.

Basically, chars with monster PV like chaos knights or dwarf paladins may as well be naked in the long run IMO if they have crap DV, due to one simple thing: the classic 'punch through your armour/target a vital spot' message. I would rate the survival chances of a char with 8PV as higher than that with 20PV when getting swarmed in the big room, for example, if my DV is not gimped due to terrible dexterity and full plate armours.

I get the strong impression the game has an invisible meter or something for each 'failed to hurt you' message, and if said meter is exceeded, an armour penetration occurs - PV score be damned! I've noticed if I have decent to high DV for my level however, I NEVER see this armour penetration message -- because that same invisible meter is drained each time you are missed? It could just be placebo but I swear it either never or almost never happens if my DV is good. The penetration seems to be a specific nerf for low DV characters. It's a reason I rarely if ever play dwarves.

[Grond]

Random armor-punching isn't that mysterious, it's a chance on every hit which primarily depends on your PV and luck. Assuming normal luck, the chance ranges from around 6% at 1 PV to 0% at insane archmage-level PV. At 20 PV only around 2% of hits will ignore PV. Of course, if you have high DV there will be fewer punches since you don't get hit as often. Both stats are important, which is why the conventional wisdom is also to fight with a shield. That said, PV is still way more important, and if you are dying in big room with 20 PV, you are doing something horribly wrong.