Rain of Steel - After Erratas

[Dr_Sage]

Good evening fellows.

Double checking: before the erratas I believe that if you use any power that rolls for damage, you add the bonuses from the appropriate sourses. In the case of Rain of Steel damage:

- Feat bonus, like weapon focus.
- Magic weapon enc bonus.
- Some magical effect that gives you power bonus.

Is this still true after erratas?

My dwarf for example has Dwarven Wp Training (+2) and a magic hammer (+2).

As far as I underestood fixed damage like cleave or Bell Ringer does not benefit from this right?

 

[BobTheNob]

Good evening fellows.

Double checking: before the erratas I believe that if you use any power that rolls for damage, you add the bonuses from the appropriate sourses. In the case of Rain of Steel damage:

- Feat bonus, like weapon focus.
- Magic weapon enc bonus.
- Some magical effect that gives you power bonus.

Is this still true after erratas?

My dwarf for example has Dwarven Wp Training (+2) and a magic hammer (+2).

As far as I underestood fixed damage like cleave or Bell Ringer does not benefit from this right?

Im pretty sure Correct and Correct. My interpretation was it was treated a little like twin strike...damage as normal, just no bonus from your to-hit stat.

So good that they fixed ROB. No more 50 page forum threads

 

[Jack99]

It would certainly make more sense if no bonuses applied. CB doesn't add anything either, but RAW does seem to tell us to add the modifiers you have mentioned.

 

[Thundershield]

The easy rule of thumb is that if the feat or effect applies to "damage rolls", you only get it if dice are rolled for damage. If the bonus applies to "damage" in general, you always get it, even with fixed damage.

For instance, the Powerful Charge feat always applies as the bonus is to damage and not just damage rolls, which is rather fortunate for the relatively recent power "Knockdown Assault", and for Swordmasters who use Cleave or Reaping Strike when charging.

Likewise, the wording can require attentiveness in other places, such as the common misconception that the Iron Armbands of Power also apply to Close attacks, although they specifically say "melee attacks".

 

[keterys]

I'm not sure that's a misconception - they do add to close 'Weapon' attacks with 'Melee Weapons' in the character builder.

Not how I'd do it or rule it, but I don't exactly tell someone not to do it in LFR when the character builder is telling them that.

 

[Thundershield]

I'm not sure that's a misconception - they do add to close 'Weapon' attacks with 'Melee Weapons' in the character builder.

Not how I'd do it or rule it, but I don't exactly tell someone not to do it in LFR when the character builder is telling them that.

You do have a point here. I didn't mean to preach, merely suggest what I perceive as a perfectly viable way of balancing the Armbands.

As for the Character Builder, it has several flaws like that. For instance, the Armbands also add to ranged powers where you use melee weapons, such as some of the Swordmage "toss your sword and have it explode" powers. I'm pretty sure the Armbands aren't meant to apply to ranged attacks, even if a melee weapon is used... It's more likely the programmers simply had the Armbands apply the bonus whenever a melee weapon is involved instead of checking the "range" of the power in question, due to whatever technical limitations they faced (likely that they copy/pasted the Bracers of Archery, which are limited to bows and crossbows and not by the range of a power).

 

[keterys]

Yeah, I really assumed it would just be attacks that said melee, but the intent may be for any attacks that use a melee weapon.

Which may include throwing your sword.

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the items in general. Too must have.

 

[Dr_Sage]

Im pretty sure Correct and Correct. My interpretation was it was treated a little like twin strike...damage as normal, just no bonus from your to-hit stat.

So good that they fixed ROB. No more 50 page forum threads

Thank you everyone!

Can't wait to use it!

 

[Thundershield]

Yeah, I really assumed it would just be attacks that said melee, but the intent may be for any attacks that use a melee weapon.

Which may include throwing your sword.

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the items in general. Too must have.

So agreed. That's why I find that limiting it to attacks with a range of "melee" is the best way, at a glance at least, to make it a bit circumstantial instead of an "applies all the time" bonus, which would indeed make it way too must-have.