Reverse of Power Attack, Would this be balanced?

[Particle_Man]

For what it is worth, Kingdoms of Kalamar Player's Guide already has this feat. The prereq. is Dex 13. Called Unerring Strike, on p. 92. The number you reduce your damage by can't be higher than your BAB.

My DM let me take it when I played a rogue, and I didn't have to subtract from my bonus damage. Great for sneak attacks!

Don't look at me like that! Any of you would have done the same.

 

[Scion]

Also, with rapiers and the like (any finessable weapon you can power attack with), I don't see anything that would prevent them from taking the penalty to damage (-5 for a rapier, as I understand it) and getting +5 to hit. And then Power Attacking for 5 two-handed, getting +10 to damage. So +5 damage in the end with no penalty or bonus to hit.

Well, nothing preventing it other than the DM.

two handed finessible weapon (or weapon able to be wielded in two hands while still benefiting from finesse), 2 feats, +5 to damage while using both.

I think that the main offender in that whole equation is the 2:1 ratio on power attack. If you make it just like a str bonus, as I do in my games, then they just paid two feats to get +2 damage but only while wielding a two handed weapon or a weapon in two hands.

Doesnt seem that bad at all to me

If that is the worst offender, which I doubt, then it wouldnt be that big of a deal in my eyes.


Just to make sure however, the penalty to damage is added onto the end right? So if I did d6+5+d6 and took a penalty of 5 the final damage would wind up being d6+d6 right?

You would have to explain what happens if the actual damage from the weapon was reduced to 0 or less (d6 weapon, 5 penalty, no other bonuses to this type of damage, d6 flaming, rolls anything but a 6. since the weapon dealt no damage does it still deal the fire damage?).

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Yeah, it seems to me that you should be giving up your bonus damage, not your random damage.

It's perfect for a Fighter with Greater Weapon Specialization. Similar concept to how Greater Weapon Focus synergizes with Power Attack.

 

[Darklone]

For what it is worth, Kingdoms of Kalamar Player's Guide already has this feat. The prereq. is Dex 13. Called Unerring Strike, on p. 92. The number you reduce your damage by can't be higher than your BAB.

My DM let me take it when I played a rogue, and I didn't have to subtract from my bonus damage. Great for sneak attacks!

Don't look at me like that! Any of you would have done the same.

That's the 3.0 version, check out the update sheets.

 

[Luthien Greyspear]

Reverse Power Attack fun...

I recently ran a session in which one of my players, the swashbuckler (concept, not the actual class), was drawn into a duel of honor as a proxy for an aging nobleman. As a major section of borderland between two rival nations was the prize for winning the duel, he was obliged to win big-time. The (9th-level) character in question has a +13/+13 attack bonus when wielding two rapiers, and I knew that AC would be key in designing his opponent (also a proxy).

Looking at the aforementioned Arcane Duelist, I came up with a great combo: Swashbuckler 3/Bard 6/Arcane Duelist 4. I gave her Combat Expertise as one of her feats, which basically winds up giving her a dodge bonus to her AC equal to her Intelligence bonus every round for free. She just shifts her damage bonus from Insightful Strike to her attack bonus (Dextrous strike, from Arcane Duelist level 3), and then shifts that much of her BAB to her AC. Naturally, one of the spells she took was Fox's Cunning: another 2 points of AC every round. She would also sing constantly during the duel, a combination of ridicule, taunts, and self-aggrandizement that gave her more bonuses to hit while fighting. Bonuses that could become still more AC if necessary.

On top of all that, she had a home-brew Tactical feat that allowed her to humiliate her opponent in minor ways if she hit. Not if she did damage, but if she hit. If it weren't for Two-Weapon Defense and a defending rapier, the player would have lost big-time. As it was, he only just managed to trake her down with a lucky feint/sneak attack at the last minute, that he managed to get a critical attack on.

Lemme tell ya, this is a more powerful ability than you might realize at first glance. But it's a lot of fun when done right.

 

[the Jester]

That's the 3.0 version, check out the update sheets.

Could you elaborate on this, please?

Cuz it looks waaaay broken to me. :\

 

[Particle_Man]

I checked the 3.5 update. It said you only get 1/2 the bonus to your attack roll that you take off your damage roll (round down) and you can't take more off your damage roll than your BAB. It doesn't say anything about bonus damage like sneak attack damage. I would say it is still worth it. A 20th halfling rogue with a dagger does 1d3 + 10d6. Subtract 14 from the base damage and you have: 1 (minimum damage) + 10d6, and got + 7 to your attack roll out of it (so you attack at 22/17/12, before other adjustments). Not too shabby, but not as good as the 30/25/20 that you could have gotten before the nerf.

 

[Coredump]

Subtract 14 from the base damage and you have: 1 (minimum damage) + 10d6, and got + 7 to your attack roll out of it (so you attack at 22/17/12, before other adjustments). Not too shabby, but not as good as the 30/25/20 that you could have gotten before the nerf.

But you are assuming it only subtracts from the base weapon damage. The feat doesn't say that. (The OP did....) From what I read, it comes off of the total damage....

 

[Meeki]

In all fairness bonuses to hit are more common than bonuses to damage (flanking, attacking a prone apponent in melee, attacking a flat footed or grappling opponent (assuming dex. bonuses) and evening aiding an ally). One of our house rules is to allow a player to subtract 2 damage from their bonuses damage (damage coming from strength, WS, etc) to add one to hit regardless of any feats, however this number cannot be more than your total bonus damage.

I would use something like... giving up your bonus damage on a 1:1 ratio for the feat. That way str 10 characters would benefit less than str 16 and thus not be "abused" as people say it would be.

Also maybe make weapon focus a pre-req, I would NOT make it limited to light weapons though because that makes little sense to me, you can easily decrease your damage with a great sword in order to hit more effectively as you can with a rapier.