One of my players is contemplating switching away from ranger because of the stiff "penalties" the at-will attacks seem to impose. Let's look at a few items off this 4th level Elf Archer-Ranger's character sheet.
1) Ranged Basic Attack (Longbow). +10 vs. AC for 1d10+7 damage.
2) Careful Attack (Longbow). +12 vs. AC for 1d10+2 damage.
3) Twin Strike (Longbow). +10 vs. AC for 1d10+2 damage, twice.
Average damage with attack 1 is 5.5 + 7 = 12.5
Average damage with attack 2 is (5.5 + 2) * 1.1 (hits 10% more than 1) = 8.25
Average damage with attack 3 is (5.5 + 2) * 1.5 (assume he hits 66% of the time) = 12.45
Ultimately, niether class at-will attack is better than a basic attack. This is not the case with any other class. These at-wills have any other effect than damage, either, so there's also no benefit there.
Was this really by design? It seems so gimped.
1) Ranged Basic Attack (Longbow). +10 vs. AC for 1d10+7 damage.
2) Careful Attack (Longbow). +12 vs. AC for 1d10+2 damage.
3) Twin Strike (Longbow). +10 vs. AC for 1d10+2 damage, twice.
Average damage with attack 1 is 5.5 + 7 = 12.5
Average damage with attack 2 is (5.5 + 2) * 1.1 (hits 10% more than 1) = 8.25
Average damage with attack 3 is (5.5 + 2) * 1.5 (assume he hits 66% of the time) = 12.45
Ultimately, niether class at-will attack is better than a basic attack. This is not the case with any other class. These at-wills have any other effect than damage, either, so there's also no benefit there.
Was this really by design? It seems so gimped.