Recent content by frisbeet

Ultimately the answer lies in either an analytic analysis or emperical testing. I bet I'm right, most of the time, but without proof I can't be dogmatic. This is something I'm interested in revisiting with much more detail...but time isn't on my side so it may be a while. Stay tuned...what...

Great post Elder-Basilisk! I wouldn't advocate maximizing average damage/round as being an exclusive strategy. Rather, having a number in your head for achieving such a maximum provides a fixed point to hang your hat on, in estimating the best strategy. Power Attacking for a little bit more...

thanks. It's been a work in progress for a few years, with several ranks in Excel kung fu earned.

So the output page spits out two average damage/round numbers: The 1st is for 0 power attack. The 2nd is for the power attack which maximizes average damage/round. Average damage/round is of course AC dependent (among other things): as AC goes up, your probability of hitting goes down. The...

I've added another spreadsheet on my site. http://www.geocities.com/frisbeet/DandDandFightin.html Here's what I have to say about it there: I don't think I need to post an example to show the utility of this to you guys. Disadvantage is that it comes in at a whopping 5.4 Mb zipped. Nothing...

A plug, if I may: please have a look at the power attack spreedsheet on my site. Here's the link and verbage therein. http://www.geocities.com/frisbeet/DandDandFightin.html

bumping for needed reference.

off track However 2e did give us perhaps the greatest computer rpg ever in Baldur's Gate.

Perfectly sound suggestion. I'd have to look more closely at Caelic's build to see if it were possible. Of course my main point isn't to propose a new build but rather advertise a (free) tool to facilitate fighter-type character planning and provide a level by level printout (you'll have to...

Power Attack Calculator I've significantly updated the Power Attack Calculator spreadsheet to incorporate many new PHBII and other feats and abilities and allow for Attacks of Opportunity. For those that aren't aware of this free spreadsheet, here's what it can do: Take everything affecting...

Here's an exact answer to your 1st question, which wuyanei beat me to. <5d6> = 13.430 Comes from determining the distributions for each method. It's a little painstaking, but a whiff of combinatorics helps. Here I show my work (scroll right): "oc" = outcome, the result of your 5d6 drop 2...

I applaud your effort in calculation, but these numbers aren't correct. I do however agree the Barb20 vs. TWF F20 isn't a close comparison on TWF vs. THF+PA, though this whole TWF thing is quite a sidebar to the thread topic...except that it leads to an answer... Anyway, here's the correct #s...

some analysis Let’s see some numbers. Here’s the average full attack damage/round for 3 core (for simplicity) characters. They aren’t exactly equal because apples-to-apples comparisons, even hypothetical, are impossible in the D&D context (and idiotic). Character1 Barbarian 20 Str 40 (16 lvl...

My 80 lb dog IS the Terrasque. She's often nosing around our battleboard, stepping on our miniatures. So far, nothing the characters have tried has stopped her. Very disconcerting for them.

As should be obvious, at high levels high AC ain't: worthy melee opponent to hit bonuses will outstrip AC nearly every time. Best defence is dead opponents--I sniff a real life corrollary, perhaps. Oh sure, you can build for extremely high AC, but you sac everything else for it. Topic. Power...