+1 to hit or +1 damage?

[Driddle]

Given the opportunity to pick between two feats that would provide either +1 bonus on attack roll or +1 damage, which would you find more attractive, and why? What factors would prompt you to pick one over the other at various levels of the game?

As a matter of probability and averages, the +1 damage looks better over the long run -- after all, +1 on a 20-sider attack die is actually only worth 5 percent, so it requires +2 to make for an equal pick to +1 damage. Overall.

But I like to see more successful attacks accumulate, even if they add up to a smaller (average) total through the same number of swings.

 

[Crothian]

+1 to hit, I can always pick up power attack and then turn that into +1 or even +2 damage if I want to. I can also pick up Expertise and turn it into a +1 to AC. +1 damage is always going to be +1 damage.

 

[the Jester]

If you miss, it doesn't matter how good your damage bonus is.

On the other hand, if you have +30 to hit and your average enemy has an AC of 20, you don't need that extra +1, do you?

 

[orsal]

Given the opportunity to pick between two feats that would provide either +1 bonus on attack roll or +1 damage, which would you find more attractive, and why? What factors would prompt you to pick one over the other at various levels of the game?

Generally, whichever department you're weaker in is the one you'd do better to increase. Being able to hit more often isn't worth a lot if you don't do much damage when you do hit. Being able to do a lot of damage when you do hit isn't worth a lot if you hardly ever hit.

So if you carry a greatsword but typically fight high-AC creatures that (with your current BAB and STR bonus) you can only hit on a roll of 19-20, try to hit more often. If you use a light weapon, with Weapon Finesse and a good Dex (so pretty good chance to hit but little damage) go for the damage.

Here's a simple way to calculate, for a given situation, which +1 will help you more. (If you have Power Attack, this tells you whether to use it.) Let X be the number of results on your attack roll that will hit. Let Y be your average damage per hit (remember to include the possibility of criticals in computing this). Then your average damage per attack is (X/20)*Y. If you want to maximize this, adding 1 to X will add Y/20 while adding 1 to Y will add X/20. So increase X if Y is larger, and increase Y if X is larger.

This is a little simplified. If you're fighting a large army of mooks, a single hit even without the extra damage is likely to fell someone, so the extra damage could be wasted. On the other hand, if your opponent's AC is so high that rolling a 20 only hits because of the automatic hit rule, then the extra +1 to hit is wasted.

If you're choosing a feat, rather than choosing for a specific situation, ask yourself: on average, do I find myself with lower average damage or lower number of ways to hit?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

+1 to hit.

In Star Wars d20, Scoundrels get the ability to add a given bonus to either the to-hit roll or the damage roll of a single Dex-based attack per round.

I've permanently put that as a bonus to hit on my first attack each round (and, BTB, it saved my party's bacon last game, as I was the only one capable of hitting a particular dark jedi).

Maybe, sometime much, much later, I'll move that over to damage (after my BAB outstrips my opponent's denfenses), but I doubt it. I'd much rather play it safe.

 

[reveal]

+1 to hit. Especially at lower levels. If you don't hit, damage means nothing. Even if you do hit, a +1 usually isn't the "make or break" bonus that the +1 to hit usually is.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

From a RP standpoint.

Is this character a Finesse fighter (like Zorro), or a Bash it till it doesn't get back up (Like the Hulk). If you building a character around concept (rather than math), then choose the +1 that goes best with that character.

A skilled Duelist might always take the +1 to hit (that's just his style). While a Barbarian might take the +1 to damage just cause it makes things bleed more. You might do this even if the opposite +1 might seem better.

I'm not knocking math & averages ove Character & story. I play both & my favorite characters are a balance between the 2.

 

[PrinceZane]

Something else that might help is to post your char stats and any feats you already have, the concept of it, and where you want it to go. Knowing the full story will help narrow the information tunnel we can use

 

[der_kluge]

+1 to damage will yield more damage over time.

If you are attacking an AC 10 creature, and have a +0 to hit, you will hit the creature 50% of the time. If you are using a long sword, you will do 4.5 points of damage to it.

100 swings
50 swings will hit.
Average damage is 225 points of damage. (4.5 * 50)


+1 to damage:

100 swings
50 swings will hit
average hit will be 5.5 damage.
Total damage is 275 damage. ((4.5 + 1) * 50)


+1 to hit:
(9 or better will hit)

100 swings
55 swings will hit
average hit will be 4.5 damage
Total damage is 247.5 (4.5 * 55)

 

[Ferret]

+1 to hit, I'd rather be sure I was hiting for low damage then not hitting for lots. Plus, something I hadn't thought of 'till it was mentioned above, power attack and Expertise lets you play with you to hit bonus.