+1 to hit or +1 damage?

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Depends on the weapon the character generally used.

Like others have said, I'd rate +1 to hit as stronger for large melee weapons or characters with a weaker BAB.

I'd seriously consider +1 to damage for a light weapon fighter.

Definitely the +1 to damage with a ranged weapon. IME, they tend to have very large to hit values but few ways to increase the damage. Works neatly with the increased number of attacks they typically make.


Or hang that lot and make a flavour choice!

 

[glass]

+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.

55%


glass.

 

[Driddle]

The recently released Iron Heroes variant offers a feat mastery progression that provides several single bonuses, +1 to hit and +1 damage, that you can pick from on the way up. It's possible to pick all or some combination as you see fit to define your "weapon focus."

Dude, you haven't quite memorized the book yet, have you? I know it's only been a week, but sheesh ... The text gives +2 to damage.

Idiot. Get it right next time.

 

[reveal]

Dude, you haven't quite memorized the book yet, have you? I know it's only been a week, but sheesh ... The text gives +2 to damage.

Idiot. Get it right next time.

Don't make me separate you two.

 

[Sigdel]

I don't think it matters. Hulk like builds are more favored in the current game than Zorro builds. Its the translation of Str bonuse affecting attack and damage, with no extra feats involved to get that. While Zorro has to devote at least one feat just to hit as often as Hulk. For Zorro, you have to take the damage feat. For Hulk, it doesn't matter. As long as he gets stronger he improves both hitting and damage. Crooked as all hell.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Don't make me separate you two.

Don't make me sell tickets to watch reveal separating you two ...

 

[Remathilis]

+1 damage...

There are plenty of abilities or spells that can raise your to hit through the roof (divine favor, aid, bless, true strike) but few that will allow near constant damage per round to anything (most are conditional or associated with raising strength period).

+1 damage is actually better for the FINESSE guy; dex doesn't give to damage, and finessers use lightly damaging weapons usually. A hulk can raise his str and get double duty, a finesse cannot raise his dex and do the same (he trades for AC, but that's another thread).

All that said, +1 is kinda paltry when dealing with creatures HP, most of which can easily hit triple digits quickly.

 

[JamesDJarvis]

i'll take the +1 to damage.

lets say you have a 50% chance to hit with a weapon that does 1d8 of damage; that mean you'd inflict a likely 4.5 (average roll on 1d8) * 0.5 (you chance to hit) for a likely average damage of 2.25 pts of damage.

+1 to hit would mean
4.5 * 0.55 = 2.475 points of damage

+1 to damage would mean
5.5 *.050 = 2.75 points of damage


factoring in criticals- assuming 19-20/x2

+1 to hit means 5.5% of blows would be likely to cause 9 points of damage
so the average damage is likely to be 2.83

+1 to damage means 5% of blows would be likely to cause 11 points of damage
so the avarage damage is likely to be 3.16

+1 to damage wins if all one cares about is output of damage.


of course the slimmer the chances one has to hit the more valuable that +1 to hit becomes but when a target Ac reahces the point wherer you are only hitting on 20s regardless of + to thit then the damage bonus will certainly be more valuable.

 

[Driddle]

Lets say you have a 50% chance to hit with a weapon that does 1d8 of damage; that mean you'd inflict a likely 4.5 (average roll on 1d8) * 0.5 (you chance to hit) for a likely average damage of 2.25 pts of damage.

+1 to hit would mean
4.5 * 0.55 = 2.475 points of damage

+1 to damage would mean
5.5 *.050 = 2.75 points of damage

Nicely put.
But I've been waiting for someone to elaborate on this point. Guess I'll tackle it myself...

The first option (+ to hit) accumulates lesser damage more quickly than the second option (+ damage) delivering a larger payload. And given an unknown variable of hit points hidden in the average monster, it would seem beneficial to whittle away over time rather than wait.

Say, for example, my PC is dealing 5 pts of damage 60 percent of the time, versus 6 points of damage 50 percent of the time. At the end of 10 swings, they both do the same damage totaled. But the more precise attacks run up a total of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30, while his heavy-handed friend runs up 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30. If the target has fewer than 25 hit points, he'll fall sooner to the agile fighter.

Maybe this is why they designed the game to balance a seemingly large +2 damage against the measley +1 to hit?

 

[Janx]

That calculation goes wonky as soon as your damage increases (like, having a flaming sword, or extra damage from a 2-handed weapon when you have a strength bonus of at least 2, or sneak attack, etc.). Once you get an average 10 damage (assuming a 50% chance to hit) it starts going the other way.

Particle Man is on the right track. I whipped up a spreadsheet and found that:
if avg Dam=4.5 & avghit=50%, then 10 is the break-even point, where less than that damage bonus is better.

I also discovered that if the avghit% is higher or lower, then the break-even point changes.

To sum up (as someone else did, but with no math) if you have a high avghit%, then bonus damage is better. Find the intersection point and you'll find the way to make the decision for your PC.

In effect:
X = avg damage of PC
Y = avg hit % of PC

X*(Y+.5)=(X+1)*Y

anybody remember enough algebra to solve for that?

Janx