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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Malin Genie" data-source="post: 957874" data-attributes="member: 1058">As I have (now twice) tried to indicate, the comment was meant to be tongue-in-cheek rather than 'snide' or 'snotty'. FYI: T-I-C indicator light --->  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /> Nevertheless, to reply to your post, I addressed particularly the issue of Savage Species because (as suggested in my previous post) I feel any non-Core supplement is something over which a DM has right of refusal, and so should be used only very judiciously to critique the Core rules.  I can't comment on that, not having seen the 3.5e Monster Manual.  Savage Species certainly struck me as being, like the Psionics Handbook or Oriental Adventures, as a supplement providing interesting options for gamers and DMs who wanted a different type of campaign; not necessarily guaranteed to be balanced with respect to the Core Rules.  MM templates are designed for use with monsters - if people want to adapt them to PC use; again, nice to expand options available but don't expect them to necessarily balance out against non-templated PCs.Core Rules were designed and play-tested on the basis of PCs with stats that would top out at around 20 at low levels.  Does that mean you can't run a fun campaign with a Str 24 or more half-ogre fighter?  No, but don't expect all of the assumptions made by the Core rules (like, for example "Power Attack, while at the 'good' end for Feats for a strong fighter,  is more-or-less balanced") to hold.With regard to the rest of your post:1) I completely agree with your overall thesis that the change to Power Attack raises the premium on high Str to an even greater level.  2) Similarly I agree about Cleave/Great Cleave/Whirlwind Attack/Dragons getting more out of Power Attack.  That is, iterative attacks blunt the impact of Power Attack.  Whenever you get more attacks at full (or non-decreasing) BAB, that makes Power Attack more attractive.  Even AoOs are at full BAB - if you are in a situation (e.g. superior reach against an opponent without Tumble) where you regularly get AoOs Power Attack gains value.  Heck, even Spring Attack synergises (because if you are exchanging blows one-for-one rather than trading full attacks you get the full benefit of Power Attack on each of your attacks, rather than the reduced benefit it grants when applied to a Full Attack sequence.)</blockquote>

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