A strange idea...

[Knightfall]

Okay, after reading this thread and browsing through the first page of this other thread, I had the following idea...

Attack Pool
Each class gains a number of attack points equal to their BAB, including iterative attacks bonuses, as they progress from 1st to 20th-level.

[EDIT]
For some reason this post "posted" while I was writing. I've never had that happen before. Very strange.

 

[Knightfall]

Okay, so to use the Fighter as an example, at 1st-level, a Fighter character has 1 point in his/her attack pool and 1 attack per round.

At 6th-level, the fighter would have 7 points in his/her attack pool and 2 attacks per round.

At 11th-level, the fighter would have 18 points in his/her attack pool and 3 attacks per round.

At 16th-level, the fighter would have 34 points in his/her attack pool and 4 attacks per round.

The character has the choice of attacking as normal in the PHB, pooling all their points into one or two attacks instead of using all their iterative attacks, or dividing their attack pool points evenly between all their iterative attacks.

Therefore, a theoretical 16th-level fighter character could attack in any of the following ways...

• One attack with a +34 to hit
• Two attacks with +17/+17 to hit
• Three attacks with +12/+11/+11 to hit
• Four attacks with +10/+8/+8/+8 to hit (or +9/+9/+8/+8 to hit)
• Four attacks with +16/+11/+6/+1 to hit

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I think the idea is very interesting, theoretically, but it would slow my players to an absolute crawl, as they worked to optimize how to split the points.

 

[Asha'man]

I don't think this could be balanced unless the whole system is reworked. On the standard action attacks that will likely be by far the most common, you're handing out huge attack bonuses that throw the attack-AC relationship even more completely out of whack than it already gets at high level. Also, it would make wizards and sorcerers, who never make full attacks anyway, autohit even more with their touch spells. The one advantage, though, is that it helps monks and rogues keep up with the fighters at high level. Maybe if you put some kind of cap on the number of points you can apply to a single attack.

 

[Knightfall]

I think the idea is very interesting, theoretically, but it would slow my players to an absolute crawl, as they worked to optimize how to split the points.

Yeah, I thought of that as I was writing it out. There would also be an issue with how to handle multiclassing.

 

[Kill Zone]

Brilliant idea! A quick rewrite of the Base Attack Bonus Table is in order.

[sblock=Base Attack Pool]

|-----------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|           |  Attack   Max  |  Attack     Max  |  Attack   Max  |
| Character |   Pool     #   |   Pool       #   |   Pool     #   |
|   Level   |  (Good)   Atks | (Average)   Atks |  (Poor)   Atks |
|-----------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|     1     |    01      01  |    00        01  |    00      01  |
|     2     |    02      01  |    01        01  |    01      01  |
|     3     |    03      01  |    02        01  |    01      01  |
|     4     |    04      01  |    03        01  |    02      01  |
|     5     |    05      01  |    03        01  |    02      01  |
|     6     |    07      02  |    04        01  |    03      01  |
|     7     |    09      02  |    05        01  |    03      01  |
|     8     |    11      02  |    07        02  |    04      01  |
|     9     |    12      02  |    07        02  |    04      01  |
|    10     |    15      02  |    09        02  |    05      01  |
|    11     |    18      03  |    11        02  |    05      01  |
|    12     |    21      03  |    13        02  |    07      02  |
|    13     |    24      03  |    13        02  |    07      02  |
|    14     |    27      03  |    15        02  |    09      02  |
|    15     |    30      03  |    18        03  |    09      02  |
|    16     |    34      04  |    21        03  |    11      02  |
|    17     |    38      04  |    21        03  |    11      02  |
|    18     |    42      04  |    24        03  |    13      02  |
|    19     |    46      04  |    27        03  |    13      02  |
|    20     |    50      04  |    30        03  |    15      02  |
|-----------|----------------|------------------|----------------|

[/sblock][sblock=BAB to BAP Conversion for Prestige Class Entry]

|----------------|--------------|
| Prestige Class | Converted To |
|  Minimum BAB   | Minimum BAP  |
|----------------|--------------|
|       +1       |      01      |
|       +2       |      02      |
|       +3       |      03      |
|       +4       |      04      |
|       +5       |      05      |
|       +6       |      07      |
|       +7       |      09      |
|       +8       |      11      |
|       +9       |      13      |
|      +10       |      15      |
|      +11       |      18      |
|      +12       |      21      |
|      +13       |      24      |
|      +14       |      27      |
|      +15       |      30      |
|      +16       |      34      |
|      +17       |      38      |
|      +18       |      42      |
|      +19       |      46      |
|      +20       |      50      |
|----------------|--------------|

[/sblock]

 

[milo]

I like the idea, but in the wrong hands this seems like it could be extremely broken. I have had many a fighter who's second attack would hit most enemies on anything other than a 1, by doing this it makes it so you might have to roll a 2 or better to hit with all of your attacks with the right build.
some suggestions
I have would be that the full attack pool is only useable on a full attack action, normal BAB for a standard attack. So if you want to get a +34 to hit on one attack at 16th level you have to take a full round to do it.
You could do something with the auto fail with attacks, maybe add one for each attack that you give up. So at 16th you could take your one attack with a +34 but, still miss on a 1-4.
Just a couple of suggestions.
Forgive the grammar in this post I have been awake for about 28 hours now.

 

[Knightfall]

I have would be that the full attack pool is only useable on a full attack action, normal BAB for a standard attack. So if you want to get a +34 to hit on one attack at 16th level you have to take a full round to do it.

That is definitely a given. You wouldn't be able to use the full attack pool unless you use the full attack action.

You could do something with the auto fail with attacks, maybe add one for each attack that you give up. So at 16th you could take your one attack with a +34 but, still miss on a 1-4.

Hmm, that's an interesting idea but I doubt the players I know would accept it. Still, something to think about.

 

[love.christine]

VERY INTERESTING!

I just might playtest this in an upcoming Pathfinder game.

Brilliant idea! A quick rewrite of the Base Attack Bonus Table is in order.

Thanks for the pdf Kill Zone, thats very handy.

 

[Knightfall]

Thanks for the pdf KIll Zone, thats very handy.

I hadn't even notice the attached PDF. Well done, Kill Zone. Go ahead and run with the idea, if you want, Kill.