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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nazhkandrias" data-source="post: 3422971" data-attributes="member: 50521">I'd have to say that it's really not worth it with any weapon. Take a fighter with Improved Critical (Falchion). A +1 Flaming Burst Falchion? Seems frightening. The threat range is 15-20/x2, meaning that there's about a 1/4 chance for a critical hit. Compare total (average) damage over 20 strikes with a +2 Flaming Falchion with a +1 Flaming Burst Falchion (remember, a Falchion does 2-8 damage, so average damage is around 5 per swing. This assumes every attack hits, naturally)...The formula is as follows - Average Weapon Damage For 15 Strikes + Average Critical Damage For 5 Strikes + Average Flaming Damage For 20 Strikes + Average Burst Damage (Skipped For Non-Burst Weapon) For 5 Strikes + Enhancement Bonus Damage For 20 Strikes+2 Flaming Falchion w/ Improved CriticalEquation - 15(5) + 5(10) + 20(3.5) + 40Total Damage Over 20 Hits - About 235 damageAverage Damage Per Attack - About 11.75 damage+1 Flaming Burst Falchion w/ Improved CriticalEquation - 15(5) + 5(10) + 20(3.5) + 5(4.5) + 20Total Damage Over 20 Hits - About 237.5 damageAverage Damage Per Attack - About 11.875 damageThis leaves us with... 2.5 more damage. To sacrifice a +1 on EVERY attack to hit. Not worth it, even in this "best case" scenario. Even against creatures susceptible to fire, I'd take that bonus to hit anyday. For people who have "lucky dice", a burst attack is good, but for others, no. Not at all.Now, depending on the environment, you might have a lot of monsters susceptible to fire. In an arctic environment, a Flaming weapon is invaluable. But the burst? Not so much. A lot of frost monsters have high AC, so that +1 bonus to hit really helps. Or, you could grab another special ability for that bonus, say a +1 Flaming Giantbane Falchion (for hunting frost giants), or maybe get a +1 Keen Flaming Falchion to save a feat.Any way you look at it, the +1 cost of Flaming Burst (or almost any Burst, for that matter) is better spent elsewhere. Even if it does hit creatures immune to critical hits... they tend to be constructs and the like, with stratospheric natural armor. I'd rather hit more in the first place with an enhancement bonus or Bane.</blockquote>

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