Combat Expertise + Power Attack?

[Corsair]

I did full PA and full CE a lot with my Warblade, on the rounds I was recovering maneuvers and just attacking normally. Those rounds my damage potential dropped a lot, so I didn't really care about hitting so much as the bonus AC to stay alive. And if I happened to hit, may as well PA to make it a little more painful.

I question whether or not you would have been better off just not using power attack, thus hitting more often, and getting higher average damage for those rounds overall.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I question whether or not you would have been better off just not using power attack, thus hitting more often, and getting higher average damage for those rounds overall.

It's possible...I was using a two-handed weapon, so taking -8 or whatever on PA meant +16 damage. I just figured if I was going to take massive penalties (I also went with fighting defensive, and with tumble ranks, that was somewhat worth it, too), may as well do so all the way. I'm not a very lucky roller. If I get one nat 20, I'm unlikely to get a high roll on the confirm anyway. I should also point out the character had Improved Trip, so I was actually trying to make touch attacks to trip enemies much of that time, besides just damage.

 

[ibonet]

Not the same but related...

Consider a Daring Outlaw rogue swashy. With Robilar's Gambit, Combat expertisse and flanking.

Take +4 to hit for flanking; Take -4 to hit to gain +4 Ac with Combat expertisse; take now -4 to AC (and damage...) to gain AoO at every attack you receive, thanks to Robilars gambit.

So, in a round, you can attack every time you are attacked with no penalty (well +4 to damage if hit, ... peanuts...) nor bonus while flanking. Is this a rule abuse? It's RAW? Can be roleplayed? (I expose to an attack while I combat carefully???)

what's your opinion?

thanks in advanced...

 

[Runestar]

So, in a round, you can attack every time you are attacked with no penalty (well +4 to damage if hit, ... peanuts...) nor bonus while flanking. Is this a rule abuse? It's RAW? Can be roleplayed? (I expose to an attack while I combat carefully???)

Works perfectly, IMO.

Even better, throw in deft opportunist to get +4 to-hit on AoOs. Assuming you are relying primarily on AoOs for your damage output, this offsets expertise-for-4 and robilar's gambit nicely. Any extras you get from flanking is a bonus!

 

[the Jester]

Not only does this work perfectly, I even have a 3e homebrewed epic feat that requires this, which I made for the Headsman of Moil in my 3.5 conversion of Return to the Tomb of Horrors:

WALL OF SWORDS STYLE [Epic, Style]
Your mastery of the ‘wall of swords’ style of fighting makes you lethal and virtually invulnerable.

Prerequisites: Str 25+, int 15+, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Greater Weapon Focus (any two-handed weapon), Improved Combat Expertise, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (any two-handed weapon)

Benefit: Whenever you attack with maximum power attack and maximum combat expertise with a two-handed weapon, you gain a +10 style bonus on your attack roll.