Evaluate what this penalty is worth please

[BiggusGeekus]

If you use the fighter, cleric, or rogue BAB progression you get tertiary and sometimes quadrinary attacks. If you removed those from the game, what kind of attack bonus would you feel is adequate compensation? Is there some other kind of bonus you would feel is a good compensation?

Thanks.

 

[Slaved]

You would be getting more move actions that way. Maybe if you added in special combat maneuvers and options which used move actions? Opposed checks of some sort to give bonuses or penalties in combat could simulate the bonus while still taking an action to do.

Are you also getting rid of multiple natural weapon attacks? If not many monsters will be much stronger by comparison.

 

[Stalker0]

More damage per swing, more bonuses to attack.

 

[Celebrim]

Essentially, you would be making Power Attack the feat around which combat revolved to the extent that melee combat would be even worth it at high levels of play, and more or less telling your players not to play anything but spell casters.

Extra BAB would just make Power Attack that much more important.

This is such a huge reworking of the game that I can't foresee really how the game would play out with this change, so its hard for me to give advice. Adding bonuses to the attack rolls would totally change the game by making AC much less important. Adding scable damage with character level (probably a better choice) would make critical hits that much more important, scale the random factor in damage rolled down much further than it is already at higher levels of play, slightly deemphasis strength, and I don't know what else.

But, if you really want to experiment with this my completely off the cuff suggestions are, Power Attack becomes a manuever - essentially every class gets it as a free feat. Plus, all creatures get a +1 dodge bonus to AC for each full +5 points of BAB they have provided that they are armed and not flat footed. Classes/monsters do +1d6 damage on all weapon (not natural) attacks for each full +5 points of BAB they have, and rogue sneak attack damage goes up to d8's (from d6's).

You'll probably have to do some reworking of the Fighter too. Change the feat progression to 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, etc. Weapon Specialization gained for free at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th and upgrades of a previously selected Weapon Specialization to Greater Weapon Specialization at 12th and 20th.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I wasn't clear, I was thinking of keeping the secondary attacks, but not the 3rd and 4th. So there would be no game effect until level 11.

But I suspect you guys are right. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

 

[Pyrex]

But the effect isn't nearly as pronounced if Ftr's still get secondary attacks. The 3rd & 4th attacks miss more often than not anyway.

Something like this might work:
+11/+6/+1 --> +11/+8
+16/+11/+6/+1 --> +16/+15

Effectively, each 3rd (& 4th) attack you would have gained increases your iterative attack by +2.

 

[Celebrim]

I wasn't clear, I was thinking of keeping the secondary attacks, but not the 3rd and 4th. So there would be no game effect until level 11.

I understood what you wanted, but distributed some of the effects over the earlier ranks in order to make the system more aesthetically pleasing.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Thanks guys!

 

[Notmousse]

I forget, is there any weapon which allows power attack and is finesseable?

If so I believe it might become a favorite, especially if two handed.

 

[Stalker0]

I forget, is there any weapon which allows power attack and is finesseable?

Spiked Chain