Feat: Power Strike

[hong]

A feat to allow melee types to dish out more damage without having to use a full attack (which can be risky at high levels). Inspired by the continuing archer wars in the D&D Rules forum.

Too good? Not good enough?


POWER STRIKE

(insert flavour text)

Prereqs: BAB +8, Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Str 13+, Dex 13+.

Benefit: Choose a melee weapon with which you have Weapon Focus. When you use Spring Attack with this weapon, you deal double damage on your attack. This benefit does not apply to extra attacks gained via haste or the use of a speed weapon.

 

[med stud]

The main problem I see with the feat is that it substitutes a +8/+3 iterative attack (with max damage 2x normal damage) with a +8 straight chance to deal 2x normal damage (barring energy weapons) AND make a move at the same time.

If I was making this feat, I would either model it as a Rapid shot in a spring attack (make two attacks with -2 on both) or to make it like a kind of Pounce ability.

I like the general idea though

 

[hong]

Well, at +11 BAB, that becomes +11/+6/+1, and later on, +16/+11/+6/+1. The general idea was to let melee types get some good damage in, without having to risk sitting in a dragon's face.

Maybe upping the prereq to +11 BAB might be a good idea.

 

[med stud]

I must add that Im of the opinion that fighter are very under powered by the late levels, so that I dont have a problem with a fighter doing Pounce attacks by lvl 13+ (at the same time the mages can pretend to be F16:s with Fly, Imp. invisibility and Disintegrate etc).

But upping the prerequisite sounds good, especially if using the version you posted, as you will give up one potential "multiplying" of damage in the process.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

As others have pointed out, this enables the fighter to trade two attacks at +8/+3 for a single attack at +8 which does extra damage. It would probably be too good without the spring attack clause.

If the Prereq were BAB 12+, it would probably be balanced as a Full Round Action. The fighter would give up one attack that would probably miss and one attack which might hit for almost guaranteed double damage. The fighter could pump the damage even higher by using a limited amount of power attack on it too.

In conjunction with Spring attack, it's probably too good at any prerequisite though because of the priority it would give to Spring Attack as a fighter feat. Ordinarily a battle between two grunts--one of whom has spring attack lets the spring attacker make a single attack and retreat. The other fighter has to charge in order to get a single attack against the Spring Attacker. If the spring attacker uses a reach weapon (or the Hold the Line feat), the spring attacker gets two attacks for each attack the other guy makes. If the spring attacker uses a Guisarm or Spiked Chain, he can trip the charging attacker before he makes the attack. Alternately, if the spring attacker has more than double the other characters' movement (for instance a fighter/bbn with a mithril breastplate, boots of Striding and Springing, and Spring Attack vs a dwarf in fullplate), the other character needs to ready an action to hit the spring attacker. Letting the Spring Attacker deal double damage as well would completely eliminate the chances of the non-spring attacking character.

Spring Attack is a tradeoff between dealing damage and taking it (you deal a little bit less (b/c you can power attack to make up for some of the lost damage) and you take a lot less damage) which also opens up lots of interesting synergies. If the spring attacker doesn't lose out on damage too, it's too good.

A feat to allow melee types to dish out more damage without having to use a full attack (which can be risky at high levels). Inspired by the continuing archer wars in the D&D Rules forum.

Too good? Not good enough?


POWER STRIKE

(insert flavour text)

Prereqs: BAB +8, Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Str 13+, Dex 13+.

Benefit: Choose a melee weapon with which you have Weapon Focus. When you use Spring Attack with this weapon, you deal double damage on your attack. This benefit does not apply to extra attacks gained via haste or the use of a speed weapon.

 

[Jeph]

Instead of just 'double damage,' you might want it to say the attack gains +2 to the attack and damage rolls. (like the Duelist's Acrobatic Attack ability.)

 

[comrade raoul]

In addition to the existing issues, another problem with Power Strike is that it can be very helpful for bypassing DR. Consider this alternative (adapted from the errata'd Iaijutsu Master ability from OA):

Lightning Strike [General]
You can deliver a pair of quick attacks in the time it would take most combatants to strike once.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus, Dex 13+, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Int 13+, Expertise, Whirlwind Attack, base attack bonus +11 or higher
Benefit: Choose a melee weapon of a type that you have taken the Weapon Focus with. You may perform a lightning strike with that weapon as a standard action. Treat this as a normal attack action, but you may attack twice (make your second attack at a -5 penalty). You may use this feat in conjunction with Spring Attack in order to move, attack twice, and move again (provided that you are not wearing heavy armor).

 

[Technik4]

Weapon Specific? Sorry, it seems as if you would have such agility you would possess it with all weapons with which you are proficient. Thats a minor gripe though, I also don't agree a flat double damage is a good idea.

What about this:

Improved Spring Attack
Your cat-like reflexes allow for more than a singe strike.
Prerequisite: Spring Attack
Benefit: When using the spring attack feat you may instead make 2 attacks at your highest BAB with a -5 penalty.

So you trade one definite attack at +8 for 2 at +3. Its clearly unbalanced to give 2 attacks at +8 (or double damage, imo). You could give an additional attack at -5, but I think both attacks would suffer as part of the movement. Especially at lower levels, giving a straight-up additional attack is too powerful. This makes it sort of like flurry of blows, but with a bigger penalty, the trade-off being the movement afterwards.

Technik

 

[Jeph]

The Improved Spring Attack and Lightning Strike feat seem almost identical, except in ISA, both attacks are at -5, which seems a bit more balanced. After all, the Iajutsu Master is BROKEN.

 

[hong]

Re: Re: Feat: Power Strike

In conjunction with Spring attack, it's probably too good at any prerequisite though because of the priority it would give to Spring Attack as a fighter feat. Ordinarily a battle between two grunts--

(snip)

I don't really see the point of making comparisons in terms of one-on-one duels between two PC-class characters -- by this logic, feats like Cleave and Great Cleave would be useless. Heck, if you want to specialise in melee duels, you don't use Spring Attack. You take Improved Disarm and Improved Trip, and use a spiked chain. And let's not even mention the flying, improved invis'd sorcerer....

Most of the time, a PC will be facing off against monsters as part of a team, and that's what this feat is designed for. If you're fighting giants and dragons, you don't want to make full attacks if you can help it. You may dish out lots of damage, but it leaves you open to the same thing in return, and usually the monster can take it better than you can.

Spring Attack is a tradeoff between dealing damage and taking it (you deal a little bit less (b/c you can power attack to make up for some of the lost damage) and you take a lot less damage) which also opens up lots of interesting synergies. If the spring attacker doesn't lose out on damage too, it's too good.

Readying a trip or disarm attempt is perhaps the canonical way to deal with somone bouncing around with Spring Attack. You can still do this even if someone has this feat.