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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eamon" data-source="post: 4384113" data-attributes="member: 51942">Indeed, your (correct) analysis mostly matches my thoughts, but the limitations are so large that I think comparing in terms of damage prevention just doesn't cover it.And, you're still not accounting for the fact that the monster can miss you when you use bolstering strike.  So when your example says that enfeebling strike prevents 1 damage each round by preventing 10% of all attacks that would have dealt 10 damage, you implicitly compare that to 1 temporary hit point - but 1 temporary hit point does not imply 1 prevented damage.  You can end an encounter with temporary hitpoints unused, and temporary hitpoints overlap; so if you hit three times in a row, and then the monster hits three times in a row, you'll have (usually) prevented a different amount of damage than if you and the monster hit alternatingly.  That means that an attack that grants N temporary hitpoints at best prevents N damage, but on average will prevent less - and it's difficult to quantify how much less, especially since that's heavily influenced by tactics.  Also, if a monster has a low hit-rate, you're more likely to "waste" temporary hitpoints by overlapping or still having them at the end of the encounter, which means that the better your AC is relative the the attack bonus of the monster, the less attractive bolstering strike becomes.When it comes to enfeebling strike, it's not just area effects, it's also multiple attacks which "bolster" enfeebling strike's value.  OA's, special powers etc: most of these things are all affected by enfeebling strike, and can push up the "average damage per round if everthing hits excluding criticals"So I agree with your numbers, but not with the conclusion.  My conclusion is that enfeebling strike is a solid effect in all situations (barring minions), and bolstering strike is situational.  If the monsters don't have area effect damage, aren't doing multiple attacks per round, your wisdom is relatively high (how high you can determine using your numbers), if there aren't many nasty status effects, if your mark isn't liable to attack anyone else, then bolstering strike is better.A mix is still best of course, as many have said before.</blockquote>

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