Incremental BAB/saves

[Kerrick]

Anyone know/remember how this works? I've only heard of it once or twice, and I can't remember all the details. I want to do an analysis of it and see how it works.

 

[DreamChaser]

Do you mean fractional or decimal?

Like where a fighter gains 1.0 per level, a cleric .75, and a wizard .5, so that a 3rd level character with 1 level in each would have a BAB of 2.25 (or 2) rather than 1?

DC

 

[Aus_Snow]

If you do mean fractional, then keep in mind that the +2 bump for saves doesn't exist any more (for levels in additional classes.) That's by the books, anyway. YMMV.

I've been using fractional BAB, saves and Defence for some time. No problems.

 

[Kerrick]

Do you mean fractional or decimal?

Like where a fighter gains 1.0 per level, a cleric .75, and a wizard .5, so that a 3rd level character with 1 level in each would have a BAB of 2.25 (or 2) rather than 1?

That sounds about right, yeah.

If you do mean fractional, then keep in mind that the +2 bump for saves doesn't exist any more (for levels in additional classes.) That's by the books, anyway. YMMV.

Is this in a book somewhere? UA, maybe? I thought it was a house rule or something.

I've been using fractional BAB, saves and Defence for some time. No problems.

Cool. How does it hold up at high (15+) levels?

 

[Terraism]

Cool. How does it hold up at high (15+) levels?

I haven't ran it quite that high, but I've done middling high with it a time or two. In general, it boosts the BAB on heavily multiclassed characters (which is pretty much a given), and has a more drastic effect on saving throws. They get significantly balanced out - characters have less weak poor saves, and less strong good ones. It makes the differences between saves slightly less important.

I can see that changing the higher level dynamic with save targetting, though. Characters won't necessarily have a save high enough they automatically make it, but they may still have a save low enough they always fail it.

 

[Claudius Gaius]

It is printed in Unearthed Arcana (Page 73, open game content), not that it hadn't been a house rule for a long time in a lot of games.

The Base Save Bonus for "Good" saves was +2.5 at L1, plus an additonal .5 per additional level. The Base Save Bonus for "Poor" saves was + 1/3'rd at L1, plus an additonal 1/3'rd per additional level. This has no effect on single-classed characters, but tends to result in notably higher save bonuses for multiclassed characters.

The Base Attack bonus is simpler, being a simple +1/+.75/+.5 per level for characters with Good/Average/Poor melee attack progressions.

In either case, the basic difference is rounding down after summing the values from various classes, rather than before adding them up.

We used it for a bit, but then we converted to Eclipse - a straight d20 point-buy system - so it hasn't been necessary since. People who want good saves, BAB, or whatever just spend points there instead of on something else.

 

[Kerrick]

The Base Save Bonus for "Good" saves was +2.5 at L1, plus an additonal .5 per additional level. The Base Save Bonus for "Poor" saves was + 1/3'rd at L1, plus an additonal 1/3'rd per additional level.

+2.5? Odd. But I guess it makes sense, since normal saves go +2, +3, +3... I think it'd be easier to extrapolate a mid save from that - say, start at 1.5 and go up 0.5 per level.

I can see that changing the higher level dynamic with save targetting, though. Characters won't necessarily have a save high enough they automatically make it, but they may still have a save low enough they always fail it.

And that's always a good thing.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Since it is open content, I can post the Fractional Base Save and Base Attack Bonuses table here. Enjoy!

Fractional Base Save and Base Attack Bonuses

[b]        Base     Base     Base     Base        Base
        Save     Save     Attack   Attack      Attack
Class   Bonus    Bonus    Bonus    Bonus       Bonus[/b]
Level   (Good)   (Poor)   (Good)   (Average)   (Poor) 
  1     +2 1/2   +1/3     +1       +3/4        +1/2
  2     +3       +2/3     +2       +1 1/2      +1
  3     +3 1/2   +1       +3       +2 1/4      +1 1/2
  4     +4       +1 1/3   +4       +3          +2
  5     +4 1/2   +1 2/3   +5       +3 3/4      +2 1/2
  6     +5       +2       +6       +4 1/2      +3
  7     +5 1/2   +2 1/3   +7       +5 1/4      +3 1/2
  8     +6       +2 2/3   +8       +6          +4
  9     +6 1/2   +3       +9       +6 3/4      +4 1/2
 10     +7       +3 1/3   +10      +7 1/2      +5
 11     +7 1/2   +3 2/3   +11      +8 1/4      +5 1/2
 12     +8       +4       +12      +9          +6
 13     +8 1/2   +4 1/3   +13      +9 3/4      +6 1/2
 14     +9       +4 2/3   +14      +10 1/2     +7
 15     +9 1/2   +5       +15      +11 1/4     +7 1/2
 16     +10      +5 1/3   +16      +12         +8
 17     +10 1/2  +5 2/3   +17      +12 3/4     +8 1/2
 18     +11      +6       +18      +13 1/2     +9
 19     +11 1/2  +6 1/3   +19      +14 1/4     +9 1/2
 20     +12      +6 2/3   +20      +15         +10

 

[Bacris]

+2.5? Odd.

It's not really +2.5. It's .5 per character level, with a +2 bonus at 1st level. Tomayto, tomahto, I suppose

 

[Claudius Gaius]

Same math, different phrasing. Works fine either way.