Is power attack too powerful?

[Legildur]

He also uses combat expertise this way (uses the 2 points of attack bonus to replace the missing 2 points of AC lost to the rage).

I don't see how. Looking at the rage description for barbarians in the 3.5E SRD (my emphasis):

...He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats...

 

[Tatsukun]

Oh, he's got the 'Righteous wrath' feat from the Book of Exaulted Deeds. We've ruled that he can use Combat Exp. because of that.

-Tatsu

 

[Diirk]

He also uses combat expertise this way (uses the 2 points of attack bonus to replace the missing 2 points of AC lost to the rage).
-Tatsu

That would work well, if you could use combat expertise while raging.

 

[Parlan]

Oh, he's got the 'Righteous wrath' feat from the Book of Exaulted Deeds. We've ruled that he can use Combat Exp. because of that.

-Tatsu

What does Righteous Wrath do?

 

[kwiqsilver]

What does Righteous Wrath do?

It allows you to intimidate Evil creatures you hit. Also it allows you to maintain "clarity" allowing you to do nonlethal damage, show mercy, and distinguish friend from foe. It doesn't specifically allow that, but it's not too much of a stretch to allow it.

 

[Darklone]

Oh, it's a goodygoody berserker who helps old women to cross the street while raging

 

[shilsen]

It allows you to intimidate Evil creatures you hit. Also it allows you to maintain "clarity" allowing you to do nonlethal damage, show mercy, and distinguish friend from foe. It doesn't specifically allow that, but it's not too much of a stretch to allow it.

Interesting. All of the options allowed under maintaining clarity are already options when raging under the core rules. There's nothing in the Rage description in the PHB to indicate that a barbarian cannot differentiate between friend and foe, for example.

 

[Darklone]

Interesting. All of the options allowed under maintaining clarity are already options when raging under the core rules. There's nothing in the Rage description in the PHB to indicate that a barbarian cannot differentiate between friend and foe, for example.

Last week there was a player here who had problems with a DM who interpreted the PHB Barbarian Rage because of that quote in the FB way...

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

My personal experience with twohandedpowerattacking nastiness is pretty simple. Unless I've got a very good reason not to, I just PA at 5 points nearly all the time.

The only times in recent memory when I changed that was against a bunch of giants, when I used Expertise instead. Thus, the giants couldn't hit me, and couldn't use Power Attack themselves, so even when they did hit me it wasn't doing so much damage. In return, I was whittling them down. Result - victory!

However, one day I will play a Frenzied Beserker and go All Power Attack, All The Time! Rraaaaaaaaaaaa!

 

[Shadowdweller]

Something I think people sometimes forget or fail to realize is that while the change to THF increases the damage output of a warrior-type using THF, it ALSO MAKES THEM MORE VULNERABLE.

How, you ask? Because if low AC can be used by the warrior to inflict greater amounts of damage, it can also be used by opponents....an enemy can also capitalize off the AC loss of THF by using the same 2 for 1 power attack against him/her. The change effectively makes AC more important.

Of course, for this to be a mitigating factor, the PC must be occasionally facing enemies using THF/power attack. And it doesn't due justice to balance issues regarding the relative effectiveness of different fighting techniques that might alternately be used. (i.e. one might argue the change further impairs the worth of TWF as opposed to THF)