iterative attacks and TWF

[Plane Sailing]

i.e. in Saga all the 'multiple attack' options Baby Samurai has mentioned are mostly for the purpose of clearing mooks below your level quickly. They are not good tactics to use against people of the same level as you.

Cheers

 

[Baby Samurai]

i.e. in Saga all the 'multiple attack' options Baby Samurai has mentioned are mostly for the purpose of clearing mooks below your level quickly. They are not good tactics to use against people of the same level as you.

True, but combining Double Attack and Multiattack Proficiency can be juicy, even against equal level opponents.

 

[drothgery]

True, but combining Double Attack and Multiattack Proficiency can be juicy, even against equal level opponents.

True, but that costs a lot of resources, and unless you can use terrain to prevent it, your opponent can prevent you from using multiple melee attacks by the simple expedient of moving (multiple ranged attacks are trickier to avoid, but there's usually some cover around, which means you'll want to Aim to negate the penalties, and if you Aim you can't multiattack).

 

[Baby Samurai]

True, but that costs a lot of resources,

Yes, but at least in Saga you gain quite a few more feats.

 

[RFisher]

A second attack roll is almost never a good way to model anything in D&D, in my analysis. I'll be interested to see what they've done in this area.

 

[DreamChaser]

A second attack roll is almost never a good way to model anything in D&D, in my analysis. I'll be interested to see what they've done in this area.

Especially given that combat is "abstracted" (thus the rationale for no facing, HP vs. wounds, etc.) but iterative attacks break this down. If you spend the round dancing around, dodging, parrying, and striking, what do extra attacks represent? The one attack roll identifies whether your various strikes struck true and you dealt damage.

I'm in the 1 attack, multiple damage camp (saves time too).

DC

 

[F4NBOY]

Spending feats to create a melee multi attack character is a big waste of time in SAGA. Cleave and Rapid Strike are better options.
With all the different combat rules, like the withdraw, charge, no 5ft step, it's very very hard to make a full melee attack.
The designers agreed with that and also mentioned that they made the game this way so ranged weapons become a more efficient choice, better simulating the movies.
I hope the dual wielding character is still a viable option in D&D 4E.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Come on speculation is fun. What do you think?

How about:

TWF: additional attack with an off-hand weapon as part of a standard action at -2 to both attacks (essentially as today)

Rapid attack: Gain a second attack as part of a standard action while wielding a single one-handed weapon at -2 to both attacks

Rain of blows: Gain a second attack as part of a standard action while wielding a two-handed weapon at -2 to both attacks (cannot be used with Power Attack)

Rapid Shot: Gain a second attack as part of a standard action with a bow or thrown weapon, at -2 to both attacks

There -- four feat options for four fighting styles that pay essentially the same penalty to gain a second attack.

 

[Shadeydm]

How about:

TWF: additional attack with an off-hand weapon as part of a standard action at -2 to both attacks (essentially as today)

Rapid attack: Gain a second attack as part of a standard action while wielding a single one-handed weapon at -2 to both attacks

Rain of blows: Gain a second attack as part of a standard action while wielding a two-handed weapon at -2 to both attacks (cannot be used with Power Attack)

Rapid Shot: Gain a second attack as part of a standard action with a bow or thrown weapon, at -2 to both attacks

There -- four feat options for four fighting styles that pay essentially the same penalty to gain a second attack.

So under this system it seems like the same old bias bigger weapons = bigger damage would continue. I am hoping they will find a way to make a short sword or mace an equally valid option to a greatsword as opposed to being what many consider a suboptimal choice.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I am hoping they will find a way to make a short sword or mace an equally valid option to a greatsword as opposed to being what many consider a suboptimal choice.

I'm inclined to think they'll do this via weapon-based maneuvers. The greatsword and greataxe will (I expect) still be the weapon of choice for people whose objective is simply to dish out the damage. But the mace and the short sword, to use your examples, will provide a different array of maneuvers (more finesse-based, I'd imagine), making them equally, but differently, effective.