Leap Attack Example Question

[Henry]

Since Search is temporarily unavailable, I'm afraid I can't yet check to see if this has been asked before, so I ask the great minds of ENWorld:

In D&D 3.5, I have a Fighter with the Leaping Attack Feat from Complete Adventurer. I successfully incorporate a jump into my charge, which is with a Greatsword. I power attack for 1 point, which normally gives me +2 damage.

Leaping Attack says:

If you cover at least 10 feet of horizontal distance with your jump, and you end your jump in a square from which you threaten your target, you can double the extra damage dealt by your use of the power attack feat. If you use this tactic with a two-handed weapon, you instead triple the extra damage from power attack.

By the wording of the feat, how much damage does this add?

+3 points of damage? (triple the 1 input)
+4 points of damage? (triple the double from power attack is X4)
+5 points of damage? (two times three is 6, minus 1 is 5)


Could someone please help my brain failure, and explain exactly why they arrived at that answer?

Thank you!

 

[Shadeus]

I think the key word in that last sentence is "instead." So if you would normally get double damage from a two-handed power attack, if you use leap attack you would get triple damage instead. So in your example, +3 damage.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

My reading is that it works as follows:

When Power Attacking, you get +1 damage for each -1 penalty you accept on your to-hit rolls.

When using a two-handed weapon, you double the bonus damage.

When making a Leaping Attack, you double the bonus damage.

Therefore, by the rules of D&D math, when making a Leaping Attack with a two-handed weapon, you (double + double =) triple the bonus damage.

In other words, normally Power Attacking with a two-handed weapon gives you 2-for-1. Power Leaping Attacking with a two-handed weapon gives you 3-for-1.

 

[shilsen]

What Shadeus and Patryn said. I expect this feat to show up in a few "how much damage can you do in one hit" smackdowns.

 

[Random Hero]

hmm...

I have some questions that may need clarification. I may be reading the feat description wrong, but wouldn't you triple the total damage dealt by power attack?

The feat reads:

you can double the extra damage dealt by your use of the Power Attack feat. If you use this tactic with a two-handed weapon, you instead triple the extra damage from Power Attack.

If you doubled the amount of damage dealt by use of power attack when using a one-handed weapon and power atttacking for 5, the result would be 10. (-5 for +5, doubled for +10)

If you triple the amount of damage dealt by use of power attack when using a two-handed weapon and power attacking for 5, would the result not be 30?

Let me explain my thought process here a bit...

You already get the -1 attack for +2 damage when power attacking with a two-handed weapon, so power attacking for a -5 penalty to attack would result in +10 to damage.

Now, if you triple the damage dealt when power attacking as per the leap attack feat, would you not triple the +10 damage that you get from power attacking normally, resulting in a +30 to damage???

The way that the feat description reads leads me to think that you triple the total extra damage from power attack, which would result in a -5 to attack for a +30 to damage. Am I wrong??? Would it work as -5 to attack for +15 to damage? That doesn't make much sense to me...

Please stop me if I am mixed up or totally off the grid and explain your thinking logically.

Thanks!

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Like I posted above, Random, I believe the feat is referring to the base power attack calculation.

The question to ask is, when you are power attacking, how much extra damage do you do?

You do +1 extra damage for each -1 you accept.

That's the only extra damage that exists. There are other situations which modify that extra damage, but they all apply to that extra damage.

Two-handed weapon? Double it.
Leaping Attack? Double it.
Two-handed weapon and leaping attack? Triple it.

EDIT: Triple, not double.