Max melee damage at 1st level - core vs. non-core

[Victim]

Orc Paladin

Power attack, divine might.

22 str, 16 cha. 6 str x 1.5 = 9. 1 PA = +2. Divine Might = 3. Smite Evil = 1

With scythe crit....1d8x4 + 9x4 + 2x4 + 3x4 + 1x4= 32+36+8+12+4= 92, but with no buffs.

This thread reminds every evil masterminds why you always send minions....because even the lowlest smuck can get it done one time

At level 1, he can't have Power Attack and Divine Might. First of all, he only has 1 feat. Second, he can't turn undead at level 1, so he can't take or use Divine Might.

 

[pawsplay]

At level 1, he can't have Power Attack and Divine Might. First of all, he only has 1 feat. Second, he can't turn undead at level 1, so he can't take or use Divine Might.

And Divine Might isn't core.

 

[Beckett]

Non-core:

Orc Warblade, armed with a scythe, Power Attack, Punishing Stance (+1d6 damage, but -2 AC), and Steel Wind Strike (initiate strike and make melee attacks against two foes you threaten). Assume 22 strength on the orc.

On a crit this is (2d4+9+2)x4 +1-6= 82 damage inflicted on two opponents, a total of 164 damage with a single standard action.

There might be better ways, but that was my first thought for most damage a character can deal on his turn without outside buffs.

 

[RigaMortus2]

He said "maximum melee damage".

Power Attack adds to melee damage rolls. If you Bull Rush someone off a cliff, is their falling damage melee damage?

-Hyp.

No, but the stampeeding bovine that he also mentioned would be considered melee damage, no?

 

[RigaMortus2]

Orc Warblade, armed with a scythe, Power Attack, Punishing Stance (+1d6 damage, but -2 AC), and Steel Wind Strike (initiate strike and make melee attacks against two foes you threaten). Assume 22 strength on the orc.

Orc is a "Core" race, and Power Attack is a "Core" feat. I thought this was Core vs Non-Core? If you are allowing "Core" for the "Non-Core" stuff, non-Core is going to win all the time.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Half-Orc Cleric with the Strength and Destruction domains. 20 Str plus Enlarge Person for a total of 22. Magic Weapon spell on the Enlarged scythe. Divine Favor spell. Destruction Domain Smite power. Critical for a total of (12 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1) x 4, or 96 damage.

Sure, he's not proficient, but we're assuming a critical, right?

-Hyp.

Can we start the Scythe out as Large, and take the -2 to wield it? Then when we Enlarge it becomes a Huge Scythe? If so, what would the damage be?

 

[starwed]

Of course, once we start looking at multiple attacks, we've also got AoOs to consider.

That certainly makes things messier. ^_^ But I decided to ignore that and just look at the "on your turn" stuff.

Can we start the Scythe out as Large, and take the -2 to wield it? Then when we Enlarge it becomes a Huge Scythe? If so, what would the damage be?

Nope, using a larger weapon incurs a -2 penalty and knocks its "ease of use" category up one. A scythe is already two-handed, so making it large knocks it out of bounds. Monkey grip eliminates the ease of use problem, but of course that is noncore.

 

[RangerWickett]

For the non-core section: Raptorans can glide at 1st level, which gives them the slight chance of pulling off a dive attack, which deals double damage with a piercing weapon if they move at least 30 ft. and descend at least 10 ft.

I don't know if there's a way to get a flying mount at 1st level, so you can spirited charge on a dive attack with a pair of dual-wielded lances using flaws from Unearthed Arcana, Gestalt classes, and some sort of feat to let you attack with two weapons in a charge.

 

[pawsplay]

Orc is a "Core" race, and Power Attack is a "Core" feat. I thought this was Core vs Non-Core? If you are allowing "Core" for the "Non-Core" stuff, non-Core is going to win all the time.

Right, but I think the idea is to assess the difference. Maybe the OP wants to comment?

 

[starwed]

Ooh, a slight (2hp) improvement.

Rather than two enlarged small scythes (1d8/1d8), use a regular scythe and armor spikes. (2d6/1d8) Now the damages are:
2H Scythe: (12+9+1+1+1)*4=96
Armor spikes (8+3+2)*2=26
Total damage: 122, or 118 w/o one of the buffs.

edit: Hmm, just found a rather dubious improvement on the idea. Armor spikes are only a light weapon, and so potentially I could equip my armor with larger than normal spikes and still be able to use them, increasing the damage by quite a lot, and taking advantage of the fact that armor spikes count as a weapon but you don't need to weild them with your hands. If (and it's a big if) this were legal, it would raise the damage by 20 points.