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<blockquote data-quote="Shayuri" data-source="post: 7122490" data-attributes="member: 4936"><p>I'm not him, but I have a notion about why he did some of these things.</p><p></p><p><em>Thanks for tightening things up for me. One question I have off the bat – Why did you increase Fighting so much and remove Close Combat (Unarmed) skill? I see a lot of builds like that and don't understand it. Attack roll is d20 + Unarmed Combat skill + Fighting, right? And skills are cheaper in point-buy than abilities? So what am I missing?</em></p><p></p><p>Parry. Fighting raises your attack bonus with -all- melee attacks, not just Unarmed, and it raises your Parry. So if you want to be really good in melee, focusing on Close Combat skill is only worthwhile if you only EVER want to use that one type of attack. And even then doesn't save you much. The cost works out as follows:</p><p></p><p>Fighting is 2pp/rank. Each rank gives you a rank of attack bonus (1pp/rank if taken as an advantage) and a rank of Parry defense (also 1pp/rank if taken separately).</p><p></p><p>Close Combat Skill costs 1pp for 2 ranks, but it only applies to a single type of attack, and has no effect on defenses.</p><p></p><p>So have 10 attack and 10 parry costs 20 points if you buy up Fighting to 10. It works on any melee attack.</p><p></p><p>Having 10 attack and 10 parry costs 20 points if you buy 10 ranks of Close Combat advantage and 10 ranks of Parry defense. It's functionally identical.</p><p></p><p>Having 10 attack and 10 parry costs 15 points if you have 10 ranks of Close Combat (type) skill, and 10 ranks of Parry defense. You save 5 points, but are limited to a single type of attack. If you want to add a single other type, that's another 5 points...and you just broke even with the Fighting increase that gives you ALL types of attack.</p><p></p><p>So it's often a little less point effective to go full Fighting, but a LOT less limiting in terms of your options to use the environment, weapons, and attack types other than a single kind.</p><p></p><p><em>Similarly, a related question, why did you opt to reduce Dexterity to 1 and pump up Ranged Combat (Throw)?</em></p><p></p><p>A similar answer too! Only opposite!</p><p></p><p>So Dexterity governs a few skills and Ranged attack rolls and that's pretty much it. Unlike Fighting, it's not tied to a Defense. Agility is, but not Dexterity. This means that unless you have a fair number of Dexterity skills, it's often more efficient to focus on Ranged Combat advantage (for a general bonus to hit at range) or specific Ranged Combat skills (if you don't mind being limited). </p><p></p><p>An example is Hex's 100 Ways to Die spell. The spell itself is Accurate (which is basically just ranks of Ranged Combat: This Spell that's part of the power rather than a skill), and she has ranks of Ranged Combat advantage, and a Dexterity of merely 2. Honestly, if I was clever, I'd probably reduce Dexterity, cuz it doesn't benefit her skills much...but I feel like her ninja handsigns need some coordination so I'm sacrificing in the name of 'meh, why not?' <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><em>EDIT: And why does he need equipment 5? I'm counting 18/20 equipments points in your build, so that would be Equipment 4, right?</em></p><p></p><p>Er, yes. You're right. I think he hiccuped. Equipment 5 is 25 points, not 20. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><em>EDIT EDIT: And do you have point totals for each power?</em></p><p></p><p>Just makes things easier when tallying up, and making sure APs come in at legal costs, I expect.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Shayuri, post: 7122490, member: 4936"] I'm not him, but I have a notion about why he did some of these things. [I]Thanks for tightening things up for me. One question I have off the bat – Why did you increase Fighting so much and remove Close Combat (Unarmed) skill? I see a lot of builds like that and don't understand it. Attack roll is d20 + Unarmed Combat skill + Fighting, right? And skills are cheaper in point-buy than abilities? So what am I missing?[/I] Parry. Fighting raises your attack bonus with -all- melee attacks, not just Unarmed, and it raises your Parry. So if you want to be really good in melee, focusing on Close Combat skill is only worthwhile if you only EVER want to use that one type of attack. And even then doesn't save you much. The cost works out as follows: Fighting is 2pp/rank. Each rank gives you a rank of attack bonus (1pp/rank if taken as an advantage) and a rank of Parry defense (also 1pp/rank if taken separately). Close Combat Skill costs 1pp for 2 ranks, but it only applies to a single type of attack, and has no effect on defenses. So have 10 attack and 10 parry costs 20 points if you buy up Fighting to 10. It works on any melee attack. Having 10 attack and 10 parry costs 20 points if you buy 10 ranks of Close Combat advantage and 10 ranks of Parry defense. It's functionally identical. Having 10 attack and 10 parry costs 15 points if you have 10 ranks of Close Combat (type) skill, and 10 ranks of Parry defense. You save 5 points, but are limited to a single type of attack. If you want to add a single other type, that's another 5 points...and you just broke even with the Fighting increase that gives you ALL types of attack. So it's often a little less point effective to go full Fighting, but a LOT less limiting in terms of your options to use the environment, weapons, and attack types other than a single kind. [I]Similarly, a related question, why did you opt to reduce Dexterity to 1 and pump up Ranged Combat (Throw)?[/I] A similar answer too! Only opposite! So Dexterity governs a few skills and Ranged attack rolls and that's pretty much it. Unlike Fighting, it's not tied to a Defense. Agility is, but not Dexterity. This means that unless you have a fair number of Dexterity skills, it's often more efficient to focus on Ranged Combat advantage (for a general bonus to hit at range) or specific Ranged Combat skills (if you don't mind being limited). An example is Hex's 100 Ways to Die spell. The spell itself is Accurate (which is basically just ranks of Ranged Combat: This Spell that's part of the power rather than a skill), and she has ranks of Ranged Combat advantage, and a Dexterity of merely 2. Honestly, if I was clever, I'd probably reduce Dexterity, cuz it doesn't benefit her skills much...but I feel like her ninja handsigns need some coordination so I'm sacrificing in the name of 'meh, why not?' :) [I]EDIT: And why does he need equipment 5? I'm counting 18/20 equipments points in your build, so that would be Equipment 4, right?[/I] Er, yes. You're right. I think he hiccuped. Equipment 5 is 25 points, not 20. :) [I]EDIT EDIT: And do you have point totals for each power?[/I] Just makes things easier when tallying up, and making sure APs come in at legal costs, I expect. [/QUOTE]
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