[Poll] Abilities: more powerful, less often or less powerful, more often?

[FireLance]

Let's say you gain the ability to increase the damage you deal (free action to use, declare use of ability when you make an attack roll, if you miss, it's wasted), but must choose one of the following options:

1. +12 damage, 1/day
2. +6 damage, 2/day
3. +4 damage, 3/day
4. +3 damage, 4/day
5. +2 damage, 6/day
6. +1 damage, 12/day

Which do you choose and why?

Was your decision influenced by your assumptions on the number of combats you expect face in a day and the duration of these combats?

If so, what number of combats and what duration of combat did you assume?

 

[Nyaricus]

I chose number 4. +3 damage, 4/day

Likely I could get away with using this and missing a couple times and still have a goodly amount of extra damage. Leaving it u to only 1 or 2 uses is just too risky, IMO. Of course, I'm like that - leary of sticking my neck out too far/streching reasources too much, etc, so this is just the stratigist coming out

 

[Crothian]

I wouldn't really like any of them, they are boring. But if I have to choose I'll take big bonus 1/day.

 

[Lorgrom]

I also selected +3 dam 4/day.

Would use the ability sometime after the first round of combat. That way you start to get a feel for how hard the target is to hit. Things that can be hit easly you really shouldn't need a bonus to damage to defeat. While a creature to hard to hit, this option would give you a few rounds worth of chances to get that extra damage in (+3 done twice is roughly the same as an extra short sword attack with your party's rogue - non-flanking of course).

 

[Ed_Laprade]

I also voted for +3 4x per day, for pretty much the same reasons given above.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

+12/1 day.

 

[Woas]

How long do they last? Half your character level rounds? Character level plus some modifier?

That kind of info would change my answer. If it was like a 1 round only ability, probably the +1 12/day or +2 6/day. If it lasted for hours or even minutes, I'd take the +6 2/day or +12 1/day.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I voted +4 damage 3/day, but would not take any of them as a feat or sorcerer spell because it appears to be a non-scaling ability.

 

[FireLance]

How long do they last? Half your character level rounds? Character level plus some modifier?

One attack only. If you miss, it's wasted.

I know the ability is boring and non-scaling. The key issue I was trying to tease out (as per the thread title) is the relative popularity of powerful 1/day abilities vs proportionately less powerful abilities that could be used more often.

 

[Starglim]

+6 twice/day. It's a big enough bonus to make a significant difference, but still allows me to miss 50% of the time and still get the use of it, which is a necessary assumption given balanced encounters.

edit: Also, I agree with Lorgrom that it would generally be smarter to use it after the first round.