Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="cordell" data-source="post: 1830263" data-attributes="member: 21399">Staffan's advice is perfect, but if you don't like the math, here are some good/easier guidelines:Your bonuses using the weapon as 2 handed: +15 hit, +18 damage and another attack at +10hit/+18dam.Your bonuses using both sides of the weapon:&nbsp; +13hit/+16dam, +13hit/+13dam, and another at +8hit/+16dam.How much should I power attack for?1)&nbsp; If you find yourself in a round where only 1 attack is possible, for example if you have to move first.&nbsp; This is simple - make sure you hit naturally on a roll of &quot;2&quot;.&nbsp; For example, if the creature is AC 15, you would power attack for 2 pts.&nbsp; Now you are +13hit/+20dam, and if you roll a 2, you hit.&nbsp; You always miss on a 1 anyway, so who cares?&nbsp; This is a no-brainer, always do it.2)&nbsp; No matter how many attacks you get, if the creatures die with your minimum damage, then never use Power Attack.&nbsp; No brainer.3)&nbsp; For two attacks or more, power attacking doesn't generally increase your average damage by much, if at all.&nbsp; If your lowest-bonus-attack hits on a 1, then go ahead and PA using rule #1.&nbsp; In your example, if you are flanking a creature with AC 10, then definitely power attack for 2 pts - you are not losing anything, another no-brainer.4)&nbsp; Usually, the creature AC's are not so low that your secondary attacks are hitting on a 1.&nbsp; In this case, you can power attack using rule 1 based upon the bonus of your primary attack, and your average damage will increase slightly over time.&nbsp; Its only a slight increase because while increasing your damage on the primary shots, you are losing out slightly on the secondary shots.&nbsp; This is better used on 1 big creature being fought for more than 5 rounds.5)&nbsp; If your highest bonus attack doesn't have enough bonus to hit on a 2, then never power attack.6)&nbsp; Since you have Cleave, this has to be considered.&nbsp; For rules 1 2 and 3, the no-brainers, Cleave doesn't matter.&nbsp; You aren't losing anything.&nbsp; In rule 4, definitely use power attack to raise your primary attacks if doing so brings the damage past the cleave threshold.&nbsp; In rule 5, if you can raise your damage enough to kill the creatures in one shot, then you should power attack.&nbsp; Even without great cleave, 1 extra attack from cleave offsets any extra misses on the secondary attacks.Should I use both ends of my weapon (3 attacks) or use only one end (2 attacks)?7)&nbsp; In general, with your bonuses, you want to take as many attacks as possible against creatures with low HP and low AC.&nbsp; If faced with 1 opponent, with a tougher AC (above 25 in your case, as Diirk said), then you should use only 2 attacks, not 3.Hope that info helps...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="cordell, post: 1830263, member: 21399"] Staffan's advice is perfect, but if you don't like the math, here are some good/easier guidelines: Your bonuses using the weapon as 2 handed: +15 hit, +18 damage and another attack at +10hit/+18dam. Your bonuses using both sides of the weapon: +13hit/+16dam, +13hit/+13dam, and another at +8hit/+16dam. How much should I power attack for? 1) If you find yourself in a round where only 1 attack is possible, for example if you have to move first. This is simple - make sure you hit naturally on a roll of "2". For example, if the creature is AC 15, you would power attack for 2 pts. Now you are +13hit/+20dam, and if you roll a 2, you hit. You always miss on a 1 anyway, so who cares? This is a no-brainer, always do it. 2) No matter how many attacks you get, if the creatures die with your minimum damage, then never use Power Attack. No brainer. 3) For two attacks or more, power attacking doesn't generally increase your average damage by much, if at all. If your lowest-bonus-attack hits on a 1, then go ahead and PA using rule #1. In your example, if you are flanking a creature with AC 10, then definitely power attack for 2 pts - you are not losing anything, another no-brainer. 4) Usually, the creature AC's are not so low that your secondary attacks are hitting on a 1. In this case, you can power attack using rule 1 based upon the bonus of your primary attack, and your average damage will increase slightly over time. Its only a slight increase because while increasing your damage on the primary shots, you are losing out slightly on the secondary shots. This is better used on 1 big creature being fought for more than 5 rounds. 5) If your highest bonus attack doesn't have enough bonus to hit on a 2, then never power attack. 6) Since you have Cleave, this has to be considered. For rules 1 2 and 3, the no-brainers, Cleave doesn't matter. You aren't losing anything. In rule 4, definitely use power attack to raise your primary attacks if doing so brings the damage past the cleave threshold. In rule 5, if you can raise your damage enough to kill the creatures in one shot, then you should power attack. Even without great cleave, 1 extra attack from cleave offsets any extra misses on the secondary attacks. Should I use both ends of my weapon (3 attacks) or use only one end (2 attacks)? 7) In general, with your bonuses, you want to take as many attacks as possible against creatures with low HP and low AC. If faced with 1 opponent, with a tougher AC (above 25 in your case, as Diirk said), then you should use only 2 attacks, not 3. Hope that info helps... [/QUOTE]

Verification