Power Attack and Combat Expertise

[SorvahrSpahr]

this is a doubt that ahs been haunting me for a while. my fighter has +9 /+4 for b.a, if I take 3 points for power attack it would be +6/+4, if I took let's say, 5, would it become +4/+4 ? the same aplies for C expertise

 

[DarkMaster]

not quite with 3 points you get +6/+1 with 5 you get +4/-1

 

[Ranger REG]

this is a doubt that ahs been haunting me for a while. my fighter has +9 /+4 for b.a, if I take 3 points for power attack it would be +6/+4, if I took let's say, 5, would it become +4/+4 ? the same aplies for C expertise

The penalty tradeoff applies to all your attack rolls. In the case of +3 (due to using CE or PA), your attack rolls are now +6/+1. In the case of +5 (due to CE or PA), your attack rolls are now +4/-1.

 

[SorvahrSpahr]

so there is no chance of aplying it only to the second b.a?

 

[Infiniti2000]

so there is no chance of aplying it only to the second b.a?

No, it applies to all your attacks, including an AoO's taken before your next turn.

Note that it does not actually reduce the BAB, so you still get all your iterative attacks, even if you have a net negative attack modifier.

 

[Stalker0]

And just to go all the way on this one, if your BAB is +5, you can PA for 5 AND CE for 5, for a net -10 to your attack rolls.

 

[Ranger REG]

so there is no chance of aplying it only to the second b.a?

Heh. As I said, the penalty applies to ALL your attack rolls (plural). You can't pick which attack gets the penalty.

 

[Thanee]

On your action, before making attack rolls for a round, you may choose to subtract a number from all melee attack rolls and add the same number to all melee damage rolls.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Legildur]

That's an interesting piece you quoted there Thanee. I just read it and it looks to me like you could Power Attack for 5 (say), make a melee attack or two, and then, if you had sufficent attacks left, you could make a ranged attack (probably with a thrown weapon), at no attack penalty from Power Attack (as the penalty only applies to melee attacks).

 

[Taraxia]

Sure, if that were possible. (You'd lose the attack penalty and the damage bonus.) I don't think it is, though -- IIRC throwing your melee weapon is always a standard action and can't be done at the end of an iterative full attack. You can't whack, whack and then throw all in one turn.