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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Staffan" data-source="post: 303972" data-attributes="member: 907">It's 10% anyway you slice it - the chance of rolling 19-20 followed by a hit is exactly one tenth of the chance of rolling any hit (including 19-20), and leads to a 100% increase in damage. 100%*10% = 10%. The only times where a crit rating of 19-20/x2 does not lead to a 10% increase in average damage are:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Opponents immune to criticals (undead, oozes, constructs, etc.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A 19 won't hit (in which case you can treat it as a 20/x2 weapon instead).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Some of the damage won't be increased by crits (sneak attack, elemental dice) [/list=1] One might think that item 2 would make weapons with high crit multipliers better than weapons with high threat ratings, but the problem rarely comes up - at least unless you go nuts and start getting keen scimitars with improved critical. Also, there's a greater chance of "overkill" with high crit multipliers - if you're fighting a 5 hp hobgoblin, does it really matter whether you'll hit him for 2d10+4 or 3d10+6 (bastard sword vs. waraxe)? Paradoxically, Power Attack is at its best when used against opponents with either very low AC or very high AC. Very low AC has been demonstrated in the thread already. Versus opponents with ACs so high you're already missing on anything but natural 20s, you don't have anything to lose so you might as well hit them with everything you have. All things taken together, Power Attack rarely does increase damage all that much. On the other hand, it *is* at the bottom of that particular feat tree, and gives access to Cleave which is pretty good.</li> </ol></blockquote>

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