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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spatzimaus" data-source="post: 1145414" data-attributes="member: 3051">Almost correct.  If you do 10 damage normally, you do not gain any benefit from PA if it required a 16 or higher to hit.  However, that's not the same as Power Attacking until it hits on a 16+.  For example, if I do 10 damage and only need a 6+ to hit, I only want to Power Attack for 5, because I'd now do 20 damage (which, as you noted, has its break-even point at 11+).  I'd be at the equilibrium point for my new damage.The rule of thumb we used in 3E was this:A = your average damage, adding the percentages for crits, STR modifiers, and so on.  Most people can keep track of this number pretty easily, or estimate it.B = 20 times your chance of hitting.  This equals 21 minus the number you need to roll, so if you need a 16+, it's a 5.A*(B/20) is your average damage per hit.  Since Power Attack holds A+B constant (by trading one for the other), the maximum damage would be where A=B.If A>B, Power Attack does you no good.  Your average damage would just go down.  You'd actually prefer to trade the other way, but there are no ways to do that.  Attack bonuses are better than damage bonuses when figuring average damage.If A<B, Power Attack until the two are equal.  That'd take (B-A)/2 points.In 3.5E with a 2-handed weapon, you just have to replace A with (A/2) before starting this math, since PA would limit (A/2)+B.  That leads to the numbers you figured out: an A of 10 balances with a B of 5, so you'd need a 16+ to hit before Power Attack was worthwhile.  A of 20 balances B of 10.  If, as I pointed out earlier, A was 10 and B was 15 (hit on 6+), you'd PA for (B-(A/2))/2 = 5.There are a couple exceptions to this:> If you only need to hit, and damage is irrelevant, then of course Power Attack is pointless.> If your attack bonus is so far above the AC that you could have hit on negative numbers, Power Attack until it requires a 2 to hit.> If your attack bonus is so bad that you can only hit on a 20, feel free to Power Attack all you want, since you'll still hit on a 20.  In fact, if you could have hit on a 19, it's still beneficial to do this if you can double your average damage per hit.> If you're trying to brute-force through DR, subtract the DR soak from A.</blockquote>

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