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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 1075059" data-attributes="member: 3146">This is a common misconception but is still a misconception. (As is the idea that area damage rules against foes which can be killed in one hit).A pretty good (but not extraordinary) offensively focussed fighter will regularly take down significant (although not incredibly dangerous in their own right) foes with one (or two hits). A fighter optimized to the degree that specialist wizards whose specialties allow saves (IMO) need to be in order to be effective will sometimes take down comparable foes with a full-round attack.(The Pretty Good fighter: Bbn 2/Ftr 4, Weapon specialization Falchion, power attack, etc., starting strength 16, gauntlets of ogre power, +2 falchion, Heroism (from a friendly wiz or sor). Raging Atk: +11/+6 (+6 str, +1 weapon focus, +2 weapon, +2 heroism, +6 BAB, -6 power attack) for 2d4+25, (avg 30), crits 18-20 for an average of 60 points of damage. The Hyper-optimized fighter: Bbn 2/Ftr 4, Weapon specialization Greatsword, power attack, etc, starting strength 19 or 20 (half-orc or wood elf), gauntlets of ogre power, heroism (from a friendly wiz or sor). Raging Atk: +13/+8 for 2d6+28 (average 35), crits 19-20 for an average of 70 points of damage).Trolls are a reasonably typical CR 5 creature and either one of these fighters will drop a troll on a typical crit or a typical FAA. (Give the hyper-optimized guy an extra attack somehow or other (combat reflexes+reach weapon, expert tactician, haste, etc) and he's likely to take down a CR 7 dire bear in a single FAA.Now, for humanoid opponents, Fighter 4s would not be unreasonable opponents for a group of 6th level characters. The typical non dwarf, non-gnome, and non-hobgoblin NPC Ftr 4 (non-elite array) has 26 hp. (The elite array would get 30 hp). These characters are actually quite likely to single-hit the fighter 4s. (The hyper-optimized guy will single-hit them even when he isn't raging and +11 is still quite a reasonable attack bonus (especially since most DMs wouldn't want to hand out a suit of masterwork fullplate for each bad guy killed so their AC is more likely to be 17-18 than 20-22)).The characters described probably have  49-61 hp and ACs of 18-22 themselves, so it's quite possible that they would even kill carbon copies of themselves in a single FAAAt higher levels, things don't change nearly as much as you might think. (At level 12, Mr Hyperoptimized (now Bbn 4/Ftr8 with Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Critical +3 weapon, and a +6 belt of giant strength; everything else as above) can have Raging (and power attacking for 10) Atk: +18/+13/+8 for 2d6+43 (average 50 per hit), crits 17-20 for an average of 100 points of damage). That may not single-round a collossal scorpion but it'll take out quite a few creatures, monsters and characters at that level.Defensively focussed fighters and two weapon fighters (since they can't use power attack in the same way) of course won't dish out the same kind of damage--then again they aren't nearly so vulnerable.</blockquote>

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