"Stance of Chaos" = "Power Attack" in disguise?

[cmbarona]

I'm planning a Genasi Firesoul Swordmage and looking ahead a little bit. I noticed the Anarch of Shyr paragon path and its Stance of Chaos utility power. Is it just me, or does this seem a little too much like Power Attack? -2 to hit for 1d12 damage just doesn't seem like the best tradeoff, and the aegis of assault boost doesn't seem to compensate.

Thoughts?

 

[aurance]

Yes, it's pretty much like that.

Power Attack has its uses, as you can turn it on and off at will, say, in conjunction with a leader's bonus to hit. But Stance of Chaos is just blehh.

 

[DracoSuave]

-2 for 1d12 damage is way better than -2 for 3 damage. 1d12 > 3 damage.

Oh wait, it's a power with the weapon keyword...

That'd be 1d12+enhancement bonuses, and other such things.

 

[CapnZapp]

It's an extra d12 damage. Big difference.

This alone makes it better than power attack.

Then it allows you to turn the attack into one causing cold, fire or lightning. This increases your options when it comes to exploiting monster vulnerabilities.

Whether it's any good compared to other options at that level I don't know. But it certainly can't be compared to the measly Power Attack feat.

 

[Drakhar]

Not only is it better then Power Attack but it also STACKS with power attack, so if you want you can take a -4 penalty to the attack and even more damage.

 

[DracoSuave]

No, Power Attack sucks because the extra damage doesn't make up for damage lost to innaccuracy. It's worsened when the -pre-power attack damage is small. However, 1d12 damage is a lot more substantial, and actually might be worth looking at.