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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DM_Blake" data-source="post: 3907252" data-attributes="member: 57267">I agree with you that Power Attack is very situational. For the cost of a whole feat, where most classes only get 7 feats by the time they're level 20, it's a tough, and usually ineffective, decision to select power attack instead of something more frequently usefulI further agree that Power Attack could use some work to make it more useful more of the time. Realistically, if I take Dodge, or Improved Initiative, or Improved Critical, or Weapon Focus, etc., I can use those feats in every combat against every kind of opponent I can fight. But not true with Power Attack. If I only get 7 feats, I will choose feats I can count on every time.At the very least, it shouln't be a level 1 feat since level 1 characters cannot even use it effectively. It should be farther down the feat chain, and it should be bumped up to -x to hit gives + x * y damage, and it should be capped so those ranging frenzied barbarians 2H wielders cannot use it to get +40 damage per hit. It might also benefit from a diminishing penalty on iterative attacks (I've already house ruled it to where the feat only applies to one attack per use, and you can use it as often each round as you want, so people with high BAB can choose to apply it to one, or some, of their iterative attacks without having to apply it to all of them).I disagree with you on your belief that evaluating Power Attack shouldn't take DR into consideration. Arguing that real damage per swing is important but applied damage per swing is not important makes no sense. YOU have already stipulated conditions where Power Attack is beneficial, so why not accept that one of those situations is where your normal damage will only scratch a creature with high DR, but your Power Attack enhanced damage will injure it solidly. In these cases, you're applied damage per swing MUST influence your decision about whether to use it or not.</blockquote>

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