What damage does weapon enhancement add to?

[Mirtek]

What about "extra" damage: like the one triggered in Hellish Rebuke or Dire Radiance?

Or "special" extra damage, like Curse damage, Sneak Attack or Hunter's Quarry, especially with feats like Empowering Shadows (When you have concealment from your Shadow Walk, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls)?

I think it needs a little clarification in this zone...

The nhancement bonus applies every time you roll damage from a power that originally had the weapon or implement keyword, even if it currently results of an automatic damage effect that no longer requires an attack roll.

So if an enemy starts next to your wizard's flaming sphere, you add the enhancement of your implement to the automatic damage. If an enemy moves away from your swordmage after you hit him with booming blade, he takes your sword's enhancement bonus on his automatic damage.

Some month ago there was a long discussion about this topic until one of the designers stepped in and confirmed that the bonuses (not just enhancement, also weapon focus and similar bonuses) apply to these damage rolls.

 

[Zaran]

The rule seems pretty clear to me, and I have no idea what CustServ is basing their answers on, nor do I understand why there needs to be errata.

Any attack and damage rolls for a power should add the appropriate weapon or implement bonus. If there is no roll, there is no bonus.

Cleave, Reaping Strike, Furious Smash get no bonus to damage rolls, since there is no roll.

Sure Strike, Twin Strike, Rain of Steel, secondary damage from various powers such as Dire Radiance and Hellish Rebuke, automatic damage from various powers such as Flaming Sphere and Armor of Agathys, all add the weapon/implement bonus.

It might be clear to you but to some people clarification is needed. I think that is why an errata should be made. Just the number of people who ask this question alone should be reason enough to justify the clarification.

Also, it's not the first time I've heard that their Customer Service department has given bad advice.

 

[Aulirophile]

It is clear though.

Power: Does it have the Implement or Weapon Keyword, and is there a damage roll?

If the answer to both of those questions is yes, you have all your unconditional bonuses (including to secondary rolls like on Wall of Fire, Flaming Sphere, Flame Spiral, Explosive Pyre, etc.,)

Now extra damage, which must be specifically called "extra damage" and not just "extra" you do not get mods on, because it must always be in addition to damage already being done.

I mean, I can think of a couple of corner cases where the question "Keyword? Yep. Damage roll? Yep. I get mods" is not correct or is debatable, but 99% of people will not run into those in normal play. So it really is that simple.

 

[cdrcjsn]

Read the PHB. Page 57. Second to the last paragraph.

" Some powers add modifiers to attack rolls or damage rolls. These modifiers apply to any roll of the dice, but not to ongoing damage or other static, nonvariable effects."

Seems pretty clear to me. They even go on to give examples which clarifies this.

 

[DracoSuave]

It is kind of annoying that they don't clarify this.

I think I plan to run it the following way:

1. The bonus attack and damage from feats and magic items applies to any attack that gains the benefit of weapon proficiency bonus or implement bonus including attacks like Furious Smash and Cleave secondary damage.

Bonus damage from feats or enhancement bonuses don't apply to Furious Smash nor to Cleave secondary damage tho. Cleave doesn't get the benefit you're basing your decision off of.

2. It will not apply to ongoing damage or damage such as an additional round of damage from powers, but will apply to secondary attacks from sustaining a spell.

Ongoing damage, it does not apply to. A second round of damage, well it's easy; did you roll dice? You add the damage.

3. For at wills and feats the bonus damage will apply only if the attack actually hits, not if you get some kind of damage from a miss.

Bonus damage applies to the miss if the miss says to do damage that is rolled. For most at-wills, that's a non-issue. And if you're using a feat, you're not rolling damage on a miss.


The rule as it is is -very- simple.

Does the power have the appropriate keyword (Weapon/Implement)?
Are you rolling damage?

If you answer yes to both, then you apply bonuses to damage rolls.

If the answer is no to either, then you do not.

A rule that simple doesn't need to be clarified, it needs to be -applied-. Don't get caught up in side questions... did I roll to hit? Is this the first round? Does this damage come from a miss, or a hit? Was it automatic?

No, those questions are not relevant and only confuse the issue. 'Did you roll damage?' is the only one you need to ask. No corner cases, no exceptions, just straight up, did you do it.

 

[BrokeAndDrive]

The weapon enhancement enhances the weapon.