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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Clint_L" data-source="post: 9407226" data-attributes="member: 7035894">Most people think the current iteration of GWM is good because most people are bad at math. Sorry, but it's true. It's good in the way that slot machines are good: occasionally there's a big, memorable payoff, but mostly you'd be better off doing something else. It's bad because the penalty (-5 to hit) is multiplicative, while the bonus is additive.I'll defer to [USER=7030563]@ECMO3[/USER] for the real details, but here's a basic example. Imagine a level 20 fighter taking on an Ancient Red dragon. We'll assume the fighter has +5 strength and a +3 weapon, because level 20. The dragon is AC22.In this basic example, the fighter using GWM does 10 average damage per attack ((2d6=7+3+5+10)x.4). I won't bother with criticals; they don't change the math much. Without GMW, that same fighter does 11.25 damage per attack ((2d6=7+3+5)x.75)).And the thing is, because the penalty is multiplicative but the bonus additive, the more additional damage sources that fighter can add to each hit, the worse GWM becomes. Let's say the party cleric casts holy weapon on the great sword. With GWM, the fighter now does 13.6 damage per attack ((2d6=7+2d8=9+3+5+10)x.4)). Without, they do 18 damage per attack ((2d6=7+2d8=9+3+5)x.75)).If they action surged to do 8 attacks in the crucial first round, GWM just cost them 35.2 damage.The new version of the feat gives a +1 strength bonus, which helps all martial classes that would choose this feat, and is always a damage increase, in every situation. Overall, it's a much better feat. The current GWM is just fun for gamblers.As for weapon masteries, most of those "utility" properties add up to straight damage increases. For example, being able to knock an enemy prone with your attack is usually a massive DPR increase for your entire party.Have you play tested with the new abilities? I have, extensively, and so have plenty of others, such as Treantmonk, and show their math. Martial DPR goes WAY up using the 2024 rules.</blockquote>

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