What's the Best Fix for Power Attack?

[llamatron2000]

Option 6: Instead of adding 1 or 2 damage per base attack, add 1d6 just as if it was a wizard spell and don't make it reduce the base attack. Also make it be able to hit out to 400 feet + 40/level, and damage everything in a 20 foot radius. Also at level 7 give melee "Assay Armour" which lets them as a swift action completely ignore armor and damage reduction of a target with no save for 1 round/level. Make Shock Trooper and other feats instead of multiplying to cause an attack to do maximimum damage on a hit or to roll 50% more damage dice, once per day per 2 levels above 9th, unless they spend a relativly small amont of money on a "metacombat rod" which will let them do it 3 additional times per day per rod.

Sir, I think you need to crack open the BO9S.

Now...fighters aren't wizards. and we don't want them with the same flavor. Power attack's main problem, as has been shown before is the obscene amounts of -consistent- damage it can do. However, I think that this is the fighter's biggest theme. Consistency. While other classes can dish out in their specialty, the fighter is consistently dealing his damage, no matter what he's doing. Dice don't do this for me. Therefore, I'm in favor of the one-for-one PA. I think that x1.5 is actually more fair to the 2h players who'll feel gypped, but it keeps the fighter's flavor, and its still hideous enough, and it avoids the icky affair of rounding one's math.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I would love to. I completely overlooked it. But how? A little mod action?

Heh. I knew I could do it, I didn't realise that it was a moderator only thing.

I've added it for you now. 41 votes had been cast before it was added, so some of those (esp some 'others') might have been votes for this one.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Moderator/
Harm, Moon-Lancer - no trolling in the thread please. As per Airwalkrrs request at the top of the page, if you don't think anything needs to be done then this thread isn't for you.

Thanks

 

[airwalkrr]

Heh. I knew I could do it, I didn't realise that it was a moderator only thing.

I've added it for you now. 41 votes had been cast before it was added, so some of those (esp some 'others') might have been votes for this one.

Awesome. Thanks.

 

[llamatron2000]

str bonus: +4

BAB: 10-10=0

weapon: +3 weapon

weapon focus/improved weapon focus: +1/+2

Weapon spec: +2 damage

with just a basic +3 weapon at level 10, and not much else, the fighter has something like a +9/+4 to hit with his attacks. if he's going sword and board and using a bastard sword, that's like, 20-29 damage for each hit. That's a potential 40-58 damage a round. that's pretty impressive, considering that most CR 9 monsters have AC's in the mid-20 range. That means the fighter's got a good incentive not to power attack to full, actually. Which is where it should be, in my opinion. Looking at it this way, it kind of is -way- too much to allow 2h wielders to get 2x their bonus. That means that if this guy ditches his shield, he's getting at +9/+4, 32-41 damage. A potential 64-82 damage a round. That you get to use ENDLESSLY. That's ridiculous. That's right, kids. On the first hit, which has around a 50% chance of success, probably higher, your minimum damage would be higher than the average damage for a lv10 fireball or cone of cold. Add whirlwind attack and a spiked chain, and you're basically tossing a 10-foot radius fireball out around yourself every round.

This is also pretty balanced with the wizard, who at 10th level has cone of cold, or a big fireball, dealing something like 10-60 damage in an area, but only two or three times per day, and allow a save, but autohit generally.

So yeah, 1-for-1 power attack all the way.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Harm, if you disagree with a moderators instructions, or don't understand them, you can email the moderator to discuss it.

You are not permitted to take it up in the thread though.

I notice that you've only recently joined ENworld, so you won't be temp-banned on this occasion (although you may wish to refresh yourself on the rules of ENworld that you accepted when you joined up). I have, however, deleted your post above since it just serves to (a) attack another poster and (b) derail the thread.

Please feel free to email me if you want further clarification on this.

Regards,

 

[Koewn]

I'd like to see it switched out with +Xd6 (or whatever) damage for some given ratio of BAB lost, or the static version in the poll above.

One, it's more in line with the other "extra damage" mechanics like Sneak Attack.

Two, it's easier to turn into a general maneuver that way (a special attack like Charge that doesn't require a feat)

 

[The Levitator]

I have a question for everyone here, as there seems to be a lot of very knowledgeable people on this thread. We tend to run campaigns up to 10th-12th level at the most. I guess all of the threads about power creep have steered us away from epic campaigns. For games that typically peak at 10th-12th level, does power attack need an adjustment? I have no problem modifying my game (we use a ton of house rules), and if the consensus is that a change is needed even for low-moderate campaigns, I would love some input as to the best options for this type of campaign.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

Moderator/
Harm, Moon-Lancer - no trolling in the thread please. As per Airwalkrrs request at the top of the page, if you don't think anything needs to be done then this thread isn't for you.

Thanks

my mestake then

 

[llamatron2000]

I have a question for everyone here, as there seems to be a lot of very knowledgeable people on this thread. We tend to run campaigns up to 10th-12th level at the most. I guess all of the threads about power creep have steered us away from epic campaigns. For games that typically peak at 10th-12th level, does power attack need an adjustment? I have no problem modifying my game (we use a ton of house rules), and if the consensus is that a change is needed even for low-moderate campaigns, I would love some input as to the best options for this type of campaign.

Actually, I'd say at low levels, PA as-is isn't horribly unbalancing.

Level 4 fighter with PA. bastard sword with and without shield again.

+3 strength mod

+4 bab

+1 weapon

weapon focus +1
weapon spec +2 damage

sword and board:
+5 to hit, damage ranging from 11-20 damage.

two-handed:
+5 to hit, damage ranging from 16-25 damage.

wizard of equal level:

scorching ray. ranged touch attack. 4-24 damage.
acid arrow. ranged touch attack. 4-16 damage, not many things resist acid, sr not applicable.
magic missile. 2d4+2 4-10 damage, autohit.

This is pretty balanced, in my opinion, and at lower levels, fighters really do want the extra protection a shield affords. PA only becomes broken at higher levels with lots of equipment and feat combos.