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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jasamcarl" data-source="post: 1125179" data-attributes="member: 1251">Now i seriously doubt that is true. Most estimates of damage capability are based on the concept of expected damage, or the probability to hit times average damage. Given that most buffs bestow a bonus to hit or damage, there is always a greater damage potential in investing a buff in a fighter. If you give are giving a bonus to hit, you are increasing the probability that the fighter or cleric will hit and increasing the expected damage by some fraction of base damage; because the fighter's base damage is almost always higher (better weapon selection, more advantageous ability distribution) the marginal damage increase of a buff is higher for a fighter. The same applies in reverse for a bonus to damage, because with the fighter's higher BAB and (likely) str and dex, a larger fraction of that bonus to damage will translate into an increase in expected damage. There is no such thing as diminishing marginal returns, its just that, in efficient parties, clerics aren't suppossed to be good combatants.This doesn't even approach the subject of time. A cleric who buffs himself is taking himself out of combat for a few rounds. A cleric who buffs a fighter will see the benefits of each buff the same round or the one after which he buffs, because the fighter still gets its actions.This is why i doubt two clerics are superior to two fighters, because they start out with a significantly weaker 'base' combat status (absent magic), and i doubt the cleric's contribution to the fighter outstrips the fighter's inherent combat ability and (at higher levels) the effects of the fighter's equipment. Two fighter's, even unbuffed, will be dishing out greater damage round after round, which means combats will be shorter, which offsets the need for healing somewhat, which itself becomes very cheap in later levels. Two clerics would have to spend time to buff themselves to even put each other even close to the capability of two fighters and will infact deny themselves healing in the process....The game rewards specializing. Being second best at everything doesn't mean you are the best in general, or the most 'overwhelmingly powerful'. Being good at everything gives the impression of power without neccessarily reflecting the reality.</blockquote>

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