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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 4310137" data-attributes="member: 996">Every little '+' helpsIt's true that attack bonuses are more critical than ever in 4e.  Most powers work only if you hit, and many work much better if you hit.  Utilities are about the only powers that don't require an attack roll, at all.  In 3e, there were plenty of ways to boost your AB as you progressed - you could take feats, acquire items, boost your stats, and self-buff.  These myriad bonuses could all be kept more or less under your control - 'native' to the build, as it were.4e isn't like that.  There are still lots of bonuses out there, but the more stackable ones are out of your 'control.'  Your allies can give you bonuses, and not just by flanking.  Feats, features, and powers that give stacking bonuses tend to be situational.  Still, you can stack up a lot of bonuses.  Say your 'brutal scoundrel' rogue skimped and has only a 16 DEX so he could also afford a higher STR.  As a rogue with a dagger, he's still at +7 to hit at first level, +9 with combat advantage, and +2d6+STR with a sneak attack.  But, that's only the begining.  If he's human, he can use an Action Point (and the Action Surge Feat) when he throws down a dailly power, that's a +3.  If there's a tactical warlord in his party it's probably another +1.  If the Cleric just Righteous branded the victim, that's another +3 (if he's also not an optimal-18 kinda build).  Our first level rogue is striking with a +16 - his daily /is/ going to hit.   His at-wills may be hitting on an 11 instead of 10 when he hasn't got combat advantage, but that's a minor disapointement.  To an extent, 3e was a game where encounters could be won or lost before initiative was rolled - based on the builds and pre-buffs the advesaries brought to the fight.  In 4e, what happens durring an encounter is aparently going to be as or more important than what decisions were made at chargen.</blockquote>

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