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Thread: Power Attack for Everyone!
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2007-12-04, 02:53 PM (ISO 8601)
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Power Attack for Everyone!
Everyone likes Power Attack. The one below for Dexterity fighters, as well as the house rules, should make 2-handed fighters and light weapon/1-handed fighters about equal. The feats from PHBII for shield fighters really are quite awesome enough, but I gave them a Power Attack anyway, and combined with the house rules at the bottom should be about equal to the other two. Spellcasters get a Power Attack just for fun. Please tell me what you think.
Spell Expertise
Prerequisites
Int 13
Benefit
You are able to subtract a number from your caster level during a casting of a spell and gain that number as a bonus to the save DC. You cannot receive a bonus to the DC greater than your ability bonus which determines save DCs. You may not use Spell Expertise if the spell in question does not have a caster level dependent variable as its primary effect (the effect on a failed save; in most, if not all cases, this will be damage). Spell Expertise is applied before any metamagic.
Special
A wizard may select Spell Expertise as one of his bonus wizard feats.
Improved Spell Expertise
Prerequisites
Spellcraft 8 ranks, Spell Expertise
Benefit
When using Spell Expertise, you gain the listed bonus on opposed caster level checks as well as beating save DCs. In other words, your caster level is reduced except with regards to beating spell resistance, having your spells dispelled, etc.
Special
A wizard may select Improved Spell Expertise as one of his bonus wizard feats.
Elegant Attack
Prerequisites
Dex 13, Weapon Finesse
Benefit
An elegant attack sacrifices accuracy for form, causing more damage to be done on a successful hit. You may subtract a number from a melee attack roll and add that number to damage. The number subtracted may not be greater than your base attack bonus.
Special
When wielding a weapon listed under Weapon Finesse, you receive 2 points of damage for every 1 point of attack subtracted. You cannot use Elegant Attack with a two-handed melee weapon.
A fighter may select Elegant Attack as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Masterful Attack
Prerequisites
Sleight of Hand 8 ranks, Elegant Attack
Benefit
When using Elegant Attack against an opponent who is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, you double the extra damage dealt. If you use this tactic with a weapon listed under Weapon Finesse, you instead triple the extra damage.
Special
A fighter may select Masterful Attack as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Blocking Expertise
Prerequisites
Int 13, Shield Proficiency
Benefit
When wielding a light or heavy shield and using the attack or full attack action, you may subtract a number from your attack roll and add it as a shield bonus to AC (adding to your existing shield bonus). The AC bonus may not exceed your base attack bonus or your existing shield bonus.
Special
A fighter may select Blocking Expertise as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Improved Blocking Expertise
Prerequisites
Concentration 8 ranks, Blocking Expertise
Benefit
When using Blocking Expertise, you receive a cumulative damage reduction 1/- for every four points subtracted from your attack roll in addition to the AC bonus.
Special
A fighter may select Improved Blocking Expertise as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Risky Shot
Prerequisites
Dex 13
Benefit
You attempt a difficult shot which will, if successful, penetrate the enemy's defenses. You may subtract a number from a ranged attack roll and add that number to damage. The number subtracted may not be greater than your base attack bonus.
Special
When wielding a heavy crossbow or two-handed thrown weapon, you receive 2 points of damage for every 1 point of attack subtracted.
A fighter may select Risky Shot as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Critical Shot
Prerequisites
Sleight of Hand 8 ranks, Risky Shot
Benefit
When using Risky Shot against an opponent who is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, you double the extra damage dealt. If you use this tactic with a heavy crossbow or two-handed thrown weapon, you instead triple the extra damage.
Special
A fighter may select Critical Shot as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Arbitrary Attack
Prerequisites
Int 13
Benefit
It doesn't matter to you about hitting the right places; you just want to hit. This reckless attack also makes you more vulnerable. You may subtract a number from your damage roll and add that number to your attack roll with a melee attack. You cannot subtract a number greater than your Strength bonus to damage (or whatever ability determines damage for you). After using an arbitrary attack, your AC is reduced by the same number for 1 round.
Special
An arbitrary attack can be made with a melee touch attack which offers a saving throw. You reduce the DC instead, and the number cannot be greater than your ability bonus which determines DCs.
You cannot combine an arbitrary attack with a power attack or an elegant attack.
A fighter may select Arbitrary Attack as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Focus Spell
Prerequisites
Int 13
Benefit
You may subtract a number from an aspect of a certain spell and add a bonus to its damage. This may only be used with spells which have damage as their primary effect. The amount is increased if the spell normally adds more than one die per increment, e.g. disintegrate. Focus Spell is applied before any metamagic. It applies to the effect on a failed save; on a successful save, the damage is reduced or nullified as normal.
1 increment of duration = 1 die of damage (not applicable to static durations)
5 feet of range = 1 die of damage (Close)
10 feet of range = 1 die of damage (Medium)
40 feet of range = 1 die of damage (Long)
5 feet of radius = 1 die of damage (if all radius is used up, spell becomes single target; any saving throw is still offered)
1 DC = 1 die of damage (if spell offers saving throw; max reduced = your ability bonus which determines save DCs)
Special
This feat may be taken more than once. Each time, it applies to a different spell.
Power Shot
Prerequisites
Str 13, Dex 13, Weapon Proficiency (any bow)
Benefit
You may subtract a number from an attack roll with a composite bow (but not a regular one or any other ranged weapon) and add that number to damage. The number subtracted may not be greater than your base attack bonus. This feat also multiplies your Strength bonus to damage when wielding a composite bow by 1.5x.
Special
A fighter may select Power Shot as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Point Blank Power Shot
Prerequisites
Tumble 8 ranks, Power Shot, Point Blank Shot
Benefit
When using Power Shot against an adjacent creature, you double the extra damage dealt.
Special
A fighter may select Point Blank Power Shot as one of his bonus fighter feats.
Houserules
Strength and Constitution are one stat, called Body. A Dexterity warrior will get AC, initiative, and reflexes, while a Body warrior will get HP, extra damage, and fortitude.
Weapon Finesse functions with any 1-handed weapon with nothing in the offhand in addition to the normal weapon types.
The animated property for shields is not allowed.Last edited by Baron Corm; 2008-05-13 at 12:38 PM.
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2007-12-04, 03:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2007
Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
The wizard feat is horribly, horribly broken. Totally broken. Absolutely broken. You may as well make it so no one rolls saves for spells cast by a wizard of sixth or higher level.
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2007-12-04, 03:24 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
Yeah, that's probably true. I should make it only work on spells with caster level dependent effects
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2007-12-04, 03:25 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
i don't think the wiz one is that bad, but it does strike me as oxymoronic. reduce caster level in order to raise DC? and doesn't your caster level determine the roll to beat sr? it's been a while, and i could be wrong, but...
second, the precise strike: precise as in hits closer to the mark, better aim, etc. would imply a bonus, not a penalty, to hit prob. i would just rename that one. other than that, it's a good feat. call it a 'recklessly quick' effect rather than precise, so that it relies on the speed and agility of the user (a dex trait) but at the expense of precision, and then give it a name that mirrors the idea.
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2007-12-04, 04:27 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
Last edited by Arbitrarity; 2007-12-04 at 04:27 PM.
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2007-12-06, 06:15 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
Wouldn't it make more sense to lower the DC to increase the CL? Lower success to increase effect->lower DC to increase CL. Not that this would need any less specification, but it makes more sense to me. Except that it penetrates SR more, but not everyone has SR, so it's not the standard defense.
The Demented One had a tactical feat a while back that allowed power attacking with touch range damage spells, lemme see...
Arcane Assault [Tactical]
You weave together steel and magic into a potent combat style.
Requirements: BAB +5, Power Attack, Cleave, able to cast 2nd level arcane spells
The Arcane Assault feat enables the use of three tactical maneuvers.
Pierce Spell Resistance: To use this maneuver, you must successfully hit a creature. You may then choose to not deal damage and instead, as a swift action, cast a touch spell on the hit opponent. The spell ignores any SR the opponent may have.
Power Spell: To use this ability, you must cast a touch spell. You can then apply the benefits of the Power Attack feat to that spell.
Dimensional Cleave: To use this maneuver, you must deal enough damage to a creature to kill it with one attack. As a swift action, you may then cast any spell that allows you to teleport to move into a square adjacent to a foe before making the extra attack granted by Cleave.
On the other feats above, I can't really argue with Elegant Attack. It will never be as strong as power attack, due to lower damage die and the lack of extra strength multiplication, but it gives TWF a bit more of a chance with the doubling THF gets. Improved on the other hand is a bit much, and I don't see why it uses tumble: sleight of hand makes more sense.
Blocking expertise is just expertise with a different name. Also, due to it's wording, it doesn't stack with your shield, but overlaps it, making it even more useless.
Where's the spell damage PA, the ranged PA, ? There's not a power attack for everyone here yet, get back to work!Fizban's Tweaks and Brew: Google Drive (PDF), Thread
A collection of over 200 pages of individually small bans, tweaks, brews, and rule changes, usable piecemeal or nearly altogether, and even some convenient lists. Everything I've done that I'd call done enough to use in one place (plus a number of things I'm working on that aren't quite done, of course).
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2007-12-06, 10:15 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
Hmm... I like the elegant attack one, but I'd make Weapon Finesse as a prerequisite. Elegant defense is almost the same as combat expertise, that grants and unnamed bonus.
Member of the Hinjo fan club. Go Hinjo!
"In Soviet Russia, the Darkness attacks you."
"Rogues not only have a lot more skill points, but sneak attack is so good it hurts..."
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2007-12-06, 11:53 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
Originally Posted by Fizban
Originally Posted by Fizban
Originally Posted by Fizban
Second part: Changed.
Originally Posted by Fizban
Originally Posted by Roderick_BRLast edited by Baron Corm; 2007-12-06 at 11:54 AM.
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2007-12-06, 12:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
DC goes up at a rate of 1 every 2 levels. So a bonus to DC shouldn't go up faster than this. What is worse is that modifying a D20 roll is not the same as modifying damage.
If you want an arcane power attack, hmm...
In exchange for -1 DC, -2 caster level, and -2 to hit on any to-hit roll, you gain either +1d8 damage to one particular target hit by your ability, or +1d6 damage to each target hit (if a target is hit more than once, the +1d6 damage only applies to the first hit). You cannot reduce your caster level lower than the min level required for the spell, including any metamagic effects.
So a L 20 wizard could take a -5 DC -10 caster level to cast a fireball. With 30 int, that becomes:
A fireball would be:
DC: 18 15d6 damage to each target
or
DC: 18 10d6 to each target, +5d8 to one target
Or a L 20 wizard casting scorching ray at -8 to-hit -8 caster level:
+2 to-hit, 3 rays, each does 4d6 damage. The first time any given target is hit they take +4d6 damage.
or
+2 to hit, 3 rays, each does 4d6 damage. The first target hit takes an extra 4d8 damage.
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2007-12-06, 12:41 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
There's a problem with the Blocking Expertise and Defensive Expertise feats. Blocking Expertise gives you a bonus to shield ac for lowering your attack, right? Defensive Expertise doubles that bonus if you fight defensively, but it also says it triples the bonus if you take a Total Defense action. Problem: Total Defense stops you from attacking, so there's nothing to take a penalty to, which means no bonus. 3*0=0 no AC bonus.
That said Defensive Expertise strikes me as a pretty pointless feat... Maybe just have it double the normal bonus all the time, then triple when fighting defensively?Spending most of my time on another forum.
Awesome Daemonhost avatar by Fin.
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2007-12-06, 04:38 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
Originally Posted by Yakk
Originally Posted by Yakk
Originally Posted by Prophaniti
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2007-12-07, 11:57 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Power Attack for Everyone!
Spell levels go up 1 for every 2 character levels in a pure-caster class. So, in terms of spell DC, every 2 caster levels is boosts DC by 1.
Your change allows you to boost DC by 3/2 every caster level instead. That is a huge huge huge change in the rate that spell DC changes.
What is worse is that your 3x the DC boost happens on a d20 roll. d20 rolls are linearly unstable: if you double all modifiers (both offense and defense) to a d20 roll, the roll result changes. In comparison, damage is stable: if you double both damage and HP (the offense and defense factors for a damage roll), the result stays exactly the same.
Ie, adding additional scaling boosts to a spell DC is more unbalancing than adding additional damage.
DC is closer to "to hit roll" than it is to damage. Note that power attack doesn't make your trip work better: it only works on damage effects.
This works ok for fireball and scorching ray (I guess, seems kind of convoluted anyway), but what about delayed blast fireball? Or anything which lets you use your full caster level. You're giving up 2 caster levels for 1 die of damage... that's a negative increase. I don't see what's wrong with my way in the first place. Might be a giant brain fart.
The loss of spell DC, caster level for caster-level checks, caster level for range, and caster level for secondary effects, etc is balanced against the additional damage done by the spell.
Remember: modifiers to d20 rolls are a very different beast than modifiers to damage rolls. Power attack is a (penalty on your offensive d20 roll) in exchange for a (bonus to your damage): a trade off of offense for offense.
A "power block" equivalent would be (a bonus to your defensive AC) in exchange for (taking more damage when you are actually hit). And even that is questionable: it runs the risk of reducing D&D to a one-hit-kill wiff-fest.
...
But for spells, burning DC and Caster Level in exchange for Damage is the closest analogue to Power Attack.
I'd be tempted to do the same for Archery: Take a -2 to hit in exchange for +1d6 precision damage (and an additional 1d6 on a crit) on the first arrow that hits a given target in a round? It has similar mechanical effects to power attack, but instead of being a "power shot" it is a hyper-accurate shot.
By restricting it to the first target you hit in a round, it reduces the abuse of "I get full iterative attacks on a target at range without moving" -- you can still get lots of damage, but only if you hit distinct targets with each of your shots. Instead of 5 arrows shot at a target, all hitting the exact same spot, you have 5 arrows each hitting a different target in the eye: prettier flavor. :)Last edited by Yakk; 2007-12-07 at 11:57 AM.