Greater Vital strike

Greater Vital Strike (Combat)
You can make a single attack that deals incredible damage.
Prerequisites: Improved Vital Strike, Vital Strike, base attack bonus +16.

Benefit: When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the damage dice for the attack four times and add the results together, but do not multiply damage bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), or precision-based damage (such as sneak attack). This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit (although other damage bonuses are multiplied normally).

Ok for an example I am looking at an Arcane Archer with a +5 str(18) bow
F6 W1 AA10
BAB 16
Str 18
Dex 26

As an AA he gets to shoot holy flaming burst arrows at will

He fires a single arrow at Full BAB +30 at a green dragon

Damage
4d8 (arrow) +
20 (magic bonus) +
4 (Str bonus) +
8 (weapon specialization)+
2d6 (holy) +
8 (holy weapons gain +2 vs evil)+
1d6 (fire)

4d8+3d8+40
47-70 with a single arrow

Crit damage -
6d8 (arrow)
30 (magic)
12 (str bonus)
12 (Weapon Special)
2d6 (holy)
12 (holy bonus vs evil)
1d6 (Fire)
2d10 (flaming burst)

6d8+3d6+2d10+66
77-152 on a single crit

Now if he uses Deadly aim
he takes a -4 to hit and gains +8 damage

4d8+3d8+40+32
79-102

Crit
6d8+3d6+2d10+66+40
117-192

Is that right?

And this still would stack with Pinpoint Targeting so he could also ignore all Armor, shield, and natural armor of the target. Leaving a Dragon an AC around 8.

I understood the feat so that the only thing that multiplies is the damage dice without any bonuses (which are added normally).

Also discussed here.

4d8 (arrow) +
5 (magic bonus) +
4 (Str bonus) +
2 (weapon specialization)+
2d6 (holy) +
2 (holy weapons gain +2 vs evil)+
1d6 (fire)

Right, the damage dice of the weapon is the only thing that gets rolled 4 times. All other modifiers remain exactly the same as normal.

Does this replace your full attack? Like, if the Archer has five attacks thanks to rapid shot, would these feats replace them? And if that's the case, why would you ever take it as opposed to the full attack? Is this more meant for clerics and other characters with lower BAB?

Does this replace your full attack? Like, if the Archer has five attacks thanks to rapid shot, would these feats replace them? And if that's the case, why would you ever take it as opposed to the full attack? Is this more meant for clerics and other characters with lower BAB?

VS (and by extension, IVS & GVS) are standard actions. You can't take both a standard action and a full round action (full attack) in the same round (without some corner-case ability).

So, yes this replaces your full round attack, BUT leaves you the ability to still move in the same round.

-Skeld

It is a standard action so if you want to move, or defeat Damage reduction then I would use greater vital strike, since it piles more damage onto one attack, giving it a better chance of penetrating the DR. If I want to take a move action greater vital strike allows me to get more damage out of my standard action attack, so I'm not losing quite as much from my full attack (still losing a lot but those extra dice help some). Finally if none of your extra shots are hitting greater vital strike allows you to get some damage in with your best hit possible (Say a case where you need a 13 or better with your first attack and all your other attacks are made at 18 or better... if you rapid shot your first two shots now have to be 15 or better... greater vital strike gives you the option of only taking one shot, but getting more damage for it).

I am not certain that NO damage modifiers are multiplied.

The feat specifically mentions certain ones:
"but do not multiply damage bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), or precision-based damage (such as sneak attack)."

There are many untyped damage sources. Weapon spec, Arcane strike, favored enemy, and even weapon training are untyped bonuses. In addition the feat does not mention enhancement bonuses (it says weapon abilities but not enhancement bonuses), so the +x would also multiply. It is definately kind of hazy, as it seem to imply no additional damage is multiplied, but then it mentions specific kinds and leaves others out.

It is definately kind of hazy, as it seem to imply no additional damage is multiplied, but then it mentions specific kinds and leaves others out.

Which is my problem. If they would have said specifically "Do not multiply any damage bonuses from any source." it would have been less confusing.

By listing Strength, weapon abilities, and precision based damage that opens up the questions.

Where does weapon specialization and favored enemy fit in? Are they precision based damage?

Greater Vital Strike (Combat)

You can make a single attack that deals incredible damage.
Prerequisites: Improved Vital Strike, Vital Strike, base attack bonus +16.

Benefit: When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the damage dice for the attack four times and add the results together, but do not multiply damage bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), or precision-based damage (such as sneak attack). This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit (although other damage bonuses are multiplied normally).

Ok for an example I am looking at an Arcane Archer with a +5 str(18) bow
F6 W1 AA10
BAB 16
Str 18
Dex 26

As an AA he gets to shoot holy flaming burst arrows at will

He fires a single arrow at Full BAB +30 at a green dragon

Damage
4d8 (arrow) +
20 (magic bonus) +
4 (Str bonus) +
8 (weapon specialization)+(is he a fighter why dose he get this weapon spec is fighter only right)
2d6 (holy) +
8 (holy weapons gain +2 vs evil)+
1d6 (fire)

4d8+3d8+40
47-70 with a single arrow

Crit damage -
6d8 (arrow)
30 (magic)
12 (str bonus)
12 (Weapon Special)
2d6 (holy)
12 (holy bonus vs evil)
1d6 (Fire)
2d10 (flaming burst)

6d8+3d6+2d10+66
77-152 on a single crit

Now if he uses Deadly aim
he takes a -4 to hit and gains +8 damage

4d8+3d8+40+32
79-102

Crit
6d8+3d6+2d10+66+40
117-192

Is that right?

And this still would stack with Pinpoint Targeting so he could also ignore all Armor, shield, and natural armor of the target. Leaving a Dragon an AC around 8.

that my only question about it really why dose he weapon spec when its a fighter only thing??

ok just saw that thanks on question

I am not certain that NO damage modifiers are multiplied.

The feat specifically mentions certain ones:
"but do not multiply damage bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), or precision-based damage (such as sneak attack)."

There are many untyped damage sources. Weapon spec, Arcane strike, favored enemy, and even weapon training are untyped bonuses. In addition the feat does not mention enhancement bonuses (it says weapon abilities but not enhancement bonuses), so the +x would also multiply. It is definately kind of hazy, as it seem to imply no additional damage is multiplied, but then it mentions specific kinds and leaves others out.

Deja Vu

Please read Jasons comment from this thread

Hey there all,

Couple of notes. Generally speaking, when reading feats, the descriptive sentence at the very beginning is just that, descriptive. It is not generally rules text.

As for the Vital Strike issue... just roll the damage dice for the weapon twice. Everything else is as normal. If you normally deal 1d8+4 with a longsword, you would deal 2d8+4 with a longsword using Vital Strike.

And once again I feel the unresistable urge to quote this:

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is."
- Caelic's 10th commandment of Practical Optimization.

The list of things being multiplied is not exhaustive.. as that would have taken up way too much space.

Only the damage dice are multiplied. Nothing else.

I am looking at cleaning up this language.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing