| Ivarrwolfsong |
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The easy fix for Power Attack is to keep all its drawbacks but let it do 2x your damage dice + 1x your static bonus which turns it into vital strike.
This way it is one big hit at the cost of a second action and a bigger MAP if you attack again.
Let’s look at how it functions now for a 9th level fighter in the play test (18 str, +2 greatsword).
- it has the “open” tag so it needs to be your first attack for the round.
- the attack cost is 2 actions at -0 MAP
- you get an extra d12 damage, for 4d12+4 averaging 30 dmg
- if you attack again, it is at -10 MAP
If you simply attacked twice, you could do
- attack 1 (-0 MAP) 3d12+4 average 23.5
- attack 2 (-5 MAP) 3d12+4 average 23.5
- if both hit, average damage is 47 damage.
Even if you tally the damage as only hitting 2x every other round you STILL do more damage ... we will use 4 rounds as an example:
-4 rounds of Power Attack: 30+30+30+30=*120*
-4 rounds of attacking twice, missing 1x/2rounds: 47+23.5+47+23.5=*141*
So currently, you spend a feat to do less damage.
IF INSTEAD, we take the current Power Attack, warts and all, and simply double the damage dice we end up with one attack doing 6d12+4, averaging 43.
This is still less than 2 successful attacks, which is fitting since 2 attacks would have a -5 MAP on the 2nd swing. However, it’s significantly better than the current “anti-feat” that exists. After all, you are restricted by the “open” tag, the lesser flexibility of using 2 actions as 1 action, and you have to spend a feat on it. It should give SOME benefit, right?