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ok I just picked up Pathfinder core rules this week and learning how to do it all. :) I am stuck on how Base attack bonus is determined for a Player Character. Please Help as this is frustrating me.
Thanks,
Arbarth
Look in he class charts. The Attack Bonus shown there? That's your Base Attack Bonus.
So a 1st level Fighter has a Base Attack Bonus of +1, a 9th level Cleric +6/+1 and so on and so forth.
Now your total bonus to hit is that number plus either Strength or Dexterity modifier, plus several other possible bonuses.
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ok I just picked up Pathfinder core rules this week and learning how to do it all. :) I am stuck on how Base attack bonus is determined for a Player Character. Please Help as this is frustrating me.
Thanks,
ArbarthLook in he class charts. The Attack Bonus shown there? That's your Base Attack Bonus.
So a 1st level Fighter has a Base Attack Bonus of +1, a 9th level Cleric +6/+1 and so on and so forth.
Now your total bonus to hit is that number plus either Strength or Dexterity modifier, plus several other possible bonuses.
Found it - thank you very much - I should have seen that - lol
Developer
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Base attack bonus is how well your character is trained at attacking in general. Some classes train you better for out-and-out fighting.
You add your Base Attack Bonus (BAB), your Strength modifier, and any special modifiers for the situation to a d20 (20 sided die) roll to make a melee attack. You want the sum of these numbers to be greater than your target's Armor Class (the number rating how hard a creature is it hit).
If you want to make a ranged attack, you use your Dexterity Modifier instead of your Strength.
Let's say you have a Fighter named Fred. He wants to hit Ollie the Orc. Fred has a BAB of 5. He has 16 Strength, which gives a modifier of 3. Bob rolls a 13 on his d20. He adds his strength mod and his BAB to that. 13+5 (for his BAB) + 3 (for his strength) is 21.
The GM knows that Ollie has an Armor Class of 17. 21 is equal to or greater than 17, so Bob hits! Yay!
Different classes increase their BAB at different rates.
Take the fighter. His BAB goes up 1 every time he gains a level in fighter. Level 1, his BAB is 1. Level 2, his BAB is 2, and so on.
The rogue is decent in a fight, but does not have the amount of combat training that a fighter has. His BAB goes up 3 for every 4 levels in rogue he gains. Level 1, his BAB is 0. Level 2 it's 1. Level 3 it's 2. Level 4 it's 3. Repeat the pattern.
The wizard does not prefer to be in the thick of things, so his training isn't combat-focused at all. His BAB goes up by 1 for every 2 levels in wizard he gains. At level 1 his BAB is 0. At level 2 his BAB is 1.
Some characters will have more than one class. All they need to do is add the BAB bonus from each class together for their total.
When your BAB hits 6, 11, and 16, you get another attack. These attacks are less accurate, though. You've trained so well that you can attack more often. So a 6th level fighter has 6 BAB. He gets another attack.
This second attack is made with a penalty of 5. You roll it as if you were making a normal attack and then subtract 5. At 11 BAB you get a third attack. This one has a penalty of 10. The fourth attack is at -15. (See the pattern?) BAB will never give you more than 4 attacks, but some fighting styles and magic spells can... but those are for a different post.
Really, just find a group open to new players and play. The rules all sound more complicated than they are, but once you see them in action, they become much easier. It's going to be frustrating to learn just by reading. It's a fun game, though. So playing has benefits beyond just learning the rules, hehe.