It does 6d6 + 1.5 STR, correct?
Greataxe: 1d12
Impact: change to 3d6
Vital Strike: add another 3d6
Two-handed: add 1.5 x Strength mod
Yup, looks right.
Edit: don't forget, it needs a +1 enhancement before adding impact.
Does less on average than full attacking with said greataxe!
*ducks*
This is not even an argument. Even the people advocating VS as a useful feat know this. It was never intended to outshine a full attack.Does less on average than full attacking with said greataxe!
*ducks*
But, all those dice... surely that's where the real damage comes from. We all know how boss blaster mages are. :P
This is not even an argument. Even the people advocating VS as a useful feat know this. It was never intended to outshine a full attack.Does less on average than full attacking with said greataxe!
*ducks*
Yep... the real answer is always to full-attack if you can... vital strike is for when you move.
It is also great for wildshaping druids who only have one attack anyway in certain forms (ie Hungry Hungry Hippo druid), or Scout rogues who are always attempting to move 10ft to activate skirmisher.
Oh... and for mounted characters using mounted charges and a lance. Since the rage-pounce-lance FAQ, it is a very good option... since the rider is not limited to a normal attack, because the rider is not actually charging.
Lvl 11 cavalier with spirited charge, imp VS and an impact lance is dealing 10d6 just with weapon dice.
RAGELANCESTRIKE LIVES! FLY BATTY-BAT!
You know, between this an Monktopus I am starting to feel like I am just giving people bad ideas....
by which I mean powerful ideas that might ruin someone else's day.
I prefer the Large Bastard Sword for vital strike fun. Something about those d8s just call to me...
So.... just because I am thinking about it... if a level 11 paladin with strength 22, a +2 impact lance, using power attack mounted combat, spirited charge, devastating strike and improved vital strike.
The paladin uses smite on a dragon and charges on his mount, he casts litany of righteousness along the way.
He is going to hit for:
Multipliers: Lance x2 +1 spirited charge, +1 litany
Imp Vital strike is adding 2x weapon dice.
Base dice with the impact lance: 2d6
Damage bonus:+46 (+9 strength, +22 smite evil, +9 power attack, +2 weapon, +4 devastating strike)
This is actually multiplied from the lance and litany effects, so 46x4=184
All together, this is 12d6+184... 226 average...
On a crit, this is 16d6+276, or 332 average...
Sooo.. yeah, dead dragon... actually without a crit, that pretty much is a one-shotted dragon if it is CR 15 or less.
So vital strike works with mounted charges now?
I remember that being one conclusion drawn from then rage-lance-pounce faq rulings but was it ever explicit? Was there ever any consensus?
well.. you aren't charging... the mount is... so you are just making an attack if you want. If you make your attack at the end of the mounts charge you get the +2 to hit.
That was the shakeup... previously it was inferred that both mount and rider were considered to be "charging", but if you aren't restricted by charge, then vital strike and cleave open up. This is the governing language from mounted combat:
"If your mount moves more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Essentially, you have to wait until the mount gets to your enemy before attacking, so you can't make a full attack."
And that is really the only restriction. You can't make a melee full-attack. Oddly enough you also still have an available move action when you participate in a mounted charge. It never actually gets used for anything unless you are on a mount that is not combat trained and gets frightened in combat.
Anywho, in the case of vital strike, you aren't charging, and you aren't using spring attack (the two known offenders)... you actually aren't using any sort of action at all... your mount is... you do not have to attack the thing your mount charges. Actually you do not have to attack at all.. you can just sit there... or you could cast a spell (with a concentration check). You could also make a full ranged attack (albeit at a -4 penalty if your mount is moving double speed) while your mount charges....
Really there is nothing restricting you at all except the bit about not being able to make a full attack. BUT your mount can charge, and you can make a full attack with mounted skirmisher as long as the mount moves less than its speed (IE a legal 10ft. charge).
This of course, means that you still CAN do a sort of lance-pounce, but the multipliers only apply to the first attack per the FAQ.... it also invalidates several feats due to older 3.5 wording... but that is for another thread.... frankly I think they dropped the ball a bit on the Rage-lance-pounce FAQ... it has caused more problems than it solved.
Hey just curious, Can I get a link or something about the ruling that you don't count as charging when your mount charges?
Hmm.. It's been awhile. It all started with ragelancepounce, once you try to explain why that doesn't work you go down the rabbit hole and find a whole tangled web of intrigue, open pandora's box and several cans of worms, and before you know it you are... mixing metaphors like crazy, I guess?
Anyway, this FAQ was part of it at least Lancepounce FAQ
Yeah, that's right! The FAQ I linked turned out to be about an unmounted charge with a lance, right? Which was easy to mistake at the time because everyone was expecting a ruling to come down on "ragelancepounce".
I'm revisiting some of those old threads to refresh my memory, it looks like some more light was shed on the subject since then, when I was away from the boards for a while.
Thanks for the links.
Ok, just got done reading. Clear as mud.
Why/how does the greataxe posted above not do 2d12 + 3d6 damage?
Why/how does the greataxe posted above not do 2d12 + 3d6 damage?
Impact changes the base weapon dice to 3d6.