Okay, this weeks request thread is a little different. Firstly the duel2 program is already up and running, and secondly out of all the programs this is one of the more player focused ones.
I used the PF1 version extensively for testing my characters. Seeing if dodge or toughness made a better tank, if weapon focus or power attack increased my damage higher, etc. The PF2 numbers are obviously tighter, but I figure the same questions still exist.
So, I'll start this off with a couple ideas I've got for improvements and then I'd love to see what suggestions you all have.
1. DPR stat. This one seems a no brainer. Put in your barbarian, optionally vs another character or maybe just a training dummy with X HP/AC and no damage and see how much quickly/effectively you can kill it.
2. Attack number/MAP. So this one is tricky and I don't really have a good solution. The way it is currently set up you put in your number of attacks(always at least 1), and your multi-attack penalty. And it will attack each time applying your MAP after the first. This works for basic attack sequences. I.E. attack twice+raise shield. Or attack 3 times, etc, But is begins to be incorrect the moment special abilities get into the mix. Things like haste, double slice, etc all change how the numbers work.
Options.
A. Leave it as it, it works for the general use cases, and at worst still gives you some pretty decent rough ideas of character capability.
B. Add a cap to the MAP. This would fix issues with things like haste and possibly other buff/attack combining abilities so it didn't keep subtracting past 10 or whatever other number the player has input. This would be simple, but still leave some builds poorly represented.
C. Add specific fields for every attack/damage roll your character would make. This option has the maximum accuracy. You could do double slice with 2 non agile weapons, then a 3rd strike, then a haste strike or whatever other combination you desire. The obvious downside is these fields would be rather annoying to input for relatively basic characters that only need option A. I don't know what the maximum number of attacks that are possible in PF2 is. I'm assuming about 6 if you combined various feats, spells, and abilities. But I am not at all familiar with every option available.
3. Add more reactions, mechanics, and the like. Probably cannot get everything, but I am sure there is more that could be done with this.
4. HP to shields? Not sure how necessary this is. Currently if you say you've got shield block you'll use it every turn and damage to shield is not tracked. Most fights end quickly and the shield HP doesn't seem a huge issue, but maybe there are some dissenting opinions.
And finally, a few things I don't think we can manage. Multi party combat: I'd love to do this, but the complication really balloons once we need to start calculating for teams, targeting priorities, etc. Spell slots: likewise have no good way to keep track of these. If you want two wizards blasting each other, they'll have to keep using whatever damage spell you say they've got indefinitely.
Alright, that's a big ole wall of text, sorry for that. But duel is one of my favorite programs, and as always I'd love to hear any questions, suggestions, or comments.
Really glad you find it useful!
I didn't intend to take so long updating this, but holy crap adding the damage per rounds calculation was a lot more challenging than I expected. Regardless it should be in there for duel2 and hopefully added to the first one at some point.
Let me know if anyone sees any issues or has any questions/requests.
