The Slayer favored class bonus for catfolk states "Add 1/3 to the result of any sneak attack damage that the slayer deals after all sneak attack damage dice have been totaled." What does this mean? 1/3rd of what? A point? The total? 1/3 of the total seems OP, but if it is just 1/3rd of a point, why did they add "after all...totaled?
ReWord Option 1: Add 1/3pt to the total of all sneak attack damage dice rolled.
Option 2: Add 1/3pt to each sneak attack damage die rolled.
Option 3: Add 1/3 of the total result of sneak attack damage dice rolled.
Option 3. The extra text is there to make it clear that it's only added once per attack, no matter your SA dice or how many classes granting SA you may have.
Compare to the Inqusitor's Catfolk FCB: "Inquisitor: Add 1/2 to the inquisitor’s track bonus". Obviously it doesn't mean every two levels to double your bonus. Based on the similar wording, I would say the writer is intending a flat number added at the end.
1/3rd of a point of damage(per FCB that you've taken) added to when you deal sneak attack damage.
Also, look at the Grippli Slayer FCB from the same book: "Add 1/3 to the damage the slayer deals with bone weapons (maximum +4)." It has a maximum of +4 and not 4 times the damage and uses similar wording.
Derklord wrote: Option 3. The extra text is there to make it clear that it's only added once per attack, no matter your SA dice or how many classes granting SA you may have. he is viewing his Option 3 as meaning “increase your total combined Sneak Attack damage by 33%”
Lelomenia wrote: Derklord wrote: Option 3. The extra text is there to make it clear that it's only added once per attack, no matter your SA dice or how many classes granting SA you may have. he is viewing his Option 3 as meaning “increase your total combined Sneak Attack damage by 33%” All the other favored attack bonuses that I've looked at clearly denote what you are gaining a fraction of. This one doesn't. 1/3rd of a pt of damage on only sneak attacks is extremely weak. Several of the races have 1/6th of a slayer talent. You can get a combat feat for six levels, but only 2 points of damage on a limited type of attack. That's severely Underpowered. However, 1/3rd of the total of your sneak attack damage doesn't make sense either. Too OP and that takes away scaling. For comparison, in those 6 levels, you can obtain 6HP or 6 skill points. Perhaps they meant this? Option 4: 1/3rd of a die rolled on sneak attacks.
Weak? Not really. Pretty much on par.
To put it another way, Weapon Specialization is +2 damage with a specific weapon. So 1/3 per level = 1/6th of a feat.
Tiefling has a similar FCB for Rogue, but it only affects Outsiders. So most of the time it's worthless. " Tiefling (Advanced Race Guide pg. 170): Add +1/2 to sneak attack damage dealt to creatures with the outsider type."
Goblins Rogues get it once... maybe... per combat. "Goblin (Advanced Race Guide pg. 115, Goblins of Golarion pg. 31): Add a +1 bonus on the rogue’s sneak attack damage rolls during the surprise round or before the target has acted in combat."
Ghorans Rogues have the 1/2 damage(max +3), and only against specific creatures. "Ghoran (Ultimate Wilderness pg. 17): Choose one type of ranger favored enemy (or one subtype in case of either humanoid or outsider). The rogue adds 1/2 to her sneak attack damage when using sneak attack against creatures of the chosen type (maximum +3)."
So a non-restricted bonus to all Sneak Attack at 1/3 level is actually pretty good. Restricted per race and you get to 1/2 level, restricted to maybe once per combat and you get to 1 per level.
Another example that is almost exactly the same power level: "Kitsune (Blood of the Beast pg. 12): Add 1/3 to damage rolls the fighter makes with weapon attacks against an opponent that he is flanking or that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC."
Firebug wrote: Weak? Not really. Pretty much on par.
To put it another way, Weapon Specialization is +2 damage with a specific weapon. So 1/3 per level = 1/6th of a feat.
Tiefling has a similar FCB for Rogue, but it only affects Outsiders. So most of the time it's worthless. " Tiefling (Advanced Race Guide pg. 170): Add +1/2 to sneak attack damage dealt to creatures with the outsider type."
Goblins Rogues get it once... maybe... per combat. "Goblin (Advanced Race Guide pg. 115, Goblins of Golarion pg. 31): Add a +1 bonus on the rogue’s sneak attack damage rolls during the surprise round or before the target has acted in combat."
Ghorans Rogues have the 1/2 damage(max +3), and only against specific creatures. "Ghoran (Ultimate Wilderness pg. 17): Choose one type of ranger favored enemy (or one subtype in case of either humanoid or outsider). The rogue adds 1/2 to her sneak attack damage when using sneak attack against creatures of the chosen type (maximum +3)."
So a non-restricted bonus to all Sneak Attack at 1/3 level is actually pretty good. Restricted per race and you get to 1/2 level, restricted to maybe once per combat and you get to 1 per level.
Another example that is almost exactly the same power level: "Kitsune (Blood of the Beast pg. 12): Add 1/3 to damage rolls the fighter makes with weapon attacks against an opponent that he is flanking or that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC."
Thanks Firebug. I appreciate the help.
Lelomenia wrote: he is viewing his Option 3 as meaning “increase your total combined Sneak Attack damage by 33%” Ah, I misunderstood it (I think I took the "pt" abbreviation as "percentage" instead of "point").
DiLathl wrote: All the other favored attack bonuses that I've looked at clearly denote what you are gaining a fraction of. Doesn't change that for FCBs, 1/3 never ever means "add 33%", it always, no exception, means "increase by 1 if you select it thrice".
Respective rule text: "Finally, some of these alternate favored class benefits only add +1/2, +1/3, +1/4, or +1/6 to a roll (rather than +1) each time the benefit is selected; when applying this result to the die roll, round down (minimum 0). For example, a dwarf with rogue as his favored class adds +1/2 to his trap sense ability regarding stone traps each time he selects the alternate rogue favored class benefit; though this means the net effect is +0 after selecting it once (because +1/2 rounds down to +0), after 20 levels this benefit gives the dwarf a +10 bonus to his trap sense (in addition to the base value from being a 20th-level rogue)." APG pg. 10
Things that add per dice are incredibly rare and always explicitly say so. Compare Sap Adept, for instance. Likewise, if it would add a dice, it would say so.
DiLathl wrote: 1/3rd of a pt of damage on only sneak attacks is extremely weak. Several of the races have 1/6th of a slayer talent. You can get a combat feat for six levels, but only 2 points of damage on a limited type of attack. That's severely Underpowered. There're hundrest of FCBs so weak that no one ever selects them. This one is actually above average.
Not that something beeing too weak should ever be taken of proof that it had to actually work differently, or that it was intended differently.
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DiLathl wrote: The Slayer favored class bonus for catfolk states "Add 1/3 to the result of any sneak attack damage that the slayer deals after all sneak attack damage dice have been totaled." What does this mean? 1/3rd of what? A point? The total? 1/3 of the total seems OP, but if it is just 1/3rd of a point, why did they add "after all...totaled?
ReWord Option 1: Add 1/3pt to the total of all sneak attack damage dice rolled.
Option 2: Add 1/3pt to each sneak attack damage die rolled.
Option 3: Add 1/3 of the total result of sneak attack damage dice rolled.
Hi! I'm the author of this section. The correct operation is:
1) Roll your sneak attack dice.
2) Total the damage you rolled on your sneak attack dice.
3) Add +1 damage for every 3 times you selected the Favored Class Bonus.
For example.
"Alex is playing Kohdaehan, a catfolk slayer. Kohdaehan is 9th level, so he has sneak attack +3d6. He's also taken the catfolk slayer favored class bonus at every level, so he's picked it 9 times. When he sneak attacks someone, he rolls 3d6 ( [4] + [1] + [6] ), totals the result (4 + 1 = 5, 5 + 6 = 11), and then adds +1 for every 3 times he's chosen his favored class bonus (9 / 3 = +3, 11 + 3 = 14 damage from sneak attack).
As a general rule, most Favored Class Bonuses are balanced around 6 selections being about as good as a feat. This is why in Blood of the Beast you get Magical Tail for selecting a kitsune Favored Class Bonus 6 times, or why many classes give bonus features that could be selected with the Extra Rogue Talent or Extra Revelation feat 6 times). At 1/3, this means 6 selections is +2 which is about the same as Weapon Specialization.
Hope this helps!
In the simplest terms possible...
For every 3 levels that you choose that favored class bonus you add +1 damage to the total of your sneak attack.
So at level 3 you roll 1d6+1 for sneak attack, at level 6 2d6+2... etc... convienently slayer gains sneak attack dice at every 3rd level... so your bonus just so happens to match your number of sneak attack dice as a slayer...
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