Power attack and BAB and attack speed

warlock player

Well-known member
Hi,

So I've never given a great thought into power attack's reducing of attack, but as I read it again on wiki it does say 'Reduces your hit bonus by 5, or your Base Attack Bonus, whichever is lower. Then your successful attacks will have their damage increased by the same amount. Two-handed weapons get twice that damage bonus.'

So in epic and onward the + to hit would greatly outweigh BAB and power attack's tradeoff would come from BAB. Would this affect my attack speed? I wouldn't have thought this would be the case cause then what about all the THF's running around with power attack..?

Thanks for any insight!
 

Lazuli

Well-known member
You have misunderstood. It doesn't reduce your BAB, it doesn't affect your attack speed.

PA only gives you a penalty of up to -5 to your to hit bonus (attack bonus). If you have BAB 1, it only gives you a -1 penalty. If you have BAB 4 it would give you a -4 penalty. If you have BAB 5 or more you would have a -5 penalty. But it's only a penalty to hit, not your attack speed.
 

warlock player

Well-known member
You have misunderstood. It doesn't reduce your BAB, it doesn't affect your attack speed.

PA only gives you a penalty of up to -5 to your to hit bonus (attack bonus). If you have BAB 1, it only gives you a -1 penalty. If you have BAB 4 it would give you a -4 penalty. If you have BAB 5 or more you would have a -5 penalty. But it's only a penalty to hit, not your attack speed.
Yes on paper it wouldn't.

But on DDO Game the BAB affects your attack speed, if you didn't know. So does the takeoff only happens in the sense of I lose to-hit bonus from BAB or that my BAB gets lowered as to the loss of attack speed / PRR?

Oh I could've tested this maybe :/ but now I've tr'ed into a monk ): and can't tell the difference in robes. (light armour gives prr 1xyour BRB) vs (light armour 1x(your BRB -5 from PA))
 

Lazuli

Well-known member
Yes on paper it wouldn't.

But on DDO Game the BAB affects your attack speed, if you didn't know. So does the takeoff only happens in the sense of I lose to-hit bonus from BAB or that my BAB gets lowered as to the loss of attack speed / PRR?

Oh I could've tested this maybe :/ but now I've tr'ed into a monk ): and can't tell the difference in robes. (light armour gives prr 1xyour BRB) vs (light armour 1x(your BRB -5 from PA))
I know (and in pnp BAB is attack speed too :p ). But it is the first: lose hit bonus, not lower BAB
 
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