As it stands, with the given stats, I'm going to probably go with the straightforward ones, as opposed to two weaponers (even if 'The chainsaw that walks' approach is still terribly nifty to me.), as it'll be easier with the given stats and with the lack of gearings, I think.
Actually, TWF fighters tend to be more dependent on gear than other builds. AoO tanks require a reach weapon & armor (and a spiked gauntlet if the reach weapon isn't a chain), 2H weapons just require a weapon & armor, Sword & Boards (worst option) require a weapon, armor, and shield (which is still cheaper than a second weapon). A TWFer requires 2 weapons, the best light armor they can find, items to help the AC even more, etc. In all honesty, you're better off as a Spiked Chain AoO tank or Greatsword 2H ubercharger...
On second thought, you could take Tempest's advice and combine TWF with ubercharging and take the Revenant Blade PrC, found in Player's Guide to Eberron.
"Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same. If you are too attentive to the former, you will most certainly not do the hard work of securing the latter." -Condoleezza Rice
"My fellow Americans... I've just signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. Bombing begins in five minutes." - Ronald Reagan
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Resident Pithed-Off Dragon Buttler of the House of Trolls
Thank you for that explaination! I had seen power attack over and over in the various builds, and kept mumbling to myself, 'But that makes it harder to hit, how is that helpful?'. I didn't realize that they were to be attached to garunteed-hitter stuff. Now they make a -lot- more sense.
There's so much more to it than that, though you don't really need to worry about it too much if you've got something like Deep Impact or Shock Trooper on hand. Let me illustrate.
Normally, a character with a full base attack bonus, decent Strength, and a level-appropriate weapon (if you want a quick-and-dirty estimate of what your enhancement bonus "should" be, go with your level divided by four) doesn't actually need a high roll to "hit" the enemy. They can actually suffer a few penalties and still have, more or less, the same chance to hit. Meanwhile, the bonus damage they rack up from Power Attack, especially with multipliers, can easily exceed the "lost damage" that potential misses will make.
Here's a concrete example (incomplete, since I'll skip critical hits and multiple attacks on a full attack, but it shows the point well). You're a level 8 Fighter, have a +2 greatsword, and 16 base Strength with a +2 belt of Strength, and Weapon Focus. Your total attack bonus is +15, and a normal hit will deal 2d6+8 damage (average 15). However, on any given round, you won't be dealing 15 damage - your foe has AC 20, so you will hit him 75% of the time. Thus, on three rounds out of four, you'll deal 15 damage, and on one out of four you'll miss, dealing 0 damage. Therefore, you can expect to deal 75% of 15 damage, or 10 damage, on any given round.
Now let's add Power Attack to the equation - WITHOUT using auto-hit effects. If you take a -2 penalty on the attack roll, that's +4 on your damage roll. Your chances of hitting go down slightly (65% from 75%), but your damage on each of those hits goes up (19 from 15). Your expected damage is now 65% of 19 - or 12.35, which is higher than you would have gotten without Power Attack (even though it was harder to hit, the return was worth it).
(In this particular example, if you include critical hits, the "optimal" power attack is actually -4, for 13.92 expected damage; if you also include multiple hits it's actually -5 (yes, that makes your second attack horribly inaccurate, but it was inaccurate anyway - may as well make it hurt on the few chances it does hit). The math behind this is kind of tiresome to type out. I personally use a Google Spreadsheet to handle things for me on this.)
You can make this even better by looking for effects which add to your attack bonus - things like Inspire Courage or even the +2 attack from charging. (In fact, confession time: When I first read the rules about ten years ago, I read that charging increased your attack bonus but didn't increase your damage, and thought that was weird - turns out it does increase your damage, if you use Power Attack. If you're a warrior-type with a good attack bonus, then that +2 translates into extra fodder for Power Attack. In the above example, having +2 attack changes the optimal Power Attack to -5 on a single hit.)
Other things which add to your attack bonus can fuel Power Attack as well, even in places you don't expect - the Deft Opportunist feat, for instance, adds +4 on all of your attacks of opportunity, which are already all made at your full attack bonus, so you can also read that feat as "+8 damage on AoOs". You can even go the other way and look at ways of lowering your opponent's AC if you want - check the Dead for Nothing link in my signature and read up on Hadyn, for instance.
These are NOT all my creations! The lead authors are identified as follows: [TS] Tempest Stormwind, [AR] Andarious Rosethorn, [RT] Radical Taoist, [SN] Sionnis, [DH] DisposableHero_, [SH] Seishi.
[TS] The Pinball Brothers: Large And In Charge (Melee, Lockdown, Charge, Juggling) [TS] Ashardalon Reborn: I Will Swallow Your Soul (Melee, Fear, Negative Levels, AoE, Theme) [AR] "A"-Game Paladin: Play That Funky Music, Knight Boy! (Team Support, Melee, Theme, Single-Class) [RT] Uncanny Trapsmith: Get in, make it look like an accident, get out. (Skillmonkey, Stealth/Scout/Infiltration, Unorthodox Methods, Theme) [AR] Wizsassin: *Everything* is permitted. (Spellcaster, Support, Sneak Attack, Utility) [TS] Phantom Rush: General Gish Gouda. (Gish, Theme, Setting-Specific(Eberron), Early-Entry PrC) [TS] Storm Knight: Another kind of gish. (Melee/"Gish", Theme, Setting-Specific(Eberron), Unorthodox Methods) [TS] Inevitable Nightmare: The weapon you only have to fire once. (Melee, "Unorthodox" Methods (no charging), Reliability) [AR] Captain Constitution: The number one threat to America. (Melee, TOUGHTOUGHTOUGH, Defense, Theme) [AR] Nuker: I casts the spells that makes the peoples fall down! (Spellcaster, damage, blasting, damage) [TS] Dread Lord of the Dead: Let the Reaping Begin! (NPC-only, Variable (combat/casting/leadership), Iconic Villain, Theme) [AR] Heavy Crusader: No Rest. No Mercy. No Matter What. (Melee, Damage (No charging), Variable, Theme). [TS] Gun Fu: It's bullet time (Ranged, THEORETICAL, Twin weapons, Theme) [RT] Face First: We should talk. (Psionic, social, mind-control, info-management) [SN] Chaingun Porcupine: Never Enuff Dakka. (Ranged, Skirmishing, Spike Damage, Incarnum) [RT] Always On Edge: The Mortal Draw deals death. (Melee, Generalist, Dungeoneering, Stunt) [AR] Feral Druid: Real feral taste. Zero druid calories. (Melee, offense, damage, murder) [RT] Rusty!: Man's Best Friend (Sentry, Support, Backup, Rearguard) [RT] The T3 (Tashalatora Triple Threat): My Kung Fu is More Powerful (Hybrid, Flex-Function, Melee, Caster) [RT] The #1 Snoipah: Boom. 'Eadshot. (Caster, Theme, Spike, Trapscout) [AR] Dreamblade: Rest in Pieces. (Melee, Damage, Single-Class, Combo/Momentum) [AR] Evasion Tank: “When fighting angry blind men, is best to stay out of the way.” (Melee, Tank, Unorthodox Methods (attack negation), Theme) [DH] Psycarnum Warrior: ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA Start (Melee, Tank, Psionics, Incarnum, 1337 h4x) [AR] Heavy Weapons Elf: WHO TOUCHED MY BOW? (Ranged, Cohort, Damage, Unorthodox Methods (ranged ToB)) [RT] Gnowhere Gnome: A little man who wasn't there (Caster, Stealth, Single-Class, Elusive) [AR] Uberflank: I got your back. (Melee, support, stunt, teamwork) [TS] Flip the Bird: Everyday I'm shuffling (Ranged, harrier, unorthodox methods (ranged ToB / off-turn movement), support) [DH] Eat Sleep Gank: Real Ultimate Power (Stealth, Assassination, Spike, Magic Versatility) [AR] Slash and Burn: Mind, Body, Blade, Flame / Aspects of a greater whole / which delivers death. (Melee, Theme (flex-style), Damage, Stunt) [RT] Edge of the Light: Cut, Fade to Black (Melee, Defense/Offense, Momentum, Tactical) [RT] Quiet Murder: Cut throats, not corners. (Melee, Stealth, Harrier, Tactical) [TS] Wand Overdrive: Say Hello to my little friends. (Caster, support/artillery/variable, wand specialist) [RT] God Hand: What did the five fingers say to the face? (Melee/Gish, Unarmed, SAD, Theme) [AR] Zero Buff Time Gish: Try to keep up! (Gish, Speed, Movement, Opportunity) [TS] Robo Tackle: I Am Iron Man. (Melee, setting-specific (Eberron), positioning, theme, stunt)
Indeed it is! Not only on reminding one to be a bit more tactical minded, but in knowing the how/why of it. Thanks muchly for that. Character building time!
Indeed it is! Not only on reminding one to be a bit more tactical minded, but in knowing the how/why of it. Thanks muchly for that. Character building time!
- Shirra
I'm fairly certain the reminder isn't necessary, but just in case: If you have questions, feel free to ask!
"Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same. If you are too attentive to the former, you will most certainly not do the hard work of securing the latter." -Condoleezza Rice
"My fellow Americans... I've just signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. Bombing begins in five minutes." - Ronald Reagan
This user has been brought to you by the letters "O-R-C" and the numbers "2, 3, 4, and 6"
Resident Pithed-Off Dragon Buttler of the House of Trolls
Character building time! 