having trouble understanding multiclassing and Base Attack Bonus [Archive] - Wizards Community

having trouble understanding multiclassing and Base Attack Bonus [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Nusaka_Irosas
03-06-07, 08:24 PM Hello all. I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around the math of how to calculate base attack bonuses for characters with multiple classes. I know that once a player gets a +6 bonus, it moves to +6/+1 and (s)he gets an additional attack, but after that how does it work?

I can't see where the additional numbers go to, or which attack I am supposed to add them to once I gain more levels and add more BAB?

Help, please? :D
primemover003
03-06-07, 09:05 PM OK Nusaka, if you take 2 levels of fighter your BAB will be +2. Say you want to add 2 levels of Sorcerer a 2nd level Sor BAB is +1 so you add +2 from the fighter and +1 from the Sor to get BAB +3.

When you look at the tables that's the total each class gets to BAB and base saves for that level. If you take several levels of another class you merely add the two together.

Here's an exercise:
Take a 5th level rogue and add a 7th level wizard's BAB together.
BAB +6/+1. That's right this character will now have two attacks per round, one at +6, the second at +1 but only if they choose the Full Attack option
Nusaka_Irosas
03-06-07, 09:14 PM Well, that part is easy enough. :D What I'm driving at, though, is where it gets tricky.

Say I'm building a level 20th NPC from the ground up. I want him to be a Cleric 3, Wizard 3, Mystic Theurge 4, Alienist 10. Where I get lost, is after I get multiple attacks.

If I have say, a +6/+1 already, and I have to add another +1 to my BAB when I gain a level, where does it go to, the +6, or the +1? Or do I get +7/+2 until one of them reaches +6, where I get a third attack?

This is why I am unsure of how the system works. :D
Sildatorak
03-06-07, 09:28 PM I get +7/+2 until one of them reaches +6, where I get a third attackCorrect.
primemover003
03-06-07, 09:37 PM You get a 2nd attack at +6, a 3rd at +11, and a 4th at +16. Note that only Fighters. Barbarians, Paladins, Rangers or other warrior types will get 4 attacks by 20th level. Clerics, rogues, druids, Monks, Bards etc will only get 3 by 20th level and wizards/sorcerers will only get 2 by 20th.

I'm not sure about the alienist but I think you'll have:
+2 from Clr 3
+1 from Wiz 3
+2 from MT 4
+5 from Alienist 10
= BAB +10/+5
Kouk
03-06-07, 10:49 PM The extra slash in +6/+1 is for ease of remembering that you get 2 attacks starting when you get +6 BAB. Your BAB is still just the +6. Subsequent attacks in a round are made at -5 of the previous attack bonus, so the second attack you get has a total bonus of +1 (6-5=1). These are listed as well to help you keep track of having extra attacks, but the only one directly increasing is your BAB, which is always the first number on the charts.

A character gets a third attack at BAB +11, so it will be +11/+6/+1 to remind you you get 3 attacks. It is first at full BAB of 11, second at BAB -5 for total of +6, third at BAB -5 -5 for total of +1 (BAB -10 is easier).
InterSilva
03-07-07, 04:54 PM There are alternate rules in UA that treat Base Attack Bonuses as fractional, which I use for my BAB and Saves. For example, a Cleric 1/Rogue 1 will normally have a BAB of +0, but since they both technically have +3/4 at level 1, that totals +1 1/2 at level 2, or a BAB of +1.
Sildatorak
03-07-07, 05:22 PM There are alternate rules in UA that treat Base Attack Bonuses as fractional, which I use for my BAB and Saves.I personally don't care for the UA version of fractional saves since it is strictly more powerful than the PHB version. IMC, I use the fractional BAB as is, but use fractional saves with one change: you can only get the +2 boost for a good save once. So rogue 3/ranger 3 would have BAB 2.75+3=5.75 -> +5 and a reflex save of Fort 2+3/2+3/2=+5, Ref=2+3/2+3/3=4.5 -> +4, Will of 3/3+3/3=+2.
primemover003
03-07-07, 05:32 PM A character gets a third attack at BAB +11, so it will be +11/+6/+1 to remind you you get 3 attacks. It is first at full BAB of 11, second at BAB -5 for total of +6, third at BAB -5 -5 for total of +1 (BAB -10 is easier).
But as you're mainly a Wizard, that's never gonna happen. Two is all that character builds gonna get. :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Nusaka_Irosas 03-06-07, 08:24 PM	Hello all. I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around the math of how to calculate base attack bonuses for characters with multiple classes. I know that once a player gets a +6 bonus, it moves to +6/+1 and (s)he gets an additional attack, but after that how does it work? I can't see where the additional numbers go to, or which attack I am supposed to add them to once I gain more levels and add more BAB? Help, please? :D
primemover003 03-06-07, 09:05 PM	OK Nusaka, if you take 2 levels of fighter your BAB will be +2. Say you want to add 2 levels of Sorcerer a 2nd level Sor BAB is +1 so you add +2 from the fighter and +1 from the Sor to get BAB +3. When you look at the tables that's the total each class gets to BAB and base saves for that level. If you take several levels of another class you merely add the two together. Here's an exercise: Take a 5th level rogue and add a 7th level wizard's BAB together. BAB +6/+1. That's right this character will now have two attacks per round, one at +6, the second at +1 but only if they choose the Full Attack option
Nusaka_Irosas 03-06-07, 09:14 PM	Well, that part is easy enough. :D What I'm driving at, though, is where it gets tricky. Say I'm building a level 20th NPC from the ground up. I want him to be a Cleric 3, Wizard 3, Mystic Theurge 4, Alienist 10. Where I get lost, is after I get multiple attacks. If I have say, a +6/+1 already, and I have to add another +1 to my BAB when I gain a level, where does it go to, the +6, or the +1? Or do I get +7/+2 until one of them reaches +6, where I get a third attack? This is why I am unsure of how the system works. :D
Sildatorak 03-06-07, 09:28 PM	I get +7/+2 until one of them reaches +6, where I get a third attackCorrect.
primemover003 03-06-07, 09:37 PM	You get a 2nd attack at +6, a 3rd at +11, and a 4th at +16. Note that only Fighters. Barbarians, Paladins, Rangers or other warrior types will get 4 attacks by 20th level. Clerics, rogues, druids, Monks, Bards etc will only get 3 by 20th level and wizards/sorcerers will only get 2 by 20th. I'm not sure about the alienist but I think you'll have: +2 from Clr 3 +1 from Wiz 3 +2 from MT 4 +5 from Alienist 10 = BAB +10/+5
Kouk 03-06-07, 10:49 PM	The extra slash in +6/+1 is for ease of remembering that you get 2 attacks starting when you get +6 BAB. Your BAB is still just the +6. Subsequent attacks in a round are made at -5 of the previous attack bonus, so the second attack you get has a total bonus of +1 (6-5=1). These are listed as well to help you keep track of having extra attacks, but the only one directly increasing is your BAB, which is always the first number on the charts. A character gets a third attack at BAB +11, so it will be +11/+6/+1 to remind you you get 3 attacks. It is first at full BAB of 11, second at BAB -5 for total of +6, third at BAB -5 -5 for total of +1 (BAB -10 is easier).
InterSilva 03-07-07, 04:54 PM	There are alternate rules in UA that treat Base Attack Bonuses as fractional, which I use for my BAB and Saves. For example, a Cleric 1/Rogue 1 will normally have a BAB of +0, but since they both technically have +3/4 at level 1, that totals +1 1/2 at level 2, or a BAB of +1.
Sildatorak 03-07-07, 05:22 PM	There are alternate rules in UA that treat Base Attack Bonuses as fractional, which I use for my BAB and Saves.I personally don't care for the UA version of fractional saves since it is strictly more powerful than the PHB version. IMC, I use the fractional BAB as is, but use fractional saves with one change: you can only get the +2 boost for a good save once. So rogue 3/ranger 3 would have BAB 2.75+3=5.75 -> +5 and a reflex save of Fort 2+3/2+3/2=+5, Ref=2+3/2+3/3=4.5 -> +4, Will of 3/3+3/3=+2.
primemover003 03-07-07, 05:32 PM	A character gets a third attack at BAB +11, so it will be +11/+6/+1 to remind you you get 3 attacks. It is first at full BAB of 11, second at BAB -5 for total of +6, third at BAB -5 -5 for total of +1 (BAB -10 is easier). But as you're mainly a Wizard, that's never gonna happen. Two is all that character builds gonna get. :)