Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Keyar81 04-10-07, 11:54 AM	Just a few questions about attack and damage bonuses? 1) Does your dex mod apply to your bow's attack roll only or also to damage? 2) Does your class' Base attack bonuses apply to your offhand weapon if dual wielding? 3) When the phb refers to applying str bonus to (1/2)offhand weapons, or weapons held 1hand or (1 1/2)2handed, does this refer to just the dmg rolls or also the attack rolls? 3) If a Character is Flat-footed does his dex mod PENALTY still apply? ie he has a dex of 9 giving him a mod of -1.
Witch 04-10-07, 12:12 PM	1) Does your dex mod apply to your bow's attack roll only or also to damage? Attack roll only. 2) Does your class' Base attack bonuses apply to your offhand weapon if dual wielding? Obviously. Why do you think it wouldn't? 3) When the phb refers to applying str bonus to (1/2)offhand weapons, or weapons held 1hand or (1 1/2)2handed, does this refer to just the dmg rolls or also the attack rolls? Just the damage rolls. 3) If a Character is Flat-footed does his dex mod PENALTY still apply? ie he has a dex of 9 giving him a mod of -1. The penalty still applies.
meabolex 04-10-07, 12:16 PM	Just a few questions about attack and damage bonuses? 1) Does your dex mod apply to your bow's attack roll only or also to damage? Dexterity modifier is applied to attack roll, not damage roll. 2) Does your class' Base attack bonuses apply to your offhand weapon if dual wielding? Yes. Iterative attacks with the off-hand, like main hand attacks, are made at BAB for the first, -5 for the second, -10 for the third, etc. 3) When the phb refers to applying str bonus to (1/2)offhand weapons, or weapons held 1hand or (1 1/2)2handed, does this refer to just the dmg rolls or also the attack rolls? The Strength bonus multiplier they're talking about applies to damage. You get half your Strength modifier (rounded down) added to off-hand melee weapon attacks, full Strength modifier added to one-handed melee weapon attacks, and 1.5 times your Strength modifier (rounded down) with two-handed melee weapon attacks. 4) If a Character is Flat-footed does his dex mod PENALTY still apply? ie he has a dex of 9 giving him a mod of -1. From the 3.5 FAQ Say my character has a 3 in Dexterity, giving him a negative modifier to his AC. Now if he is caught flat-footed, he is denied his Dex modifier to his AC. Does this mean that his AC is actually better if he is caught flat-footed? Actually, the definition for flat-footed indicates that you lose your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any); it doesn’t remove a penalty that you normally receive from having a low Dexterity score.
Keyar81 04-10-07, 12:25 PM	So at first lvl a ranger gets a +1 base attack bonus, this bonus will apply to both the main hand and offhand if she chooses to use attack with both weapons? If so then what happens she reaches 6th lvl and gets a base attack bonus of +6/+1, is she capable of attacking twice with the offhand and the main hand in the same round, for a total of four attacks?
Witch 04-10-07, 12:27 PM	So at first lvl a ranger gets a +1 base attack bonus, this bonus will apply to both the main hand and offhand if she chooses to use attack with both weapons? If so then what happens she reaches 6th lvl and gets a base attack bonus of +6/+1, is she capable of attacking twice with the offhand and the main hand in the same round, for a total of four attacks? No, she needs to take the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat to gain a secondary attack with her offhand. Hence she'll have three attacks, until she takes that feat. Also note that you shouldn't forget the penalties for TWF.
Keyar81 04-10-07, 12:32 PM	No, she needs to take the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat to gain a secondary attack with her offhand. Hence she'll have three attacks, until she takes that feat. Also note that you shouldn't forget the penalties for TWF. But will the First bonus, ie +1 at first lvl, +6 at 6th, still apply to both weapons when attacking with both?, so say at 6th lvl she chooses to attack with both weapons, a full round action, her main hand gets 2 attacks, at +6/+1(and taking into account the twf penalties), then she attacks with her offhand at which bonus? +6?
Witch 04-10-07, 12:41 PM	Look. It's really simple. I'm going to assume you're fighting with two light weapons, and have the TWF feat. This means -2/-2 penalties on both attacks. I will ignore your strength or dexterity modifiers. At +6 BAB, you can then attack at a +4 (mainhand)/+4 (offhand)/-1 (mainhand). If you add Improved TWF, that becomes +4 (mainhand)/+4 (offhand)/-1 (mainhand)/(-1 offhand).
meabolex 04-10-07, 12:44 PM	Think about it this way: You gain base attack bonus every level if you're playing a fighter, ranger, paladin, or barbarian. Each time you gain 5 more base attack bonus than the first, you gain an extra attack with your main hand. However, the new attack gets 5 less contribution from base attack bonus than your lowest attack. So at level 6, you get a +6 attack, but since you've gained 5 base attack bonus since level 1, you get an extra attack. Since your lowest attack is at +6, your next attack is at +1. With no special feats, you can make an off-hand attack if you have weapons in both hands. The feat "Two-Weapon Fighting" reduces the penalties for attacking with two weapons - and they're pretty steep penalties. Note that you don't get extra attacks from the off-hand from having high base attack bonus. The two concepts - number of off-hand attacks and number of main-hand attacks - come from different sources. You need feats to be able to attack more with your off-hand.
Keyar81 04-10-07, 12:52 PM	Alright thanks for the help guys. I'll try not to bother anyone else with my 'simple' and 'obvious' questions.
meabolex 04-10-07, 12:58 PM	Alright thanks for the help guys. I'll try not to bother anyone else with my 'simple' and 'obvious' questions. Sometimes I think its easier to explain linear algebra and differential equations to people than D&D combat rules. Multiple versions of the rules, poorly worded rules, and various "official" rules "clarification" sources do not help.