Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Aberlonian 11-15-06, 04:45 PM	I'm a new DM for a new campaign, so this is probably obvious... Do either base attack bonus or magical weapon bonuses add to damage rolls? For instance, would a dagger +1 wielded by a 1st level fighter with +1 BAB, do 1d4+2 damage (assuming no bonus due to strength)? There doesn't seem to be anything in the PHB or DMG, but maybe I just missed it.
Ozymandias V. 11-15-06, 04:52 PM	That is not how attack bonuses work. They increase your chance of hitting, not your damage.
Aberlonian 11-15-06, 04:54 PM	Magic applies, then? So it would be 1d4+1 for a magical +1 dagger, regardless of BAB?
Bowmore 11-15-06, 04:56 PM	I recommend reading through Chapter 8: Combat in the 3.5 Player's Handbook. To answer your questions, though... Attack bonus is an separate entity from damage; your attack bonus is your chance of hitting, your damage is how many hit points you subtract from a foe when your attack hits. In your example, that fighter with the +1 dagger would get a +2 bonus to attack rolls: +1 for his base attack bonus as a fighter, and +1 for the dagger's enhancement bonus. The damage he does would be 1d4+1 (the plus one comes from the dagger's enhancement bonus). That same fighter at level 5 would roll +6 to hit: +5 from his base attack bonus as a fighter, and +1 for the dagger's enhancement. The damage would still be 1d4+1. I hope that answers your question. :)
Ozymandias V. 11-15-06, 04:57 PM	You need to actually read the sections instead of just skimming them. You may learn some interesting things. For example, not only does an enhancement bonus to a weapon provide +1 to attack rolls and +1 to damage rolls, it also improves the weapon's HP and hardness.
Aberlonian 11-15-06, 05:00 PM	Ok thanks. I'm playing 3.0, since those are the books we all have.