Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RickJ36 10-18-06, 08:48 AM	New to D and D and trying to understand all the rules. Several creatures, and characters as well have attack lines that read like this +6/+4/+2/+1 Does this mean round to round that their attack bonuses diminsh? Thank You in advance
Nom 10-18-06, 09:58 AM	Not round to round, no. Rather, a creature may make a "full attack", forfeiting all their movement other than a single "5 ft. step" (one unhindered square). When they do so, the creature gets multiple attacks but often at different bonuses. The example creature gets 4 attacks in a single round if it full attacks, the first at +6, then next at +4, the next at +2, and the last at +1. For characters, the attack bonus will typically drop by 5 points each time, since PCs get one attack at full "Base Attack Bonus", a second at -5 if their BAB is 6 or more, a third at -10 if it's 11 or more, and a fourth at -15 if it's 16 or more. For example, check out the Fighter table on PH pg 39, and note the extra attacks each 5 levels. Monsters with natural weapons use a different set of rules to figure the attack bonuses from each weapon.
Cifer 10-18-06, 02:07 PM	Still, the most common decrement is by five points per attack, though unusual circumstances could change that (fighting with two weapons with different enhancement bonuses,...).
CharlieRock 10-18-06, 02:17 PM	I think the extra attacks come at a lower initiative as well. I got chewed out in the last campaign for using a Enemy Barbarian NPC with multiple bonus attacks (+6 & +1) for making each attack at the same initiative. :(
Escef 10-18-06, 03:23 PM	I think the extra attacks come at a lower initiative as well. I got chewed out in the last campaign for using a Enemy Barbarian NPC with multiple bonus attacks (+6 & +1) for making each attack at the same initiative. :( No, you were correct. Iteritive attacks take place during the same initiative count as the first attack in the sequence. Your group is either making a houserule or is confusing the 3e rules for multiple attacks with the 2e rules.
Matthew77 10-18-06, 03:28 PM	CharlieRock, that is a house rule. In the Rules as Written, all iterative attacks happen simultanously on your turn if you take the full attack action. Remember that each attack roll does not represent one swing of the weapon. Instead, during the 6 second round of combat, each combatant makes many motions, swings, feints, parries, etc.. the attack roll represents the opportunity to land a damaging blow sometime during those six seconds of action. A highly skilled combatant is able to find or create more opportunities to damage the opponent, thus recieves iterative attacks when spending the full six seconds concentrating on fighting instead of moving or taking other actions.
Escef 10-18-06, 03:36 PM	In the Rules as Written, all iterative attacks happen simultanously on your turn if you take the full attack action. Don't know if they happen simultaneously per se, but they are resolved in order of highest BAB attack first and descending inorder of BAB. The only exception being attacks with secondary/off-hand weapons, which can be resolved either before or after the primary attack. The rules also strongly imply that iteritive attacks with the off-hand weapon (if any) are rolled in as proper a sequence with the primary weapon as possible. E.g.: A fighter with BAB +15/+10/+5 weilding a second weapon (and with the appropriate feats) also gets 2 attacks at +15/+10 (other bonuses and penalties not withstanding). The attacks would go +15(primary or secondary)/+15(the other)/+10(primary or secondary, need not be the same as the first attack)/+10(the other)/+5(primary).