Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Xeviat-DM Aug 11, 2008 0:00:53	For players, everything scales at 1/2 per level. For monsters, attacks and defenses scale at 1 per level. Players have ever increasing ability scores to help to increase their attack, and every class either uses heavy armor or has reason to increase their Dex or Int. But armor gains a +1 bonus at +4 enhancement and another +1 at +6 enhancement. This helps keep AC competative with monster attacks: at 30th, a 46 AC for a plate wearer without a shield is the norm (10 base +15 level +6 enhancement +14 armor +1 armor specialization). Monsters typically have a +35 to hit AC at this point based on the DMG guidelines. But armor is getting an additional +3 over attacks here: attacks don't have any real feats to get an attack bonus, and they don't get that free +2 for being higher enhancements. A typical character starting, with a starting attack score of 16 to 20 will have a 30-33 attack bonus with their weapon (15 level +6 enhancement +7-10* ability +2 proficiency). Against a PC's own AC this means a very low chance to hit, less than 50% in either direction. Non AC defenses are worse. All classes will have one high Defense, and may be lucky enough to have a secondary score attached to a different defense (Wis clerics, Axe/Hammer fighters, Cha paladins, and Dex wizards are out of luck) so that defense is fair. But all classes have a very poor defense. Even still, a character's best defense is going to be in that 40-43 range (if they got +2 with their class), and their secondary defense may be in the 38-40 range, but their poor defense is going to be much much lower, possibly as low as 33 (15 level + 6 enhancement +2 ability; very possible for a cleric, paladin, or fighter who forgos any dex or int and doesn't use a shield to shore up their reflex). But at least AC and the other Defenses have feats to boost them. Attacks have nothing. I'm sure that if there were feats to add bonuses to attack rolls, all players would take them, but as it is almost every player picks up armor or shield specialization and many players will find room to boost their lower defenses (even still, if you have a 33 defense at level 30, boosting it to 35 with a feat is still going to most of the time as the default monster has a +33 to hit non-AC defenses at this point). That was quite long winded, but what I'm getting at is I think weapons and amulets/cloaks need an additional +1 bonus at +4 enhancement, and another +1 bonus at +6 enhancement, to help them keep up with AC. I also think there should be at least one attack focus feat for each element/weapon group, perhaps with Weapon Focus or the appropriate energy feat as a prerequisite.
#2 Novacat Aug 11, 2008 0:36:39	Attacks more frequently have conditional or situational bonuses. Consider Combat Advantage (a relatively easy bonus to get), a difference of +2. Also, there are innumerable powers that grant bonuses to attack, either for yourself or for allies.