Power attack

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I've never fully understood how power attack works. I never know if it's making the battle more difficult or it's helping, is it worth using? Is it only useful in the beggining of the game?

 

Hmm, well, in my game, I used Power Attack on any enemies I paralyzed, 'cause they can't defend themselves, and Power Attack like increases your attack power at the expense of something, I forgot,but when they can't move, it's easy pickings! Any other time, and it's pretty useless. Still, though, I loved it.

 

It's at the expense of either your dexterity or Thac0.

You only use it on really low level guys, or when you paralyze someone. If your thief has super high dexterity, you can leave it on for chapter 1, and it will make up for some of the low strength.

It hits for something like 3x damage at level 5.

 

How it works?

You turn on the PA mode and choose, say, 3. Your attack bonus is reduced by 3 and you get +3 damage. That's it.

 

It reduces your chance to hit by the same number as it adds to damage done.
That means you deal powerful but ungainly attacks.
The nuber substracted from attack bonus (max5) goes to damage(same max5). High level fighters use this feat to great effect as their BAB(base attack bonus) is high enough to overcome that penalty. So is expertize


It sure is usefull when hitting paralized enemies. You can hit them autamaticaly without even rolling for hit(IIRC).

 

Power attack is prerequisite for cleave. If you're a fighter, you have too much feat slots anyway and cleave is most useful early in the game, so why not take power attack and cleave from the beginning like I did the first time I played...

My present paladin/wizard doesn't have it and I'm not sure if he'll ever have it.

 

and expertise reduces your attack and adds to your defence, right?

 

Yes, IIRC. So if you uses both then you will have:
-10 Attack Bonus
+5 Damage Bonus
+5 Armor Class Bonus

 

You cannot activate both expertise and power attack at the same time.

Power attack adds 1 point of damage done by your weapon at the expense of 1 point from your base attack bonus on a one for one basis.

Expertise does the same for your armor class.

Moderately useful feats, though I absolutely adore expertise.

 

Expertise sucks. And Power Attack is not that useful. +5 damage, so what?

 

Its really not that bad, i believe. Its useful early in the game and it is also helpful for solo wizards and sorcerers who cant use spells all the time.

 

+5 deflection AC for almost nothing to a high-level fighter is rather worth it, IMO. Expertise is an excellent feat, though I wish they had implemented Superior expertise from D&D 3rd edition as well. There is no limit to the amount of BAB you can choose to sacrifice in exchange for AC with the superior expertise feat.

Fighters are rather shortchanged in IWD2, aren't they? At high levels, all they have going for them are feats, which are only of moderate power compared to the spells, saving throws and special abilities granted to other classes.

Hopefully, someone comes up with a mod for more powerful fighter feats for high levels, like Improved 2 weapon fighting, superior power attack, superior expertise, whirlwind attack and spring attack.

 

wow, so superior expertise has no limit on how much you add to your defence and take away from your attack? there must be some pretty heavy prequisites because if a sorcerer had that, then he (or she, i must add) would be an unstoppable God(dess) of destructive power. Im starting to wish it was included in ID2, aswell

 

After a Holy-Word spell against some high-level baddies whose feet have the stink of many kicked-butts, Power Attack is a must-use to kill as many as possible before the stun wears off...

 

I use it against helpless enemys
expertise requires a high base attack bonus as well, I think. Playing D&d helps...