I just added the section and .PNG file showing some dmg calculations. I got interested in it b/c of so many folks talking about Monks as the highest melee dps class. Since my results here don't reflect that, I'm suspicious that my results are messed up. Can anyone point out any math problems. Or is it just the starting assumption of character level 11 that makes the difference---the Monk is a late-bloomer? Thx.Mori Behn-Aiki 19:41, December 6, 2011 (UTC)
- Well done - those charts are really helpful. But I'm somewhat confused by some of the numbers. Shouldn't the mean damage of a two handed sword be 7 (2x3,5) instead of 6? And a great axe should have a mean damage of 6,5 etc. Additionaly, the two handed damage bonus (x1,5) is applied to the strength bonus, not to the base weapon damage. Lastly, a crit modifier 20/x3 is equal to 19-20/x2 if you calculate the mean damage. So the "green highlights" should only be applied to weapons which actually have even better damage from criticals, like falchions (17-20/x2) or scythes (20/x4). And weapons with bad criticals (20/x2) could be marked with red... 22.214.171.124 15:02, January 28, 2013 (UTC)
Damage bonuses rule the gameEdit
That's a neat chart! Thanks for posting it.
In answer to your question about monks... It's missing a very powerful component of character damage output: damage bonuses added to the weapon damage. In D&D3.5 (at least as NWN2 implements it), damage bonuses are VERY plentiful. In fact, raw weapon damage dice quickly become inconscequential when you're able to add 1.5xstrength modifier, weapon enhancement and magic damage bonuses, class and feat bonuses, etc. That's probably the secret to why Monk is so amazing -- by getting crazy increases to its number of attacks per round (I've seen as high as 18 attacks per round, if memory serves me), the monk milks those bonuses dry and then sells the carcasses at even greater rip-off prices. ;) Attacking 12+ times per round just gives crazy damage output, even if he's using wimpy kama or unarmed attack damage dice.
Another thing the chart does not handle is what happens to critical hits when the character has bonuses to them. A keen weapon, for example, significantly improves the contribution of critical hits to overall damage. Then add something terrifying like Weapon Master to the mix, and the critical hits of the scythe, falchion, scimitar, etc just take over. This is especially true when the character has lots of non-variable damage bonuses that the critical hit can multiply (so the +5 weapon enhancement bonus multiplies, but the variable +1d6 acid does not. Static bonuses rule in a WM build).
FYI: Weapon Master is a *fun* class. ;) I'm a big fan, as you may have guessed.
So there's two examples of ways classes can break out of the chart. Ultimately, in NWN2 with the overwhelming abundance of magic items, crit enhancers and other damage bonuses, the damage die of your actual weapon becomes insignificant... Minute in comparison. That's why in my age-old Weapon Master FAQ (on gamefaqs.com) and on the Weapon Master page here, I tell people to ignore the damage die and focus on what ELSE the weapon gives you. Falchion vs Scimitar is a non-issue: I usually recommend you choose scimitar because it lets you change between using a shield or enjoying the two-handed strength bonus (while the falchion must be wielded two-handed, making a shield impossible). The Falchion's higher damage die is minute in the ultimate damage comparisons... though in that stupid "Mask of the Betrayer" expansion where everything is crit-immune, I chose Falchion because there's a specific one that bypasses that immunity. Beyond that, scimitar is the better choice regardless of its die.
D&D 4th edition made weapon damage dice really important again. I'm not super-familiar with 3.5 outside of the video games that are loosely based on it, but NWN2 basically says how you use the weapon is more important than the damage of the weapon itself. Actions like the weaponmaster's Ki Damage are kind of minor because they can be used only in limited amounts per day, and the bonus of maximizing weapon damage dice is often not worth the micromanagement.
Sorry if I'm rambling. I hope that helps!
Wazat 20:53, February 4, 2012 (UTC)