Full attack vs standard attack in this game?

[JoeVonFo]

Hi guys

I was wondering if anyone could explain the difference between "a full attack" and "a standard attack" in this game..

I never played pathfinder, but in D&D a full attack meant all your attacks, while a standard attack was a single attack.. Does it work the same way here?

And if so, does a lvl 20 fighter then still make 4 attacks in a full attack?
If so the "Devastating Blow" ability on the two-handed fighter seem very unimpressive..

Four attacks of +20/+15/+10/+5 (all with a chance to crit) vs 1 attack at +15 that is sure to crit.
Am I misunderstanding something?

[Kommissar K]

No, you have it right. A guaranteed crit can be pretty good if you're dealing with rough DR, and using a x3 crit weapon.

Yes, all 4 of those attacks have a chance to crit. They also have diminishing chances of hitting. Taking the one attack at just a minus 5, but ensuring its most likely a crit can be pretty decent.

[Crystlmeth]

I'm not sure about in this game, but in pathfinder Devastating blow was a standard action not a full round action, so it was used for when you had to move. and take a weapon with a 3x or 4x crit, and that crit will outclass 4 possible attacks any day of the week

[JoeVonFo]

Originally posted by Crystlmeth:

I'm not sure about in this game, but in pathfinder Devastating blow was a standard action not a full round action, so it was used for when you had to move. and take a weapon with a 3x or 4x crit, and that crit will outclass 4 possible attacks any day of the week

It's a fair point in terms of movement..
But for I'm not following you in terms of the full attack being outclasses..
Lets say you have a x3 weapon..

Devastating attack deals your total damage x 3. IF you hit.

The full attack deals your total damage x 2 - 4. And in those cases where +15 isn't enough, you still have a chance of dealing x1 at least..
Furthermore all those four attacks have a chance of being crits, potentially, although extremely unlikely allowing you to deal x12 damage. With that in mind the full attack damage is probably closer to being total damage x 3 - 5
Additionally devastating blow deos not trigger crit effects from weapons and such, contrary to the full attack.

You do however have a good point, that it's better vs high DR enemies.

[Crystlmeth]

In general, at least from the perspective of a tabletop pathfinder player, those last 2 attacks won't generally hit, so its not something i usually calculate. but you're right, the full attack is a little more damage in an average situation

[JoeVonFo]

But then again.. I only know the monsters from D&D 3/3.5 edition..

Do most higher level pathfinder monsters have damage reduction?

[Ventus]

Originally posted by JoeVonFo:

Hi guys

I was wondering if anyone could explain the difference between "a full attack" and "a standard attack" in this game..

I never played pathfinder, but in D&D a full attack meant all your attacks, while a standard attack was a single attack.. Does it work the same way here?

And if so, does a lvl 20 fighter then still make 4 attacks in a full attack?
If so the "Devastating Blow" ability on the two-handed fighter seem very unimpressive..

Four attacks of +20/+15/+10/+5 (all with a chance to crit) vs 1 attack at +15 that is sure to crit.
Am I misunderstanding something?

Full attack rounds are 6 seconds in this game (and you go all out, if you can attack 4 times in one turn, you do).

Standard attack is like "my single best swing" in those 6 seconds (3.5 second in game) and its what you do if you drink a potion or move, and you dont have the chance for a full attack action.

[Grymm]

Theres other issues as well, if you're dealing with an invis (or anything with high Concealment) you might want to have a shot of True Strike (+20 to hit, ignore Concealment) and DS.

Plus exploding builds, something like a Scythe with a base *4 Crit, and a selection of Crit specific feats can be pretty horrifying.