Pathfinder Power Attack Calculator: Damage & Bonus
⚔ Pathfinder Power Attack Calculator
Calculate Power Attack penalty, damage bonus & average DPR
⚡Quick Presets
📋Attack Configuration
⚔ Power Attack Results
🧩Power Attack Quick Stats
Str 13
Prerequisite
-1
Min Penalty
+2
Min Dmg Bonus
1.5x
Two-Hand Mult.
-5
Max Penalty
+10
Max 1H Bonus
+15
Max 2H Bonus
BAB +1
Min BAB Needed
⚔Power Attack Scaling by BAB
| BAB | Attack Penalty | 1H Damage Bonus | 2H Damage Bonus | Off-Hand Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +1 to +3 | -1 | +2 | +3 | +1 |
| +4 to +7 | -2 | +4 | +6 | +2 |
| +8 to +11 | -3 | +6 | +9 | +3 |
| +12 to +15 | -4 | +8 | +12 | +4 |
| +16 to +20 | -5 | +10 | +15 | +5 |
📊Common Weapon Damage Dice
| Weapon | Damage | Crit Mult. | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | 1d4 | 19–20/×2 | P/S |
| Longsword | 1d8 | 19–20/×2 | S |
| Greatsword | 2d6 | 19–20/×2 | S |
| Battleaxe | 1d8 | ×3 | S |
| Greataxe | 1d12 | ×3 | S |
| Warhammer | 1d8 | ×3 | B |
📖Related Feat Synergies
| Feat | Effect | Prerequisite | Stacks with PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furious Focus | No PA penalty on first attack | Str 13, PA, BAB +1 | Yes |
| Cleave | Extra attack on adjacent foe | Str 13, PA | Yes |
| Great Cleave | Unlimited cleave attacks | Str 13, PA, Cleave, BAB +4 | Yes |
| Cornugon Smash | Free Intimidate on PA hit | PA, Intimidate 6 ranks | Yes |
| Vital Strike | Extra weapon dice on one attack | BAB +6 | No |
💡 Two-Handed Weapons: Power Attack gives 50% more damage bonus with two-handed weapons. A BAB +8 fighter gets +9 damage (instead of +6) on two-handed attacks, making greatswords and greataxes ideal.
🎯 Furious Focus Combo: Take Furious Focus to negate the Power Attack penalty on your first attack each round. This maximizes damage output while keeping your primary attack accurate.
Power Attack is one of the most known feats in Pathfinder It gives damage instead of accuracy through climbing penalty. The key idea is easy: you take a penalty in attack rolls for more damage. Pathfinder simplified it to -1 in attack for +2 damage.
When the basic attack bonus reaches +4 and every extra 4 points, the penalties grow by -1 and the bonus in +2. You choose the effect before the attack roll, and it lasts until the next turn.
Power Attack: Give Up Accuracy to Do More Damage
The bonus expands by half for two-handed weapons, one-handed weapons used with two hands or basic natural weapons, that multiply the Strength modifier by 1.5 in damage. For instance, with BAB +4 and 20 Strength, the total attack is +7 (BAB +4, Strength +5, Power Attack -2) and the damage +9 with one-handed wepnas or +13 with two-handed.
For two-handed weapons specifically, the damage table is this: in -1 penalty +3 bonus, in -2 +6, in -3 +9, in -4 +12, in -5 +15 and in -6 +18. That extra 50% really adds up.
Even so there is a catch. If you use Power Attack, it counts for all attacks, including those of opportunity. The penalty stays for all additional attacks.
It becomes difficult for iterative attacks, where the penalty can low the hit chance too a lot. Some think that Power Attack only gets worse while it progresses because of that.
Power Attack is a feat that you love or hate. You consider it among the strongest in all Pathfinder. A small penalty in attacking you can fix with buffs and later grow with other buffs and skills, which way outweighs the penalty.
Fighters do not care about accuracy, so it works really well.
But classes like Inquisitors, that do not have full BAB, probably do not benefit from hit reductions. They have other things than Strength to care about. Power Attack does not work for them.
In the video game Pathfinder: Kingmaker you use Power Attack for combat maneuvers like Bull Rush and Sunder Armor. It appears also in feats like Cleave, Cornugon Smash together with Persuasion 6 and Dreadful Carnage. A good strategy for full attacks is to use it in the second attack in a round attack, because the third at -10 already is a tallorder.
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