Tell me more ×
Role-playing Games Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for gamemasters and players of tabletop, paper-and-pencil role-playing games. It's 100% free, no registration required.

How does the fighter ability overhand chop from the Pathfinder Advanced Player's Guide work? Please give examples.

The reason I asked is that I have a player in my game that is using overhand chop. He has a 18 str, and he says he gets 12 to his damage instead of 8. I think he's exploiting a loop hole in the way it is written. Is this interpretation correct?

share|improve this question

2 Answers

I see no "instead" in the description, it reads very plain. People are reading into it. Not like it is overly powerful, you are giving up multiple attacks- the point when your str is meaningful- for one solid chop

share|improve this answer
2  
Actually, the text is very clear. It has a "Benefit" line and a "Normal" line. The Normal effect is there to tell you want normally happens, which the Benefit line is replacing. The Normal line says you normally add 1-1/2 strength bonus. The Benefit line says you add double, so that "double" replaces the normal "1-1/2". Saying "instead" would be redundant, so it doesn't say "instead". – SevenSidedDie May 8 at 23:15

What exactly is the question about how it works? From the Pathfinder SRD, Overhand Chop is "At 3rd level, when a two-handed fighter makes a single attack (with the attack action or a charge) with a two-handed weapon, he adds double his Strength bonus on damage rolls."

Here's an example - a fighter charges and makes a single attack with his two-handed sword; he adds double his Strength bonus (instead of the 1 1/2 times you normally would for a two handed weapon). If he had a strength of 18, he would add +8 (+4 * 2) instead of the usual +6 (+4 * 1.5).

You are correct in that it is +8, and your player is a weasel.

share|improve this answer
I'm guessing he's after the "instead" part of that example. – AceCalhoon Feb 10 '11 at 14:18
Yeah, that's what I'm guessing too, but I hate guessing. – mxyzplk Feb 10 '11 at 14:52

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.