DaloLorn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 8:21 amYes. Zen Archery is very much like Weapon Finesse, in that you add the better of your WIS and DEX scores to ranged AB... but like Intuitive Attack, it's not a vanilla feat, which would make it subject to the same stacking rules as Intuitive Attack. A 20-DEX, 30-WIS character with Zen Archery would get +5 AB from DEX, and another +5 AB from WIS. (The former bonus would not be subject to the +20 AB cap.)
Zen Archery is actually a stock NWN2 feat, a therefore it does not suffer from the same mechanical limitations as the custom Intuitive Attack feat (Zen Archery for melee weapons) suffers from. For example, if a character with Intuitive Attack or any of the Melee Weapon Mastery feats dies, this character might have to either re-equip or remove a weapon in order to re-apply the bonus AB, which counts towards the AB bonus cap of 20. With Zen Archery, it works just as Weapon Finesse does, meaning that you do not have to re-equip or remove a weapon to make sure that the feat is in effect.
Also, some minor corrections, Implosion has +3 to DC and the Deep Gnome build I used as an example cannot innately have wisdom modifier of 14 and the Epic Spell focus on this server. Even if you start with 20 wisdom, you would need to put all ability score increases into wisdom and spend your all five epic feats on Great Wisdom to end up at 32, which would be 36 with the +4 Wisdom item or spell, and thus result with an innate Wisdom modifier of mere +13. My bad. Anyhow, if you spend two of those epic feats on Vampiric Feast and Epic Spell Focus, you would end up at +12 wisdom, which could be bumped up to +16 through the use of a Owl's Insight Elixir. Anyhow, it doesn't really have a such a big effect in things due to the close proximity of the AB bonus cap.
Anyhow, in favour of the change, as an attempt to convince thaty it was not something so daft once again.
Before the changes to Divine Power, our Deep Gnome Monk 3/Cleric 7/Sacred Fist 10/Hierophant 10 would have had the following AB:
30 (BAB) (Divine Power)
+ 1 (Small Race)
+ 7 (Dexterity [Not counted towards the AB cap from Weapon Finesse])
+ 9 (16 Wisdom modifier, with Elixir of Owl's Insight, overflow as AB bonus) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 9/20)
+ 4 (Enchantment Gloves/Bracers) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 13/20)
+ 3 (Divine Favor) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 16/20)
+ 1 (Bless...) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 17/20)
+ 2 (Potion of Heroism... ) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 19/20)
+ 1 (Haste, wand or potion) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 20/20)
- 2 (Flurry of Blows)
= 56
And this build would have had a 6 base attacks due to 30 BAB, 2 more from the use of Flurry, and 1 on top of it all from Haste: thus a total of 9 attacks per round, of which four are made at the build's highest AB bonus.
But if we look at the server as it is right now:
24 (BAB)
+ 1 (Small Race)
+ 7 (Dexterity [Not counted towards the AB cap from Weapon Finesse])
+ 9 (16 Wisdom modifier, with Elixir of Owl's Insight, overflow as AB bonus) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 9/20)
+ 4 (Enchantment Gloves/Bracers) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 13/20)
+
8 7 (Divine Power) (Brings the total AB bonus cap to 20/20)
+
3 0 (Divine Favor) (Exceeds total AB bonus cap)
+
1 0 (Bless...) (Exceeds total AB bonus cap)
+
2 0 (Potion of Heroism... ) (Exceeds total AB bonus cap)
+
1 0 (Haste, wand or potion) (Exceeds total AB bonus cap)
- 2 (Flurry of Blows)
= 50
And this build would only have 5 base attacks due to 24 BAB, 2 more from the use of Flurry, and 1 on top of it all from Haste: thus a total of 8 attacks per round, of which four are made at the build's highest AB bonus. If you compare it to how things used to be, the current state of affairs is not as powerful as it used to be, namely the old build would have had 5 attacks done at AB of 50 or more, where as the current situation of the build only allows it to get 4 attacks done at that AB of 50.
It should also be said that the you do get much out of the Sacred Flames, only two uses per rest. So a lot of your damage is actually based on your equipment and constant casting of Divine Favor and Aura Versus Alignment. You know, it is a hassle, and things have damage resistances that will soak up the damage you dfeal -- so what if you land some hits, at best you tickle some mobs on this server. It all sounds fun on paper, but try playing one, and you will just bore yourself to death.
Thus, the change would not be so daft after all.
If you are offended by what I said have said above, I have recieved my last warning, I have discussed Intuitive Attack, so report - for I do not mind. Getting me banned is nothing special, it happens every week. But you could also choose not to be offended, this place needs more banter, your choice.
