# Forum > Gaming > Roleplaying Games > D&D 3e/3.5e/d20 >  Use cases for always hitting for (1) damage?

## SangoProduction

I found this while looking around. It's pretty interesting.




> Because the fencer values successful hits over actual damage dealt, she can subtract damage from her weapons potential damage and add the same amount to her attack bonus. However, the weapon must do a minimum 1 point of damage. For example, the fencer who wields a rapier can subtract up to 5 points from the damage, since the rapier has a damage potential of 6 points, and add that to her attack bonus (making it become 1d6-5). If she were wielding a +3 rapier, she could subtract up to 8 points from damage, since the weapon has a damage potential of 9 points, and add that to her attack bonus. The fencer declares this power before rolling her attack, and the amount subtracted cannot exceed her base attack bonus.


So, you can power attack, and net positive on the attack bonus, and unlike with Weapon Focus, it scales (and stacks with WF) at a one-to-one ratio to BAB.
But... so what? 95% of the time you hit for 1 damage. Big whoop. (Let's just take it to the extreme with the assumption here to get the purest essence of the ability.)

Well, there's an interesting thing about Combat Maneuvers: They inherit bonuses to attack... the problem here being that the CM tends to not inherently do damage. BUT, and thus is a big but. It says potential damage *of the weapon*. Which means... there is an angle to convince the GM here, if you're using the weapon to initiate the maneuver. Of course...the potential damage of most CMs is... 0. So... yeah. I would not try and actually *push* if there's at all any resistance to the idea.

So then what you've got left are rider effects. Any effect that activates on hitting with your weapon. Most uniquely to weapons being poisons. Poisons by default kinda suck, let's be honest. Unless you're using some degenerate poison like Drow's sleeping poison.
Spheres of Might has so many rider effects that I made an entire list of them.
Then there might be spells an ally cast on you. Or perhaps you cast on yourself. The variety is too great to even attempt to describe, even though I can't think of a single one, save for some Magus gish stuff.

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## Gruftzwerg

1: Arcane Duelist has a similar ability called "Dexterous Attack"

2: We had a recent Iron Chef contest for Arcane Duelist.
I would recommend you to have a look to see some uses/combos for that ability.

Also note that the ability is used "per attack", unlike Power Attack which has an effective 1 Round duration.
Thus the most obvious use is imho to ensure that your iterative attacks will hit.
But you can also use it for attacks with "rider" effects (e.g. "Touch of Golden Ice" feat, "Poison Spell" feat).

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## Quertus

Level drain is a strong rider effect.

Infinite attacks crit fisher wouldnt mind this.

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## Maat Mons

Google says this is from final Fantasy d20?  A fan project?  




> Q: Can I combine PF and FFD20?
> A: FFD20 is meant to be a separate system from PF but does utilise some of its mechanics and items. Its up to the GM to decide.
> 
> Q: Can you import pathfinder classes to FFD20?
> A: Not really, FFD20 is meant for Final Fantasy stuff only. Pathfinder is only used as a base to create FF style classes. We may turn things into archetypes, however. If you do wish to use PF classes you will find they are severely weaker.

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## Anthrowhale

Sneak attack is a commonly available rider which benefits a great deal from hitting for at least 1 damage.  Another approach to hitting with a touch attack for 1 damage is via the Poison ring in Dragon Compendium.

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## Quertus

> Sneak attack is a commonly available rider which benefits a great deal from hitting for at least 1 damage.  Another approach to hitting with a touch attack for 1 damage is via the Poison ring in Dragon Compendium.


Oh man. Not only am I embarrassed that I didnt consider Sneak Attack, Im now picturing how fun it would be to play the scrawny Rogue with the largest possible sword available, who, contrary to reason, always hits with their sword *because* its comically oversized. And who comically only hits for minimal damage until they point out where that damage was, and their foe explodes.

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## Anthrowhale

> Oh man. Not only am I embarrassed that I didnt consider Sneak Attack, Im now picturing how fun it would be to play the scrawny Rogue with the largest possible sword available, who, contrary to reason, always hits with their sword *because* its comically oversized. And who comically only hits for minimal damage until they point out where that damage was, and their foe explodes.


Yeah, that could be great fun.  

For extra explody fun, maybe dual-wield Tigerskull clubs with greater mighty wallop cast on them.  The ability to customize per attack really helps the later iteratives hit home.

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## Ramza00

> Oh man. Not only am I embarrassed that I didnt consider Sneak Attack, Im now picturing how fun it would be to play the scrawny Rogue with the largest possible sword available, who, contrary to reason, always hits with their sword *because* its comically oversized. And who comically only hits for minimal damage until they point out where that damage was, and their foe explodes.


Wait for itbeheading activates at the end of the round.

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## Rynjin

> Google says this is from final Fantasy d20?  A fan project?


The FFd20 team likes to really bull**** about it being a 100% complete and totally different game from Pathfinder (despite using 90% of the mechanics and wholesale stealing classes from both 1st party and other 3rd party publishers but renaming them), but it's not really true.

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