How important is base str for 1h melee dmg?

[neclon]

In the end game is your base str before equipment a really huge difference in damage? I mean if you get +6str item and use +5 weapons and have str buffed will you really fall that far behind someone with 6-8 more str (+3,+4 more)?

I don't really know the mechanics so I don't know if that just adds a flat +3 to dmg per hit or gets multiplied by something later on.

[Gkar]

Well in general if by 1h you mean sword & shield, thats a poor melee style choice.

+3 to hit and +3 damage per swing adds up quick, its important.

Your damage, including str bonus, also does get multipled by critical hits

[Brennie]

Generally speaking, Strength is important. But hearing the details of what your character is and why you feel the need to lower strength slightly, we may find one of the "Exceptions".

For instance, if you are making a dual-wielding finesse based halfling assassin rogue, then strength isn't all that important. It shouldn't be dumped entirely, mind you, but somewhere around 12 is an acceptable starting number (Considerably low for most melee builds). That rogue character would need good dex, con, int, and perhaps even a bit of Charisma (Diplomacy/UMD), so it might be strapped for points on strength... and the majority of damage comes from sneak attacks anyhow.

In another example, a dwarven fighter stalwart defender using THF lines and a dwarven axe/tower sheild... strength is VERY important, as it will not only determine to-hit and damage, but it will help you hold aggro via hate tanking (Plus extra damage on glancing blows to pick up stragglers).

Its all a matter of context, but sufficed to say that no melee can truely dumpstat strength and expect to perform well.

[neclon]

I am a rogue TWF finesse build, and I did put 12 into str, but the reason I am asking is I see a lot of str based rogue builds on the rogue board, and I feel like my dmg is pretty lame when I'm not getting sneaks. It seems like a str based build might have been better since the overall benefit of +dex in the long run seems lower after a certain threshhold.

[toughguyjoe]

I am a rogue TWF finesse build, and I did put 12 into str, but the reason I am asking is I see a lot of str based rogue builds on the rogue board, and I feel like my dmg is pretty lame when I'm not getting sneaks. It seems like a str based build might have been better since the overall benefit of +dex in the long run seems lower after a certain threshhold.

I have a Str based Halfling rogue, and Looking at it, I could easily have chosen Dex instead and still had a strength in acceptable ranges.

I currently sit at 24 str and 24 dex at level 14 with little effort put into either stat.

My damage is ok, but something you may also want to look at is getting a +1 str tome and munching it so you can take Power attack.

When not Sneak attacking, Power attack is nice to get your damage back up somewhat.

[neclon]

Oh, that is a good option. I actually had the luck of having djinni cake in my pack (not sure where that came from). I used it for str in my depression about my non-sneak damage. I also looked more closely at the feat -- realized why my lvl 2 fighter with power attack and a 2h weapon is doing way more dmg (double the effect for 2h weapons).

I don't want to do more damage against non-sneak targets than a fighter but I definitely want to be able to improve it.

Thanks for the heads up about power attack, I wouldn't have realized I had that option.

[savingsoul]

It's important to think about attack as well as damage, and at least one advantage about sword and board is that your attack is much higher than twf. Obviously, it's not the choice for the highest dps, but sword and board does let you get away with a slightly lower str. Thinking more holistically, in some situations having a shield may well keep you standing long enough to deal more damage, so it may well contribute to what I like to call *sustainable* dps. Just a couple things to consider.