AA Damage Stacking

[Legacy_Empyre65]

               I'm playing an AA for the first time. The NWNWiki article about Enchant Arrow makes it clear that the bonus stacks with the attack bonus on a magic bow, but it doesn't say whether the damage stacks with a magic arrow. I want to know whether or not I should invest in magic arrows. I know that later on. plain arrows that I shoot will be stronger than most magic arrows shot by a non-AA, but in the mean time...

For example, it I have 4 levels of AA (as I do after finishing SoU yesterday), and I shoot a +3 arrow, do I get:
 1) +2 damage because my Enchant Arrow damage always supercedes the magic arrow's bonus?
 2) +3 damage because the arrow's damage always supercedes the Enchant Arrow damage?
 3) +3 damage because the higher of the two damages always takes effect?
 4) +5 damage because the two bonuses stack?

Another related question: The article says that while the attack bonus stacks with that of a magic bow, only the larger of the two are used to determine whether it penetrates through DR, like 10/+3 for example. What if I use a +2 bow, and I have +2 Enchant Arrow bonus, and I shoot a +3 arrow, will it:
 1) penetrate up to +2 because it is the larger of the bonuses of the magic bow and Enchant Arrow?
 2) penetrate up to +3 because it is the larger of  the bonuses of the magic arrow and Enchant Arrow?
Basically, is it the bow or the arrow that penetrates DR?
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Empyre65, 17 juin 2012 - 04:56 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Krazy Solo]

               Question one would be +5 as arrow and aa bonus stacks.

Question two would be again +5 enchantment level since the game modifies your arrow enchantment with the aa bonus.  This why there is no Arrow enchantment +5 or higher only +4.  With the AA bonus maximized you can hit the +10 enchantment with arrows very easy if you build to maximize AA levels.  This assumes your not playing a modded game or pw.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Empyre65]

               So, it's the magic arrow and not the magic bow that (attempts to) penetrates (for example) 10/+5 DR? And it stacks for penetration as well as for damage, despite what the NWNWiki article says?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_HipMaestro]

               Enchantment bonus should clarify enough for you, Empyre.

So, in a nutshell... as more AA class levels are reached, those +X arrows become less and less useful and eventually of no more value than a stack of mundane ones, hence the uberness of the AA class to not rely on magical equipment to excel.  A level 29 AA will get no DR benefit from a magical bow unless it is +16 or above, but the +AB  will stack since the enhancement from the feat does not count towards the AB cap.

Naturally, custom item properties or redefined feat elements can be designed to change all this so check with your server admin to find out what customizations may have been implemented.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shadooow]

               

HipMaestro wrote...

So, in a nutshell... as more AA class levels are reached, those +X arrows become less and less useful and eventually of no more value than a stack of mundane ones

Nonsense.

Damage on arrows stacks with AA.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Empyre65]

               Thank you, that answers my first question.

I dug around in the NWNWiki and found out the answer to my second question. I looked up Damage reduction and found out that a X/+5 DR is penetrated by either Enhancement bonus or Attack bonus of +5 or more. A bow can have an Attack bonus, but an arrow does not, so a non-AA shooting a +5 arrow with a mundane bow will NOT penetrate X/+5 DR, but if he shoots a mundane arrow with a +5 bow, he WILL penetrate X/+5 DR. In other words, it is a bow, and not an arrow, that attempts to penetrate DR.

The environment I'm playing in is SoU (which I just finished), the Nether Scrolls, HotU, and the Sands of Fate series.