Attacks per round

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How do the attacks per round work? I've always wondered what it means when you are said to have 5/2 attacks per round. Why dont they just say 2.5?

Does levelling up add extra attacks in some cases (obviously proficiencies do)?

 

Fighters, rangers and paladins get additional attacks at high levels. I am not sure, but at lvl 7 and 13, IIRC, they get +½ attack per round.

5/2 attack means, you attack twice first round, and than three times in the second round, for a total of 5 attacks in two consequent rounds.

Specialisation (two points) give also +½ attack per round for fighter classes above. Swashbucklers also can specialise, but do not get additional attack. Specialisation also gives +1 to hit and +2 to damage.

Grand Mastery (5 points) is also supposed to give a bonus to attack/round, but it is nerfed in BG2. You can fix it to its true potential with a mod.

If you dual-wield, you get +1 attack with left-hand weapon (also called off-hand weapon). Offhadn weapon does not get bonus attacks from level or specialisation, you only hit with it once.

Haste adds +1 attack/round.

Improved haste actually doubles your attack/round. Say, you have 5/2 attack/round, with Improved Haste you will have 5 attacks/round. Imp haste also enables your off-hand weapon to strike twice IIRC.

Whirlwind attack is HLA available to epic lvl fighters. It sets your attack/round to 10, but you suffer -4 to hit and damage. Greater WW attack does not have those penalties.

You will also notice some weapons have different attack rates. Generally, all melee weapons, slings and crossbows have 1 atatck/round, bows and throwing daggers have 2, and darts have 3 attack/round. Exceptions do exist, but such items are rare at best. (and valuable)

Hope this helps, if you have other questions, just ask.

 

Cool. So a fighter with 9/2 attacks means he will attack twice in the first round and 7 times in the second round?

And if he is dual wielding he will attack once with his main hand weapon in the first round, then his off hand weapon, then attack 6 times with his main hand weapon in the 2nd round and once with his off hand weapon?

 

Not exactly, I guess 9/2 attack means 4 attack first, and then 5 attacks in the second round.

He can only make 1 extra attack with off-hand weapon per round unless Imp. hasted AFAIK.

 

so 9/2 means his total attacks including his off hand attacks? Of which there is only one per round?

Thanks I think I get it now.

 

Yes, you apparently get it right. Kudos to you!

You also know how exactly THAC0, AC, and saving throws work, right?

 

When you activate WW or GWW does your offhand weapon get 2 attacks or does it just stay as one?

 

^I am not sure, can some body check it now?

 

THAC0, AC and saving throws are far more basic than attacks per round in my opinion, thanks I get those.

When I first started playing BG2 (many years ago) I didnt know what 1d4 or 5d6 or any of that meant, I didnt know what THAC0 meant, I only understood armour class.

But I've learnt a lot since then.

 

Nythrun did a lot of research into the issue to try and solve some oddities with haste and ApR opcode interacting. It's probably more technical than you may like, but it's pretty thorough.

 

I know this has already been covered to some extent, but to give a little more detail, the reason they don't say 2.5 apr is because your attacks in any given round are always a whole number. You cannot attack 2.5 times in one round. You either attack twice or three times, never two and a half. Therefore 5/2 attacks per round is a more accurate way of showing it, as it represents 5 attacks over a period of 2 rounds, which is broken down by alternating 2 apr and 3 apr.