Pathfinder Expected Damage Calculator

This app calculates the damage you can expect to do with different weapons in the Pathfinder adventure game.

  1. Select the minimum roll needed to hit:
  2. Select your damage bonus per hit:
  3. Assume improved critical:
  4.  

Showing calculations for 2 needed to hit, bonus of +0.

237 rows   next page  
Name Type Dmg (M) Average Base Damage Crit Range Average Damage
  Aklys     Exotic/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Ammentum     Martial/Ranged     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Ankus     Martial/One-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x2     4.5  
  Axe, boarding     Martial/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x3     3.7  
  Axe, Butchering     Exotic/Two-Handed     3d6     10.5     20/x3     11.0  
  Axe-Gauntlet, Dwarven Heavy     Exotic/One-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Axe-Gauntlet, Dwarven Light     Exotic/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x3     3.7  
  Axe, hooked     Exotic/One-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Axe, knuckle     Exotic/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x3     3.7  
  Axe, Orc Double     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d8/1d8     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Axe, throwing     Martial/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Barbazu beard     Exotic/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Bardiche     Martial/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     19-20/x2     5.7  
  Battle aspergillum     Simple/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Battleaxe     Martial/One-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Battle Ladder, gnome     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d6/1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Battle poi     Exotic/Light     1d4 fire     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Bayonet     Simple/Two-Handed     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Bec de corbin     Martial/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     20/x3     5.7  
  Bill     Martial/Two-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Blade boot     Martial/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Blowgun     Simple/Ranged     1d2     1.5     20/x2     1.5  
  Boarding gaff     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d6/1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Boarding pike     Simple/Two-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Bola, Brutal     Exotic/Ranged     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Bola     Exotic/Ranged     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Boomerang     Exotic/Ranged     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Bow, thorn     Exotic/Ranged     1d6     3.5     20/x3     3.7  
  Brass knife     Simple/Light     1d4     2.5     19-20/x2     2.6  
  Brass knuckles     Simple/Light     1d3     2.0     20/x2     2.0  
  Cat-o'-nine-tails     Martial/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Cestus     Simple/Light     1d4     2.5     19-20/x2     2.6  
  Chain-hammer     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d6/1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Chain, spiked     Exotic/Two-Handed     2d4     5.0     20/x2     5.0  
  Chakram     Martial/Ranged     1d8     4.5     20/x2     4.5  
  Claw blades     Martial/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Club, mere     Simple/One-Handed     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Club     Simple/One-Handed     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Combat scabbard     Martial/One-Handed     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Crook     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Crossbow, crank (heavy)     Exotic/Ranged     1d10     5.5     19-20/x2     5.7  
  Crossbow, crank (light)     Exotic/Ranged     1d8     4.5     19-20/x2     4.7  
  Crossbow, double     Exotic/Ranged     1d8     4.5     19-20/x2     4.7  
  Crossbow, hand     Exotic/Ranged     1d4     2.5     19-20/x2     2.6  
  Crossbow, heavy     Simple/Ranged     1d10     5.5     19-20/x2     5.7  
  Crossbow, heavy (underwater)     Simple/Ranged     1d10     5.5     19-20/x2     5.7  
  Crossbow, launching     Exotic/Ranged     -     0.0     -     0.0  
  Crossbow, light     Simple/Ranged     1d8     4.5     19-20/x2     4.7  
  Crossbow, light (underwater)     Simple/Ranged     1d8     4.5     19-20/x2     4.7  
  Crossbow, repeating     Exotic/Ranged     1d8     4.5     19-20/x2     4.7  
  Crossbow, repeating heavy     Exotic/Ranged     1d10     5.5     19-20/x2     5.7  
  Curve blade, elven     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     18-20/x2     6.0  
  Cutlass     Martial/One-Handed     1d6     3.5     18-20/x2     3.8  
  Dagger, dueling     Martial/Light     1d4     2.5     19-20/x2     2.6  
  Dagger, punching     Simple/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x3     2.6  
  Dagger     Simple/Light     1d4     2.5     19-20/x2     2.6  
  Dagger, swordbreaker     Exotic/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Dart, jolting     Martial/Ranged     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Darts, featherweight (10)     Exotic/Ranged     -     0.0     -     0.0  
  Dart     Simple/Ranged     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Dogslicer     Martial/Light     1d6     3.5     19-20/x2     3.7  
  Dorn-Dergar, dwarven     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     20/x2     5.5  
  Earth breaker     Martial/Two-Handed     2d6     7.0     20/x3     7.3  
  Elven branched spear     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Estoc     Exotic/One-Handed     2d4     5.0     18-20/x2     5.5  
  Falcata     Exotic/One-Handed     1d8     4.5     19-20/x3     5.1  
  Falchion     Martial/Two-Handed     2d4     5.0     18-20/x2     5.5  
  Fauchard     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     18-20/x2     6.0  
  Flail, dire     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d8/1d8     4.5     20/x2     4.5  
  Flail, heavy     Martial/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     19-20/x2     5.7  
  Flail     Martial/One-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x2     4.5  
  Flailpole     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x2     4.5  
  Flambard     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     19-20/x2     5.7  
  Flask Thrower     Exotic/Ranged     -     0.0     -     0.0  
  Flickmace     Exotic/One-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x2     4.5  
  Flindbar     Exotic/One-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x2     4.5  
  Flying blade     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d12     6.5     20/x3     6.8  
  Flying Talon     Exotic/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Gandasa     Martial/One-Handed     2d4     5.0     20/x3     5.2  
  Garrote     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Gauntlet     Simple/Unarmed     1d3     2.0     20/x2     2.0  
  Gauntlet, spiked     Simple/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Giant-Sticker, Dwarven     Exotic/Light     2d6     7.0     20/x3     7.3  
  Gladius     Martial/Light     1d6     3.5     19-20/x2     3.7  
  Glaive-guisarme     Martial/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     20/x3     5.7  
  Glaive     Martial/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     20/x3     5.7  
  Gnome pincher     Exotic/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Grappling hook     Exotic/Ranged     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Greataxe     Martial/Two-Handed     1d12     6.5     20/x3     6.8  
  Greatclub     Martial/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     20/x2     5.5  
  Greatsword     Martial/Two-Handed     2d6     7.0     19-20/x2     7.3  
  Guisarme     Martial/Two-Handed     2d4     5.0     20/x3     5.2  
  Halberd     Martial/Two-Handed     1d10     5.5     20/x3     5.7  
  Halfling rope-shot     Exotic/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x2     3.5  
  Hammer, Gnome hooked     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d8/1d6     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Hammer, light     Martial/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  
  Hammer, lucerne     Martial/Two-Handed     1d12     6.5     20/x2     6.5  
  Handaxe     Martial/Light     1d6     3.5     20/x3     3.7  
  Harpoon     Exotic/Two-Handed     1d8     4.5     20/x3     4.7  
  Helmet, dwarven boulder     Exotic/Light     1d4     2.5     20/x2     2.5  

Explanation Of Calculations

Suppose you are playing the Pathfinder adventure game. Your character, Oofta D'Boofta, is wielding a great sword. Oofta has a strength ability score of 15 and he is wielding his great sword two-handed. That makes his damage bonus +3. You have noticed during the course of a battle that when you roll a 10 and add in your attack bonuses against a medium-sized creature, your DM calls it a miss. But when you roll an 11 on the die, it's a hit. In other words, you have determined that, not counting attack bonuses, you need to roll an 11 or better to hit. How much damage can you expect to do per attack from then on?

A great sword does 2D6 damage on medium creatures. The average for a die roll is the sum of the values of each side divided by the number of sides. For a D6 that would be (1+2+3+4+5+6)/6, or 21/6, or 3.5. A great sword does 2D6 so it would do 3.5 x 2 or 7 points of base damage per hit.

Note: An easy way to calculate the average for a single die roll is to take the number of sides, add one, and divide by two. For a 6-sided, it would be one half of 7 or 3.5.

The average base damage for a great sword would therefore be 7. Add your bonus of +3 and your character would do an average of 10 points of damage per successful hit not counting crit damage. [We'll get to that.]

In Pathfinder, you roll a 20-sided die for an attack. The average base damage for an attack would be the amount of damage for each roll divided by the number of sides, in this case 20. We have determined that you need an 11 to hit so rolls of 1 through 10 do zero points of damage. Rolls of 11 through 20 do 10 points of damage. The average base damage would be (0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10)/20, or 100/20, or 5.0.

But what about critical hits? A great sword does double damage on a critical hit when you roll a 19 or 20 and then confirm the critical hit with a second successful attack roll. The calculations for confirming the critical hit are similar to the first attack, you do zero points of damage for rolling a 10 or less and 10 points for 11 or higher. On the average, you would do an additional 5 points of damage when you roll to confirm the crit. So after accounting for critical hit damage, our average damage calculation would be (0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+15+15)/20, or 110/20, or 5.5

The average damage Oofta will do per attack is 5.5 points. You can see how your choice of weapon compares to other weapons when it takes an 11 to hit and damage bonus +3.

Note: The Improved Critical feat doubles the critical hit range for a specific weapon.

Suggestions? jheim@math.wisc.edu