How To Calculate Average Damage Per Round
Why Role-playing Games Stack Exchange recommends it
Role-playing Games Stack Exchange users link it when answering questions about calculating expected damage, including hit chance, crits and (dis)advantage, and when citing typical hit chances across tiers.
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2019 to 2023.
What it is
A 21-minute D&D 5th edition explainer from Treantmonk's Temple on how to calculate average damage per round (DPR). It covers the easy method of adding die averages, the accurate method that weights hit and crit chances, how advantage and disadvantage change the odds, and baseline to-hit and damage values by character level.
What people said
Recommends Aechirfin · 2019-07 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “What is my average burst/nova melee damage and how do I calculate it?”
To answer the second part of your question, Treantmonk has made a video on YouTube [this video] wherein he shows his method for calculating expected damage that includes hit and crit chances, as well as the effects of (dis)advantage. While this is intended for DPR, it can work just as well for burst rounds. Briefly put you take the average amount of damage you would do on a hit (Hex + Smite would be 34 according to my calculations), and then multiply it by your chance to hit (70% or 0.7 with a +8 to hit vs 15 AC). This example would yield 23,8 expected damage. Then you do the same for crits: take the additional damage a crit would offer (26 in this example) and multiply that by your crit chance (
Cites RedGeomancer · 2019-11 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “Is there an accepted likelihood of hitting that is consistent across tiers, and how has it been determined?”
One can easily calculate DPR given a specific build (knowing proficiency bonus, ability scores, other relevant factors) and the AC of opponents, leading to spreadsheets with a matrix of customizable parameters. But what if one wants to calculate an average DPR considering typical build choices against typical CR encounters? As character attack bonuses go up, so do opponent ACs, so is there commonly used rule of thumb for an average chance to hit? For example, the following sources use chances of hitting that are apparently intended to be applied across tiers: 50%: What is the expected DPR of an animate object spell cast on daggers? [LINK] ("11+ on the d20 is required to hit") 60%: [this video] ("
Cites Pumpkinjo · 2021-05 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “Average AC of monsters per CR?”
As mentioned in the accepted answer [LINK] , the DMG offers a table with appropriate AC corresponding to the challenge rating (CR) of a creature. However, the question mentioned that this AC should be used as a reference for the sake of comparing character builds. Therefore, an average/reference AC for a given level of a PC could be useful (even though the question specifically asked for CR). Now the correspondence between the level of a PC and the CR of a typical enemy at this level is unclear ( see discussion here [LINK] ), the DMG just mentions that especially at lower levels, [the DM should] exercise caution when using monsters whose challenge rating is higher than the party’s average le
Cites Wyrmwood · 2023-08 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “How do I maximize the damage of a single, unarmed attack?”
Your title suggests one hit, but your description adds the idea is to not prepare for a day just to make a single hit, but to be able to reliably deal high damage in short instances with just fists alone. In that case, let me suggest The Pugilist Custom Lineage, Darkvision, Skill Expert +1 STR, Stealth (because Surprise), Athletics (expertise because grapple/shove) 14 Str, 14 Con, 13 in Dex, Wis, whatever in Int and Cha (+2 Str) Fighter 1, Unarmed Fighting (d8 since we aren't wielding any weapons), Perception, Intimidation (your choice), Second Wind For equipment, two handaxes (for throwing) and Chain mail. When you get some money, switch out the handaxes for javelins (for range). Dump the c