Numbers to the Rescue!

Nothing brings people out like a math problem.
this stems from this post earlier today.
I was musing  about the Warrior fight style "great weapon fighting."

the fight style allows the warrior  using a 2 handed weapon to re-roll 1's and 2's for damage and  keep the second result.

I said I would rather just roll two dice every attack and  pick the higher because it feels more thematic, to heck with the math, I'm to lazy.

Well.
A reader from G+ Mr.Ian Borchardt is not too lazy. In fact he is the antithesis of lazy so he did this:

If you want the actual numbers for your glaive, here is 1d10.

First column is highest of 2d10; second column rerolls 1 or 2.

Damage	2D pick the highest	Re roll 1 &2's take result
10	19%	12%
9	17%	12%
8	15%	12%
7	13%	12%
6	11%	12%
5	9%	12%
4	7%	12%
3	5%	12%
2	3%	2%
1	1%	2%

Using your method the average result is 7. Using the default method the average result is 6. Have fun

Thank you for the numbers Ian.
He used the damage for a weapon doing 1d10 because that's what my character is going to be trotting around with.

Where does this take me with that idea? Nowhere really I just thought the whole re-roll 1 &2's take the second roll mechanic was oddly out of place given the streamlining of the rest of the system.

Ian's numbers don't seem game breaking to me, I could try the roll 2 dice and take the higher all the time method with the group I run and I don't think the  game would implode from it.

Nor would it be any better than the "Dualist" fight style's +2 with a one handed weapon while  not wielding other weapons.  Duelist, unless I have complete lost my nut guarantees at least 3 points of damage every roll. That would make a rapier (1d8) do 3 to 11 even without other bonuses making it pretty much better than a Glaive, a Halberd, or a Pike, even with great weapon fighting. On top of that as a duelist I could have a shield for plus 2 AC. Gravy

Would it be unbalancing to give Great weapon fighter a flat damage bonus?  Perhaps.  Giving a 2D6 Maul another +2 might be a bit much over time. At least it would be consistent with duelist and archery.

This also proves that though  _I  LOATH_  min-maxing a character I am also perfectly capable of it. I fell dirty.

Also you read it here first, this kind of bonus wrangling is how babies are made and those babies are named "power creep."

In the name of fairness, my own game Amazing Adventures and Exciting exploits, has bits of dangling  mechanics exactly like this, and they also irk me. I'm going to have to go back through and  expunge some of them when I get a chance.

Thank you again to Ian for the quick numbers injection, I appreciate you taking the time.

Thank you for reading,
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