regarding powerstrike, informal testing i've done shows that it does not increase damage. according to the help, it increases chance to hit/penetrate (or maybe just penetrate, i forget), but you dont need it to do more damage. my philosophy on it now is to open it (100 strength is great just for the damage multiplier), but i dont pump points into it at levelups unless i've got nowhere else to put the points.
powercast is slightly different. it mitigates the magic resistances of your targets, which will allow your spells to do more damage and cause more conditions. and, of course, there's the aforementioned extension of spell effects. for that reason, i always go for it right away (ie max intelligence) and pump powercast at every levelup for anyone whose primary role is spellcasting.
i've noticed that maces (bash) suffer less of a damage reduction against high armoured monsters (eg juggernauts, adamantium slimes) than swords (thrust, swing). similarly, the rogue backstab requires they use a weapon that has thrust as an attack mode (eg they cant backstab with a staff).
as to your questions about game mechanics, there's been lots of speculation, and some testing has revealed some indicative things. but as for precise forumlae? i dont think we'll ever see it.
but if they're going to keep it proprietary, then they better give us another game!
edit: clarity (i hope)
[ 12-14-2003, 07:53 PM: Message edited by: sultan ]