Ian

Dial in your own weapon and gear. Every connecting swing deals weapon + attribute minus the matching protection - an exact figure, verified against live in-game combat - so both sides show their true per-hit damage.

Every connecting swing deals weapon damage + attribute (Strength for melee, Dexterity for ranged) minus the matching protection, never below 1 - verified hit-for-hit against live combat. On top of that baseline: a charged heavy strike doubles the net hit, a fully drawn bow lands about a quarter higher, blocked swings drop to 1, and individual swings in an attack chain vary by attack type.

All stats shown are the Gothic baseline. Difficulty rescales enemies per archetype: on Hard they swing with half again the attributes and carry 20% more health; on Novice their protections drop. The numbers above already apply the selected difficulty.