seems much more like a problem with swordsman abilities though.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

With Life 3 and Earth 5 this sounds to me like an allright effect to be honest. Good combinations especially if you stack so many should lead to extraordinary results...

Not sure where the bug / exploit is, if anything that would be a balance issue whouldn't it?

Something doesn't add up, if those numbers are to be believed. I think all multipliers should apply to the base attack value; it makes more sense and simplifies the maths. That looks like a warrior with lethal4, so we should have:

13 + 3[warrior] + 2[lethal1] + 3[lethal2] + 4[lethal3] + 5[lethal4] + 10[howl] = 40

40 * (100%[base] + 10% + 15% + 20% + 25%[armory] + 50%[growth] + 100%[giant]) = 40 * 320% = 128

It seems that multipliers might be applied multiple times. Swordman and armory bonuses are applied to a base of 200, but how did we get from 13 -> 200 without multiplicative bonuses?

[edited: formatting]

That sounds right, it isn't a physical/cutting attack.

Even with stacking multipliers (which, in my humble opinion, aren't the right way to implement multipliers if you are to have any hope of balancing things), I can't seem to get the same result:

40 * 1.1 * 1.15 * 1.2 * 1.25 * 1.5 * 2.0 = 227.7

Alternatively, if howl isn't being treated as part of the physical base:

30 * 1.1 * 1.15 * 1.2 * 1.25 * 1.5 * 2.0 + 10 = 180.8

No matter how I turn it, I can't get to 340. Am I missing some other big multiplier here?

That may be the case - then it would be

40 * 2 (giant) * 1.45 (swordsman) * 1.5 (growth) * 1.25 (armory) = 217

I don't have all those numbers in front of me anymore, so here's a new data point.  The hero now has 406 attack before howl

Skath Claw +13

Warrior +3

Lethal V +20

Base Attack = 36

In combat, he's at 62 + 20 Fire

Armory x1.25

Swordsman x1.45

36 + 36*0.25 + 36*0.1 + 36*0.15 + 36*0.2 = 36 + 9 + 3.6 + 5.4 + 7.2 = 62, which is right.

If I add giant form, my attack is now 200 + 20 fire

It should be

36 + 36*1 (giant form) + 36*0.25 + 36*0.1 + 36*0.15 + 36*0.2 = 36 + 36 + 9 + 3.6 + 5.4 + 7.2 = 97

But, if giant form is applied to the base, then it's

72 + 72*.25 + 72*.45 = 122.4

But Apprentice swordsman is adding 11.7, implying that my base is 117 attack?

Add +15 from Howl, attack is at 225 + 20 fire, so +15 from howl added 25, or 15*1.7=25 (the correct amount).

Add Growth and now he's at 433 Attack + 20 Fire.  Base attack is now 255  somehow (apprentice swordsman adds 25.5)

So, somehow, Growth and Giant form are affecting base attack.

Edit - this is a henchman, he hasn't gotten any books or anything.

I tried buffing my wolf to have another data point

Great Wolf

Attack 39

Base 16

+15 from Howl

+7.8 from Armory (25%)

Add growth (I can't cast giant form on him)

Attack 63

Base 16

+34.4 Bonus (howl + growth)

+12.6 from Armory (25%)

Also just to point it out, I would wish they would clear out the rubbish UI.
They should not just show some buffs, and not others. Stack each serie of buffs in a manner that makes sense, like all the swordmaster traits into 1 group, then show me what that "Growth" boosted my damage with.

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

If some bonuses multiply and some add, then this is even more confusing than I originally thought. As per reply #6, with purely additive bonuses you should have had 128 attack, give or take, rather than 340. 

I still suspect that growth and giant form bonuses are being applied twice (or maybe even more than twice). Or perhaps this is a similar bug to the old assassin path damage multiplier, where a bonus is incorrectly being applied per level. I think I'll stop speculating now and let the devs take a look at it

Respectfully disagree. With multiplicative bonuses, future choices affect your past choices in non-obvious ways. With additive bonuses, +50% on 20 base is always +10, regardless of what else you pick. It you raise your base, you total increases in an easily predictable way. With multiplicative bonuses, picking +50% gives you +10 right now, but pick another +50% trait later on and now each of those traits is giving you +12.5 with the same base.

This is also why I feel it is harder to balance; multiplicative bonuses ensure that low multipliers remain insignificant, while high multipliers blow up super-linearly. Picking just one additional trait can suddenly mean a disproportional increase in final stats. Additive bonuses result in a more gradual progression and fewer steam-roller heroes. 
[Disclaimer: this is pure armchair speculation, I have no experience balancing games.]

Everybody keeps on mentioning that one trait or another (or a combination) is overpowered — growth, giant form, swordman traits, lethal traits — yet so far nobody has managed to demonstrate, with numbers, how all these traits add up to 340.

Just sayin'

I am unable to account for about 100 attack in that picture. I would need to see all the traits and equipment and then look at the xml for those values. One thing that is clear to me is that % bonuses scale too high. It is impossible to balance attacks when you use that sort of bonus. granular attack bonuses are much better for balance. 

Does the OP have a save available?

Hey seanw - I do - it's 

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8936258/QuickSave.EleSav

It's the henchman with my sovereign.