Base Attack Bonus

The Base Attack Bonus or BAB is a number that represents your skill with a weapon. There are three BAB progressions. The best is +1 per level, which is reserved for the fighter classes (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, and Barbarian). The next best is +3/4 per level which is used by the Bard, Cleric, and Rogue. The worst BAB progression +1/2 per level is used by the Sorcerer and the Wizard. Creature types grant for racial hit dice also one of the three BAB progressions.

The fighter classes start the game at +1 BAB. Others start at +0 BAB.

The Base Attack Bonus also determines the number of attacks you can make: in DDO you gain your second attack at +1 BAB, your third attack at +5 BAB, and your fourth attack at +10. For instance, a 5-th level fighter has three attakcs with BAB +5/+5/+10, meaning the third attack in the attack chain is more likely to hit than the first two.