Questions tagged [critical-hit]
For questions about critical hits, a mechanic used to indicate an extraordinary hit that is generally rewarded with an increase in damage dealt.
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Over time, how does doubling dice on a crit compare vs having another action? [closed]
Basic 5e rules for crits say that you double the values rolled on dice. I'm playing with a homebrew idea where instead of doubling the damage dice you instead get another action, which can also crit. ...
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Would spiritual weapon (or similar) automatically critically hit a paralyzed target? [duplicate]
The paralyzed condition has the clause that
Any attack that hits the creature is a critical hit if the attacker is within 5 feet of the creature.
Suppose I move a spiritual weapon (or Tentacle of ...
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Does the magic damage on swords double for a nat 20 [duplicate]
my barbarian has a frost brand longsword that does the common 1d8 and 1d6 of cold damage.
Me and my friends are new to d&d so we may be playing it be wrong but for the campaign I'm playing when ...
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Critical Hits on Oath of glory paladin Inspiring Smite is dice doubled?
When rolling a critical hit does all the dice associated with that attack double or just damage from the attack?
Inspiring Smite. Immediately after you deal damage to a creature with your Divine ...
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Does Fatal and/or Deadly apply when attacking a critical hit-immune target?
Critical hit immunity specifies
Immunity to critical hits works a little differently. When a creature immune to critical hits is critically hit by a Strike or other attack that deals damage, it takes ...
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Can I choose not to multiply my damage on a critical hit?
I am a Rogue with a -4 Strength modifier. For those attacks that add strength on damage, this is highly inconvenient. Currently, one of my natural attacks deals 1d2-4 damage. Since Sneak attack is ...
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How do I resolve a critical hit on an attack with a spell that doesn't do direct damage?
I mean spells like Ray of Enfeeblement - what happens if someone rolls critical to attack with them?
It doesn't do damage and instead forces target to pass a fortitude save to place condition on ...
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How could I lower the rate of critical successes?
I'm trying to create my own RPG, to play with friends. To be honest, I never played published RPGs before, only home-brewed ones, but I don't feel like spending money on a thing that I may never use, ...
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Alchemist's Fire and Burn it! Critical damage
I am aware that there were quite a few questions about the interaction between Alchemist's Fire splash damage and Burn it! feat. However I think one thing remains without an answer: what about ...
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Statistically, when should you wait to use Sneak Attack on a second attack with advantage?
Assume you have a Fighter/Rogue with one Extra Attack and attack advantage. Your first attack hits, but doesn't crit. Should you apply Sneak Attack, or save it for the second attack which may crit but ...
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How does the critical hit positive feedback loop affect average damage?
In the One D&D Character Origins UA, it mentions that rolling a nat 20 on an attack roll grants inspiration. This can then be used to give the PC advantage on their next attack, giving them a ...
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Can monsters perform critical hits?
In Unearthed Arcana 2022 - Character Origins, the "Critical Hits" section on p. 19 of the PDF states (emphasis mine):
Weapons and Unarmed Strikes* have a special feature for player ...
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How do the "Vorpal" and "Merciful" magic weapon special abilities interact on a crit?
Say someone manages to either find or create a +1 merciful vorpal weapon and confirms a crit – what happens?
I personally see 2 possible outcomes:
Merciful takes effect and stops vorpal from ...
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How to calculate the added expected damage from critical hits?
When optimizing character builds, it is common to use the average expected damage to estimate damage output. Calculating the average of a single die is simple, fixed modifiers are then added to it to ...
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Can you threaten a crit on a 2? [duplicate]
There's a fair number of feats and features which increase a weapon's range to threaten a critical hit in 3.5. Off the cuff, a Fighter with a falchion and the Improved Critical feat threatens a crit ...
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What is the wording to determine whether extra damage is or is not multiplied on a critical hit?
I am trying to figure out some hard and fast, or at least unambiguous ways to specify how extra damage interacts with a critical hit. Consider the following effect:
When you hit a marked creature ...
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Does a single critical hit trigger both Wounding and Bloodthirsty?
I have a weapon with Wounding and Bloodthirsty. I attack a target (that is not taking any persistent bleed damage) with the weapon and score a critical hit.
Wounding will cause the attack to deal an ...
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What's the closest I can get to simulating critical hits with a dice pool, without relying on the total sum?
I'm making a game that uses a dice pool rolling system (for my purpose it's always a d12 and no other dice), and I wanted to figure out if making a 'critical hit' mechanic was possible, that is ...
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Can touch spells (with attack rolls) auto crit on Paralyzed/Helpless targets?
Suppose a player character has vampiric touch or scorching ray and is about to attack a paralyzed goblin. Will the vampiric touch or scorching ray auto crit against it?
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Simultaneous fear and saving throw
I'm considering taking the Fearsome Rune on a weapon, and have feats or other runes which impose a saving throw on a hit/crit. Does the fear effect get applied before the saving throw, or after?
That ...
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Does the barbarian's 9th-level Brutal Critical feature deal one extra die of damage on a critical hit, or two extra dice?
Does the barbarian deal one more die of damage with the 9th-level Brutal Critical feature, or two?
I had a massive fight with GM over this – him going for the one extra die of damage, me for two.
The ...
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Does a natural 20 on an attack roll still crit if it was forced to be rerolled?
Does a natural 20 on an attack roll still crit if it was forced to be rerolled?
Say a creature attacks me, and gets a nat. 20 on the attack roll (which would be a critical hit). However, I use the ...
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Does Sticky Bomb persistent damage crit?
Alchemist can take Sticky Bombs, an Additive that allows you to cause persistent damage when you hit with a bomb.
You mix in an additive to make your bomb’s contents adhere to the target and continue ...
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Spells with secondary damage effects and critical damage [duplicate]
Spells like like Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade has secondary damage effects.
Booming Blade deals an extra 1d8 thunder damage if the creature hit with the spell's initial melee attack requirement ...
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Criticals and Piercer Feat
Piercer feat from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything states that on critical attack roll you add an additional weapon damage die to the damage roll. Does this extra dice also double on a critical hit?
Ex: ...
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If an Echo Knight fighter makes an attack from their echo's space and hits a paralyzed enemy, is it automatically a critical hit?
The Manifest Echo feature lets the Echo Knight fighter create an echo, and attack from the echo's space (EGtW, p. 183):
When you take the Attack action on your turn, any attack you make with that ...
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Can the Grave Domain Cleric's "Sentinel at deaths door" cancel the autocrit from hitting an unconscious person?
The Grave Domain Cleric's Sentinel at Death's Door class feature has the following wording:
At 6th level, you gain the ability to impede death’s progress. As a reaction when you or an ally that you ...
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Critical hit with Acid Splash: how much damage?
Telekinetic Projectile does list that it does double damage on a critical hit.
Compare this to Acid Splash:
On a critical success, the target also takes 1 persistent acid damage.
Should this "...
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Can a Constructed Pugilist's Vicious Blades modification be affected by the Keen enchantment?
From Constructed Pugilist:
Vicious Blades: Razor-sharp blades on the surface of the limb cause it
to deal bludgeoning and slashing damage and increase its critical
threat range to 19–20. A ...
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Does Absorb Elements' additional 1d6 get doubled on a critical hit? [duplicate]
Absorb Elements, as part of its effects, has this line.
[T]he first time you hit with a melee attack on your next turn, the target takes an extra 1d6 damage of the triggering type, and the spell ends....
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How does the Artillerist's Arcane Firearm d8 bonus work with Crits? [duplicate]
When you cast an artificer spell through the firearm, roll a d8, and you gain a bonus to one of the spell's damage rolls equal to the number rolled.
It reads like it's adding to an existing roll, and ...
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Is a natural 20 always a critical hit? [duplicate]
Critical Hits agree:
When you make an attack and succeed with a natural 20 (the number on the die is 20), or if the result of your attack exceeds the target's AC by 10, you achieve a critical success ...
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Is there a magic item in 5e dnd that increases crit range and if not would it be op? [closed]
I’m very new to 5e but I’ve played pathfinder and 3.5 for quite a while so I was wondering is there an item that increases crit range for melee or ranged weapons and if not how powerful would a magic ...
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Are there creatures that are immune to critical hits?
My thinking behind this is to do with the property of Adamantine Armour which states that "While you're wearing it, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit" (DMG, p.150).
I ...
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How exactly Power Attack and critical hit works together for 2-hand fighter?
I tried to follow the rules and check FAQs but now I need a help:
I got a 13° liv THF (two-hand fighter) and 6° liv Aegis (BAB=19) and 5° Mithic tier, with Power Attack and Mithic Power Attack (but ...
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When extra damage dice are listed in a critical effect, do they apply to crit-immune targets?
In the immunity rules, we read:
Immunity to critical hits works a little differently. When a creature immune to critical hits is critically hit by a Strike or other attack that deals damage, it takes ...
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Can you choose not to add your proficiency bonus to an attack roll?
I'm building a very gimmicky multiclass crit-confirmation paladin, and as a part of my build I have a feature that lets me reroll a failed attack roll as a reaction. The idea is that I want to fail at ...
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What's the highest critical hit damage a level 1 character can do?
What's the highest critical hit damage a level 1 character can do?
Rules:
The character must be level 1
The character cannot have any magical items
The character's starting equipment must be ...
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Is the Blood Fury Tattoo's damage doubled on a critical hit? [duplicate]
The question is as the title says, is the 4d6 necrotic damage doubled if you critted the attack that you then use the item's ability on. The item text in question is below.
When you hit a creature ...
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Is the Psi Warrior's Psionic Strike ability affected by critical hits?
The new Psi Warrior Fighter subclass has the feature Psionic Power which has the following option:
Psionic Strike. You can propel your weapons with psionic force. Once on each of your turns, ...
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Do players know if a hit from a monster is a critical hit?
There are a few different abilities that PCs can get where once they are hit with an attack they can decide to use to potentially turn the hit into a miss. Examples include the spell Shield or a ...
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Natural 20 vs higher AC
If a character or creature has an AC that with all bonuses requires a 20 to hit does that mean that every hit is a crit? Or alternately the creatures AC is so high that with all bonuses no hit would ...
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What are the ways by which an alchemist can access the alchemical bomb crit specialisation?
See the title. What methods are open to an alchemist that allow them to gain access to the alchemical bomb's critical specialisation effect (increasing the splash radius to 10ft)?
This includes ...
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Does Ocular spell make every eligible damage spells have a critical chance since it becomes a ranged touch attack (ray)?
So for some spells that do indeed have targets other than self (and also have a target entry) would Ocular spell make it now possible to score a critical?
Ocular spell states:
(...)When you release ...
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Do I still gain temporary HP if the target of a Sword of Life Stealing is reduced to 0 HP even before the necrotic damage is applied?
The entry for sword of life stealing says:
When you attack a creature with this magic weapon and roll a 20 on the
attack roll, that target takes an extra 10 necrotic damage if it isn't
a construct or ...
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Does a natural 20 on an attack cause a critical hit (even if the attack would have missed)?
Related question
I was going over the degrees of success rules in relation to the above question and it's answers and came across a bit of rules that seem contradictory.
Step 4: Determine degree of ...
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How do criticals interact with degrees of success for attacks?
Let's say my character Strikes an enemy with AC 35. My attack bonus is only +10.
I roll a natural 20, making my total 30 vs his 35 AC. Is this attack treated as a regular hit, because it would have ...
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Do attacks that do a fixed amount of damage (rather than rolling a damage die) do extra damage on a critical hit?
For reference, the rule on Critical Hits says (PHB, p. 196):
When you score a critical hit, you get to roll extra dice for the
attack’s damage against the target. Roll all of the attack’s damage
dice ...
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Do the rules explicitly say that there can be no critical hit without an attack roll?
Critical hits are introduced in the PHB under "Attack Rolls":
If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target's AC. This is called a ...
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Does the Piercing Arrow of a multiclassed Arcane Archer fighter/Assassin rogue crit against surprised creatures?
My character has 3 levels in Fighter and chose the Arcane Archer archetype. That allows him to use the Arcane Shot option Piercing Arrow (XGtE, p. 29):
Piercing Arrow. You use transmutation magic to ...