Talk:Critical Hit

General Guidelines
While DMs can make effects as wild as they want on a critical, here's some guiding principles I have in mind coming up with this particular generator, to keep it rather moderate, and therefore usable by the most number of DMs:


 * Weapons in the d20 system either have a &times;2 or &times;3 multiplier for critical hits via standard rules. When using 'special criticals', most variants say roll one special effect if the weapon is a x2 weapon, and roll two effects if the weapon is a &times;3 weapon. So bear in mind that a &times;3 weapon might generate two effects off the same table.
 * These effects are meant to be 'as good as' doing approximately &times;2 damage with the weapon, since that's what they're replacing. Hence these effects should not be "weapon does double damage and something else" (since that would be overpowered). This means that a &times;3 weapon, rolling twice against these tables actually has a better deal (two effects that are roughly equal to &times;2 damage is roughly equal to &times;4 damage, rather than &times;3), but that's up to the DM to moderate.
 * Generally, a weapon will do standard damage and an additional effect (free trip attempt, free sunder attempt, opponent attack penalized, etc.), or no damage and a more special effect (ability damage, opponent given a more critical condition, etc.), or weapon damage is augmented (standard damage though converted to fire/acid/electricity/cold/etc, more damage but nonlethal, etc.)
 * All types of weapons can apply generic conditions to an opponent or can provide a free additional attack against an opponent (at -5 to attack, as if the attacker had a high BAB and this is the second attack of the round), cause 'splash' damage to hit a nearby enemy.
 * Bludgeoning weapons on a critical hit tend to provide free trip attempts (think of someone scoring a good hit to an opponent's leg with a club), deal Strength damage (bruising leg or arm muscles would affect strength with that limb), and damage hard armors (dents metal, but wouldn't do much to leather or chainmail).
 * Slashing weapons on a critical hit tend to damage carried items (sunder weapons/shields, slash straps of metal armors, or damage non-metal armor), deal Dexterity damage (a long cut on an arm would likely cause you to favor that limb, not using it as well), and can cut off appendages (ears, noses, fingers, though not to the extent of a vorpal enhancement).
 * Piercing weapons on a critical hit tend to distract opponents (afflict the opponent with an appropriate condition), deal Constitution damage (a deep piercing wound likely damages internal organs or causes internal bleeding), or can stay in an opponent (an arrow/crossbow bolt would do this automatically, a dagger or other melee piercing weapon would have to be let go of by the weilder) for more damage, or cause bleeding wounds (in real life, if you get a deep, piercing wound, the best advice is to leave it in and let a doctor remove it; when removed, it can bleed profusely).
 * Magical criticals are hard to find moderation in my mind, since magic intrinsically has different levels, and different schools, and different caster levels. Critical effects can use any of these to determine the strength of the critical effect.
 * Magical critical hits tend to afflict an opponent with conditions, augment the effect of the spell (make it last longer, or bypass DR, etc.), do additional elemental damage, or mimic a low-level spell being cast in addition to the intended effect (a single magic missile, etc.).

--MidnightLightning 06:53, 6 November 2009 (PST)