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Can a Critical Hit miss?
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<blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 7417984" data-attributes="member: 6787503"><p>Since it doesn't seem likely that I'll get an answer to my question, and understanding that you aren't the DM so may not know the answer, I'll assume the source of the noise is irrelevant and that the noise was mere color meant to draw the PCs into the encounter. In that light, I can tell you how the instance of play you describe might have played out at my table.</p><p></p><p>DM: You hear a noise off the side of the path up ahead.</p><p></p><p>PC#1: I go towards the source of the noise to see if I notice any hidden threats.</p><p></p><p>DM: Roll a Wisdom (Perception) check. </p><p></p><p><em><<DM rolls Dexterity (Stealth) checks for the two enemies, which both beat or tie PC#1's check and the passive Perception scores of the entire party, determining that the party is surprised.>></em> </p><p></p><p>DM: You don't notice anything interesting until two crossbow bolts come flying towards you out of the dense woods. You are all surprised. Everyone make a Dexterity check for your initiative. </p><p></p><p><em><<DM rolls initiative for the two enemies and they both beat all the PCs' results. Then the DM makes attack and damage rolls for the two enemies.>></em> </p><p></p><p>DM: The crossbow bolts hit PC#1, inflicting x damage. You all notice there are two creatures in the dense woods who fired the shots. You're all surprised so unless anyone has any reactions they want to use after their turn, we'll move on to round 2.</p><p></p><p><em><<crickets chirping>></em></p><p></p><p>DM: Okay, at the top of round 2, the two unseen creatures in the woods become very quiet. </p><p></p><p><em><<Rolls Dexterity (Stealth) checks, again beating or tieing the PCs' passive Perception scores.>></em> </p><p></p><p>DM: And you can no longer determine whether they are still where they were or not. PC#2, you're next in initiative order. What do you do?</p><p></p><p>PC#2: I try to pinpoint their location by listening for them.</p><p></p><p>DM: Make a Wisdom (Perception) check. </p><p></p><p><em><<PC#2's roll beats the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of the two enemies.>></em> </p><p></p><p>DM: You notice them in their new location about 30 feet to the right of where they were.</p><p></p><p>PC#2: I point out their location to the other members of the party.</p><p></p><p>DM: OK, wizard, you're up next. What do you do?</p><p></p><p>PC wizard: I cast <em>fireball</em> on that location.</p><p></p><p>So the main difference in my adjudication is that the enemies give away their location when their attacks hit PC#1, so PC#2 doesn't need to search for them until they've become hidden again and searches for them in their new hiding place, not in the spot in which they already revealed they were. Also, because PC#2 uses her action to search for the enemies, she can't also shoot her bow at them and leaves it for the wizard to target their location with an AoE.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hriston, post: 7417984, member: 6787503"] Since it doesn't seem likely that I'll get an answer to my question, and understanding that you aren't the DM so may not know the answer, I'll assume the source of the noise is irrelevant and that the noise was mere color meant to draw the PCs into the encounter. In that light, I can tell you how the instance of play you describe might have played out at my table. DM: You hear a noise off the side of the path up ahead. PC#1: I go towards the source of the noise to see if I notice any hidden threats. DM: Roll a Wisdom (Perception) check. [I]<<DM rolls Dexterity (Stealth) checks for the two enemies, which both beat or tie PC#1's check and the passive Perception scores of the entire party, determining that the party is surprised.>>[/I] DM: You don't notice anything interesting until two crossbow bolts come flying towards you out of the dense woods. You are all surprised. Everyone make a Dexterity check for your initiative. [I]<<DM rolls initiative for the two enemies and they both beat all the PCs' results. Then the DM makes attack and damage rolls for the two enemies.>>[/I] DM: The crossbow bolts hit PC#1, inflicting x damage. You all notice there are two creatures in the dense woods who fired the shots. You're all surprised so unless anyone has any reactions they want to use after their turn, we'll move on to round 2. [I]<<crickets chirping>>[/I] DM: Okay, at the top of round 2, the two unseen creatures in the woods become very quiet. [I]<<Rolls Dexterity (Stealth) checks, again beating or tieing the PCs' passive Perception scores.>>[/I] DM: And you can no longer determine whether they are still where they were or not. PC#2, you're next in initiative order. What do you do? PC#2: I try to pinpoint their location by listening for them. DM: Make a Wisdom (Perception) check. [I]<<PC#2's roll beats the Dexterity (Stealth) checks of the two enemies.>>[/I] DM: You notice them in their new location about 30 feet to the right of where they were. PC#2: I point out their location to the other members of the party. DM: OK, wizard, you're up next. What do you do? PC wizard: I cast [I]fireball[/I] on that location. So the main difference in my adjudication is that the enemies give away their location when their attacks hit PC#1, so PC#2 doesn't need to search for them until they've become hidden again and searches for them in their new hiding place, not in the spot in which they already revealed they were. Also, because PC#2 uses her action to search for the enemies, she can't also shoot her bow at them and leaves it for the wizard to target their location with an AoE. [/QUOTE]
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