If I critical hit on a natural 18 but need a 19 to hit do I still hit?

[Rogue problem]

I'm using a Rapier which critical hits on a 18-20. For this example lets assume I have no BAB or ability modifier or any + modifier to hit.

If I need a 19 to hit and I roll a natural 18 what happens if I roll another natural 18 to confirm? Is it not a confirmed critical cause the 2nd roll is against the targets AC 19 but still a regular hit for no X2 damage, or is it no hit at all because 18 is below AC 19, or is it a critical hit for X2 cause 18-20 is the weapons critical hit range?

And then what would happen if I get the Improved Critical feat for this weapon? Would all natural 15 rolls then always hit? or hit for X2?

 

[Sound of Azure]

No. You still need to hit normally. Only a natural 20 is an automatic hit for attack rolls.

 

[Someone]

Nope, "Any attack roll that doesn't result in a hit is not a threat". Increased threat ranges don't increase the automatic hit range, which is always a natural 20 regardless of the weapon used.

 

[Rogue problem]

so say I roll a natural 20 then a 18?

So with a Rapier, I roll a natural 20 then a 18 to confirm on a 21 AC = hit but no Critical?

I think you are saying against an AC of 21 the only way to hit is to first roll a 20 and to then critical roll another 20? Even if the weapons critical range is 18-20?

 

[Sound of Azure]

So with a Rapier, I roll a natural 20 then a 18 to confirm on a 21 AC = hit but no Critical?

That is correct. The number you roll (plus modifiers) must equal the AC of the target in order to confirm a critical hit. In this case, you haven't done so.

I think you are saying against an AC of 21 the only way to hit is to first roll a 20 and to then critical roll another 20? Even if the weapons critical range is 18-20?

Yes (sort of). The only way to hit an AC 21 with no modifiers is to roll a 20. The only way to critically hit AC 21 with no modifiers is to roll two 20s.

The 18-20 is a greater potential to inflict inreased damage, but you can't damage something more when you don't hit what you're trying to damage.

Thankfully, modifiers are fairly easy to come across. If this happens to you a lot, you might consider the Power Critical Feat, which gives you a bonus on critical hit confirmation rolls with a weapon you have Weapon Focus in. You can find it in Complete Warrior.

 

[JRR_Talking]

im guessing the character the issue is being discussed for is no 'warrior'.

J

 

[robberbaron]

Similar question arose in my game.
My ruling was that if you needed more than 20 to hit, i.e., "Needing to roll a 20", you couldn't critical.
Ditto, if you have to roll 19 to hit and your threat range is 18-20: Roll 18 and you miss. Do not threaten, do not critical, do not collect £200.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Similar question arose in my game.
My ruling was that if you needed more than 20 to hit, i.e., "Needing to roll a 20", you couldn't critical.

I don't remember when that came up - why would you not allow a critical on a 20 followed by a 20?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I don't remember when that came up - why would you not allow a critical on a 20 followed by a 20?

Yeah! I know I'd be pissed if I rolled two 20s in a row and wouldn't get my critical( against an enemy that can be critted)

 

[Nail]

My ruling was that if you needed more than 20 to hit, i.e., "Needing to roll a 20", you couldn't critical.

Wow. That's too bad.

That's also not RAW.

When you make an attack roll and get a natural 20 (the d20 shows 20), you hit regardless of your target’s Armor Class, and you have scored a threat. The hit might be a critical hit (or “crit”). To find out if it’s a critical hit, you immediately make a critical roll—another attack roll with all the same modifiers as the attack roll you just made.

• Rolling a natural 20 on an attack roll is an automatic hit,
• confirming a threat is another attack roll, and
• rolling a natural 20 on an attack roll (while confirming a threat) is an automatic critical hit.