Instant kill

[palleomortis]

I am a rather new DM, but I've played for a while. The only problem is, we nevered bothered too much to stick exactly with the rules. No complaints, but now I'm not sure wich "rules" were really there, and wich ones were made up. So what is the basis for an instant kill? I thought that three critical roles in a row resulted in an automatic kill, but didn't find it in my books. Did I just miss it, or is this a phony rule?

 

[RigaMortus2]

IIRC, I think it is 2 natural 20s and then a successful "to hit" roll to confirm the 2nd nat 20.

In other words, say the target's AC is 15. You would need to roll:

1) nat 20
2) nat 20
3) 15+

Again, IIRC...

 

[mvincent]

I am a rather new DM, but I've played for a while. The only problem is, we nevered bothered too much to stick exactly with the rules. No complaints, but now I'm not sure wich "rules" were really there, and wich ones were made up. So what is the basis for an instant kill? I thought that three critical roles in a row resulted in an automatic kill, but didn't find it in my books. Did I just miss it, or is this a phony rule?

I believe that is merely a house rule. There is the instant death from massive damage option in the DMG, but even that is an optional rule rather than a standard one.

 

[Rhun]

I believe that is merely a house rule. There is the instant death from massive damage option in the DMG, but even that is an optional rule rather than a standard one.

Instant Death isn't a house rule. It is a variant/optional rule. It can be found in the DMG.

 

[Anthelios]

SRD: Massive Damage

If you ever sustain a single attack deals 50 points of damage or more and it doesn’t kill you outright, you must make a DC 15 Fortitude save. If this saving throw fails, you die regardless of your current hit points. If you take 50 points of damage or more from multiple attacks, no one of which dealt 50 or more points of damage itself, the massive damage rule does not apply.

The other rule, the 20, 20, confirm kill rule is in the DMG, around the first chapter if I recall correctly. A little bar at the bottom of a page. Its an optional rule.

 

[Vurt]

Be forewarned that, as the DM generally makes a lot more attack rolls than the players, this may hurt the players more often than help them. I've tried it in my game, and after a while, simply dropped the rule. It sucks as a player when there's just nothing you could have done, your character is dead because one of the dozen kobold mooks rolled lucky.

Cheers,
Vurt

 

[Christian]

rule is in the DMG, around the first chapter if I recall correctly. A little bar at the bottom of a page. Its an optional rule.

pg. 28