D&D 5E Do you play without Critical Hits?

[TarionzCousin]

A few weeks back the party was going into some sewers to look for were-rats.

One of the PCs (let's call him D) thought he could play his pipes of haunting (or something like that) to scare them, making them reveal themselves. (No, D's player didn't double-check how the item worked before he enacted this plan.)

...

Naturally, the were-rats were out of range of the whole thing.

Hence: shenanigans.

I think we can all relate to this; we've all gamed with a D at some point.

 

[Umbran]

So, a crit rule that feels fun (such as getting to roll double the damage dice!) but doesn’t hugely impact balance is a good crit rule.

Well, I did say we probably wouldn't notice if they were gone. So, rolling those extra damage dice... not really impacting our experience. Largely because on the rare occaision they do happen, we roll extra dice.. but we don't get a lot extra out of it. The fun is dampened by a bit of a letdown - "Oh, a crit! Well, that was underwhelming." Not much thrill there.

If you wouldn't notice if the rule were gone... why have it?

 

[Stoutstien]

1st level characters are super fragile. Fortunately, you hit 2nd level really fast - half a session, maybe one full session tops. If you’re worried about killing them off too early best to just softball the first few encounters.

It's why i advocate skipping up to lv 3 for most groups. If the training levels aren't needed why play them other for the random lolz from getting one-hit by a bandit.

 

[Charlaquin]

It's why i advocate skipping up to lv 3 for most groups. If the training levels aren't needed why play them other for the random lolz from getting one-hit by a bandit.

Some groups like that vulnerable early portion of the game. I also find it’s good for inexperienced players to get a feel for their characters before having too many abilities to remember. But yeah, for more experienced groups who don’t want that high-lethality early game, starting at 3rd level is a good way to go.

 

[DND_Reborn]

It's why i advocate skipping up to lv 3 for most groups. If the training levels aren't needed why play them other for the random lolz from getting one-hit by a bandit.

Because some people like the fact that it is one of the few times in 5E where the game can actually be deadly. Once you reach 5th level, the game is only deadly if the DM really wants the PCs to die. It is why you get so many threads about 5E being an "easy" edition of D&D.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I use them, even though statistically they favor the monsters, because my players like them. I use them RAW, just roll your damage dice twice. House rules like maxing the damage one one die or rolling damage on the usual die and doubling the result only further favor the monsters. I wouldn’t mind removing them, but they’re fine as-is, and again, players like them even though they’re bad for them.

I find that PCs have advantage so much more often than enemies that it doesn't actually favor enemies to any degree that could possibly ever matter in actual play.

 

[Charlaquin]

I find that PCs have advantage so much more often than enemies that it doesn't actually favor enemies to any degree that could possibly ever matter in actual play.

The only time I find crits really making a big difference in the monsters’ favor is at early levels where they can turn a bit that would otherwise only knock a PC out into a kill. That can also happen during mid and late levels if the PC is at low HP when they get critted, but it’s less common. But nonetheless, crits benefit monsters more than they do PCs. That’s not necessarily a problem, but in my opinion it is enough reason to try to keep their impact to a minimum.

 

[Cadence]

This is as it should be in my opinion. The point of crits is to satisfy the player’s expectation that rolling the highest possible result on the die should make something special happen. But, a 5% chance to drastically increase damage can make the game undesirably swingy, generally in favor of the monsters. So, a crit rule that feels fun (such as getting to roll double the damage dice!) but doesn’t hugely impact balance is a good crit rule.

I think my first experience with criticals was finding them in "The Dragon Crown" by Judges Guild.

For the second roll after your natural 20...
1-14=like a normal roll of 20 (not a guaranteed hit)
15=max damage (15+ are guaranteed hits)
16=damage roll x 2
17=max damage x 2
18=damage roll x attackers level/HD
19=max damage x attackers level/HD
20=Instant Death

Unfortunately (?) I don't remember any particular instances from 30+ years ago when I was in a game that used something that brutal and swingy.

 

[Stoutstien]

Because some people like the fact that it is one of the few times in 5E where the game can actually be deadly. Once you reach 5th level, the game is only deadly if the DM really wants the PCs to die. It is why you get so many threads about 5E being an "easy" edition of D&D.

Dnd realistically stop being deadly a few editions ago with cheap/fast healing and resurrection becoming a player option. It's just not in the base system to die permanently often.
Any table can make the game deadly by having a solid grasp of the resource recover mechanics and using some variant rules. Most of the complaints about 5e being too easy are nonsensical to me because of this. Not to mention deadlyness ≠ challenging hence the effects crits have on PCs with low HD and no mitigation options. Being Deadly without challenge is the exact opposite of what I strive for.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Dnd realistically stop being deadly a few editions ago with cheap/fast healing and resurrection becoming a player option. It's just not in the base system to die permanently often.

Agreed completely. Which is why we don't skip over those first couple levels.

Any table can make the game deadly by having a solid grasp of the resource recover mechanics and using some variant rules.

We do use variant rules and house-rules to keep the game more lethal at higher levels. In our last session, the party was facing a TPK because their resources were fairly depleted, and if it wasn't for the Divine Intervention roll (09) of our cleric, it likely would have been a TPK.

Deadly is part of what makes the game challenging IMO, but YMMV.