D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Crit stacking?
- Thread starter XCorvis
- Start date
GRRR!
This change I believe is a direct result of the change to Power Attack. An combatant with a decent BAB, Power Attack, a Keen Falchion, and Improved Crit was looking to mop the floor with his damage, 4 point PA turns into 8 point damage turning into 16 points of damage with a crit. Crits have to be rarer now to not throw the damage curve to far out of whack.
Why couldnt have WOTC just thought outside of the proverbial box and instead of making it an either or proposition concerning keen or improved critical, why not make Keen reduce the number to crit by a simple increment of one.
It makes no sense to me that a magicaly keen weapon would essentially be less sharp in the hands of a skilled user,(ala improved critical).
GRRR!
This change I believe is a direct result of the change to Power Attack. An combatant with a decent BAB, Power Attack, a Keen Falchion, and Improved Crit was looking to mop the floor with his damage, 4 point PA turns into 8 point damage turning into 16 points of damage with a crit. Crits have to be rarer now to not throw the damage curve to far out of whack.
Why couldnt have WOTC just thought outside of the proverbial box and instead of making it an either or proposition concerning keen or improved critical, why not make Keen reduce the number to crit by a simple increment of one.
It makes no sense to me that a magicaly keen weapon would essentially be less sharp in the hands of a skilled user,(ala improved critical).
GRRR!
orbitalfreak
First Post
Re: GRRR!
[devil's advocate]
This is similar to a cleric casting Cure Light Wounds. CLW maxxes out at 1d8+5. This limit is in place regardless of the cleric's training, e.g., the Healing domain gives +1 caster level; the cleric gets to 1d8+5 a level earlier than non-Healing domain clerics, but doesn't upgrade to 1d8+6, no matter what.
With the magic added to the blade, it's sharpness potential is maximized. Regardless of a warrior's training with this weapon, he simply cannot eke out any more benefit from the magically sharp blade.
[/devil's advocate]
Didn't like this change at first, but it's starting to grow on me.
satori01 said:
[devil's advocate]
This is similar to a cleric casting Cure Light Wounds. CLW maxxes out at 1d8+5. This limit is in place regardless of the cleric's training, e.g., the Healing domain gives +1 caster level; the cleric gets to 1d8+5 a level earlier than non-Healing domain clerics, but doesn't upgrade to 1d8+6, no matter what.
With the magic added to the blade, it's sharpness potential is maximized. Regardless of a warrior's training with this weapon, he simply cannot eke out any more benefit from the magically sharp blade.
[/devil's advocate]
Didn't like this change at first, but it's starting to grow on me.
Mike Sullivan
First Post
Re: GRRR!
So then your feeling is that Andy Collin's stated reason for the change is a direct lie?
Because then it would nerf rapiers/kukri/falchions and make picks/scythes exactly the same as they are now, meaning that the only net effect of the change would be to reduce the variety of weapons that were actually used in the game?
satori01 said:
So then your feeling is that Andy Collin's stated reason for the change is a direct lie?
Because then it would nerf rapiers/kukri/falchions and make picks/scythes exactly the same as they are now, meaning that the only net effect of the change would be to reduce the variety of weapons that were actually used in the game?
Re: Re: GRRR!
That doesn't make any sense, though. If a warrior has spent a very significant portion of his fighting days studying exactly the right places to hit to cause maximum damage, and training to hit them effectively in battle, it doesn't make any sense that he would lose all that knowledge and training the minute you put a magically sharpened sword in his hands.
orbitalfreak said:
That doesn't make any sense, though. If a warrior has spent a very significant portion of his fighting days studying exactly the right places to hit to cause maximum damage, and training to hit them effectively in battle, it doesn't make any sense that he would lose all that knowledge and training the minute you put a magically sharpened sword in his hands.
But d&d as everyone loves to regale is "not" entirely realistic. Its an abstraction that is meant to be: 1) Fun, 2) Fast, 3) Fairly Simple to Understand. Just like an archmage with spell power doesnt have his fireballs do more damage now that hes an archmage with spell power, a fighter with improved crit doesnt have a bigger threat range with a keen weapon. Magic is funny sometimes, its the easiest way to accept it.
Technik
Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
Again, it has no effect on 20/x4, 20/x3, or 19-20/x2 weapons, but it limits 18-20/x2 weapons.
Why introduce a change that keeps weapons with a lower base damage from scoring their little criticals more often, without changing the weapons with the high base damage or super-crits from doing their big criticals just as often as before?
-Hyp.
