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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dan'L" data-source="post: 4909630" data-attributes="member: 68954">This is an unsupported claim.  Let's walk through what we have from the actual rules.1) As per the specific rules governing crits, on p. 278 of the PHB, scoring a critical hit, which is allowed might occur through features such as Holy Ardor (Precision), means you calculate the maximum damage.  2) According to these same rules, you do not get to apply the maximum damage to an attack that does not otherwise deal damage (Maximum Damage.)  3) An attack which satisfies the Miss requirements, as defined on p. 276 as an attack roll* lower than the target's defense, does not (normally) otherwise deal damage.  4) Principally only an attack which satisfies the Hit requirements on p. 276 deals damage (unless the specific attack contains "miss" or other effect riders that supersede this)5) The only ways given for an attack to satisfy the Hit requirements are:     A) by your attack roll* equalling/exceeding the target's defense      B) by achieving an automatic hit (defined on p. 276 as rolling a 20, and restated on p. 278 as the only way to achieve an automatic hit.)  6) Scoring Critical Hits are expressly stated in these specific governing rules as not being sufficient to meeting the Hit requirements (Precision), and expressly stated as not being sufficient to uniquely allow damage to be assigned (Maximum Damage)7) Since a Critical Hit is in itself insufficient for uniquely allowing damage assignation, and the specific feature Holy Ardor also does not include an overriding rule or clause that allows it, we must pursue the general governing rules: "Hit" and "Miss"8) Oath of Enmity provides a means for determining a number to use for your attack roll, and the Hit and Miss rules provide a means of interpreting that roll.9) Therefore it is possible that you satisfy both the requirements for scoring a Critical Hit, as given by Holy Ardor, and the requirements for a Miss, as outlined by the Attack Results section of the PHB.10) Since the rules governing a Critical Hit specify that you do not get to apply your Critical Hit damage on attacks that don't deal damage, and an attack which is a Miss is typically an attack that doesn't deal damage, it is possible to score a Critical Hit with Holy Ardor which is also a Miss, and therefore does not deal damage.*an attack roll is defined on p. 276 as the total of the d20 roll plus all attendant bonuses.-Dan'L</blockquote>

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