Changing critical hits and sneak attacks so everything can feel the pain

[Asmor]

Brief note: When I started writing this, I was going to ask for suggestions about letting undead take critical hits and sneak attack damage. I had an idea I liked and ran with it. So that's why it prolly seems a bit disjointed.

I like to use undead. I really do. They're like the swiss army knife of villainy. Perfect dungeon inhabitants, excellent cannon fodder, awesome big bads. Everything dies. You have a really cool idea for an enemy? Half-doppleganger nega-elf sorcerer 3/paladin 5/blackguard 7? Make is an undead half-doppleganger nega-elf sorcerer 3/paladin 5/blackguard 7 and crank that sucker up to 11!

Now, one problem with using the undead is that whole "No critical hits, no sneak attacks" mumbo jumbo. I suppose it's cool if you're the type of RBDM who likes to see your players hobbled and barely able to do anything, but I'm the type of RBDM who likes to see my players kick serious ass (because that means I get to throw even bigger, nastier, undead...er things at 'em!).

So I could just go ahead and say "Ok, just ignore all that aforementioned mumbo jumbo. You roll a threat, go ahead and confirm it. You sever a tendon or something." But like most things, I could see that having unintended consequences. Would it make undead severely weaker if they were subject to the harder hits?

It's also kind of hard to explain flavorwise. I'm almost thinking it would make more sense to make an alternate critical hit system, where instead of just doing extra damage you did something more debilitating.

So you know what, that's what I'll do.

Asmor's Revised Critical Hits & Sneak Attack system

Rule 0: Everything is subject to critical hits and sneak attacks.

Rule 0.5: Everything is written as if you're using a bladed weapon against a fleshy opponent. If you're using a hammer or fighting an ooze (or using a hammer against an ooze in some bizarre reenactment of every Gallagher performance ever) and really need an appropriate description, just make something up. You know a joint outta place, you sever a big chunk of jelly. Keep all penalties the same.

Rule 0.75: Things without constitution can still take con damage, RAW be damned. Just reduce their HP and saves as appropriate. I'll let you figure out what that means, it's ain't rocket science.

Rule 0.99: It's late and I'm tired. Apparently I have more trouble caging my sardonic sense of humor when it's late and I'm tired.

When you confirm a critical hit, roll NORMAL weapon damage and apply it normally. On top of that, roll a d20 and add the damage you dealt as a modifier. If your weapon is a x3 weapon, add double the damage to the die roll. If it's a x4 weapon, add triple damage. Then, consult the following table.

When you would deal sneak attack damage, only roll normal weapon damage. Add that, plus the number of sneak attack dice you have, to a d20. For example, if you do 5 damage and have 3d6 sneak attack, you'd roll 1d20+8.

If you just critted AND would do sneak attack damage, just smoosh the two together. Yeah, if you critted with a x3 weapon you'd double the sneak attack dice too. Too bad you rogues always use pansy x2 weapons.

Whether you're doing a sneak attack or a critical hit, only count physical damage (i.e. stuff that would be multiplied in a critical hit. Don't count energy damage and such).

Following Table
1-5: You just scored a critical hit and rolled less than 6? What kinda pansy are you? Ok, fine. Your target gets -1 to all his social charisma-based rolls for the next 24 hours because you messed up his manicure or something. Pansy.

6-10: Your "mighty" blow dazes the enemy for one round. Yeah, you show 'im who's boss!

11-15: Your blade slices cleanly through flesh, severing something that might have been important. Your enemy takes 1d6 ability damage. Roll a d10 for type of ability damage: 1-4: Strength 5-8: Dexterity 9-10: Constitution

16-20: Boy howdy, he'll be feeling that in the morning! As above but deeper, more vital, etc. 1d6+2 ability damage.

21-25: Have you been working out? You damn near severed somethin'! 2d6 ability damage.

26-30: You just severed a limb. Roll a d6: 1-2: Left arm. 3-4: Right arm. 5: Left leg. 6: Right leg. In addition, he takes 2d6 ability damage. Hope there's a bucket of ice handy...

31+: Now THAT'S a critical hit. Your enemy must immediately make a Fortitude save, DC 15+the modifier you used on this roll. If they fail, they're immediately knocked unconscious. If they fail by 5 or more, they're dead.

 

[Paraxis]

Another poster here sorry can't remember who uses a house rule I think I might try next campain, it's a little simple but speeds up play.

If you crit on something that is immune to criticals roll the damage die 2,3,or4 times depending on the crit multiplier of the weapon take the best of the rolls. So you don't realy do a ton of extra damage but you still get some effect and excitement from critting on the bad guy even if he is undead.

Sneak attacks are basicly minimazed, instead of rolling you do an extra point of damage per die of sneak attack you would get.

Seems not to unbalancing, no real need to adjust CR makes rogues special ability come into play more often, is simple easy to remember(ie no chart), and fast.

What do you think?

 

[Asmor]

Sounds good. I might even take it a step further and just make it max damage for the weapon.

 

[Kid Socrates]

I can't recall how accurate this is, but don't undead have no Constitution score, and therefore no additional HP/level possible? If they get critically hit, it might shorten their lifespan (such as it is) even more. I don't know if that's part of the balance or not, but if you're making it so reducing their HP goes quicker, the HP total might need to be taken into consideration.

 

[Fieari]

I see no mechanical flaws to this, but I wouldn't want to use it myself. One of the unwritten rules of 3.x is that the player should basically never have to consult a lookup chart for what happens, with perhaps the exception of artifacts, which tend to be DMs parlance anyway. There's a good reason for not using lookup tables; they slow down the game and you have to keep the chart handy at all times. Not a big fan.

The option I like is that instead of being immune to criticals, instead, they're -resistant- to criticals, which has the benefit of adding onto the existing mechanics of other resistances. Undead might reduce the critical multiplier by one, for instance... so normal weapons still don't crit, but x3 and x4 weapons do, albiet not as well.

 

[Asmor]

I can't recall how accurate this is, but don't undead have no Constitution score, and therefore no additional HP/level possible? If they get critically hit, it might shorten their lifespan (such as it is) even more. I don't know if that's part of the balance or not, but if you're making it so reducing their HP goes quicker, the HP total might need to be taken into consideration.

No, they can't get a con bonus, but they do have the 12-sided hit die, which is especially relevant if you use average HP instead of rolling. Compare it to the vastly more common d8, which is used for Aberrations and Humanoids, among others. A d12 is an average of 6.5 HP per HD, vs. the d8's 4.5 HP per HD, so in the grand scheme of things undead basically start off with the equivelent of a 14 con.

Constructs and oozes, the other big no-crit/sneak attacks types, have d10 HD, and in the case of constructs also get bonus HP by their size.

The only creatures with a con score that have higher than d8 hit dice are magical beasts (d10) and dragons (d12). Honestly, no idea why magical beasts have such a high hit die, but dragons are kind of obvious.

 

[Asmor]

I see no mechanical flaws to this, but I wouldn't want to use it myself. One of the unwritten rules of 3.x is that the player should basically never have to consult a lookup chart for what happens, with perhaps the exception of artifacts, which tend to be DMs parlance anyway. There's a good reason for not using lookup tables; they slow down the game and you have to keep the chart handy at all times. Not a big fan.

The option I like is that instead of being immune to criticals, instead, they're -resistant- to criticals, which has the benefit of adding onto the existing mechanics of other resistances. Undead might reduce the critical multiplier by one, for instance... so normal weapons still don't crit, but x3 and x4 weapons do, albiet not as well.

Well, maybe I'm weird, but I actually like tables.