Crit Happens

[Ovinomancer]

Crit Happens: this was the theme of our last game.

It started with the unfortunate death of a PC at the hands of a raging, greataxe weilding, 2 lvl orc barbarian. The party then showed great restaint in taking said orc prisoner. They used him to bargain with the local orc tribe, but ended up keeping him as the tribe did not want him back. Dishonor and weakness in being captured being the factor in that decision. So the party decides to use him as a guide into the deep dark forest.

Thus begins the most amazing stretch of comfirmed crits I have ever had the (dis)pleasure to witness. Two dire wolves... one crit each, one immediately after the other. Orge... crit. Dire boar... crit. Something else I can't remember right now... crit. Power attacking for 2 at all times with a X3 d12 and a 22 raging strength let this NPC solve problems right quick for the party. Don't forget, he started with the crit death of a PC. This orc had a good run, but met with a most ironic end... critted by the battleaxe of a spellwarped grimlock. Add to this session a ray of enfeeblement crit and an acid orb crit, and the 20's were a'flyin'!

Anyone else who can tell a tell of taking a good crit?

 

[Shallown]

You need to change your signature to include.

Crit happens.

This of course happened over the course of ChrisCon; An annual trip to the beach for a weekend of pure gaming.

Later

 

[Doug McCrae]

A couple sessions back my 4th level barbarian and a rogue 1/fighter 3 took on a nymph on our own. I won initiative and killed her outright with a single maxed power attack crit for 45 points of damage. Sadly she'd cast some weird spell earlier which bonded her to Eric, the rogue/fighter so he took 45 points as well and died. He was my best friend... sob... Luckily I had the presence of mind to loot both bodies.

Later on that session I was killed when I was beaten on by three ogres. One of them got a critical, too.

 

[Quasqueton]

In our game this past Friday night, we saw the most crits in one game session that we've experienced as a group. There were 3 or 4 crits in one battle.

The funniest (in a sad way) crit was when the dwarf monk got a 20 on his crit threat, then rolled a 20 to confirm. But his damage rolls were 1 and 1.

Quasqueton

 

[Mercule]

There was a session a while back where, through a series of unfortunate -- but not necessarily bad -- events, the party's 2nd level fighter ended up in a 1-on-1 fighter with a 3rd level lizardman barbarian. I pretty much resigned myself to having a player lose his character.

The lizardman gets the character to 2 hps with the second hit. Then, the PC crits with his mercurial greatsword -- first crit ever with the weapon -- for 45 points of damage, about half the critter's hps. Of course, now it's the lizardman's attack, and any hit is going to take down the PC, but it misses, leaving the PC free to make another attack against the lizardman. He does so, scoring another crit and taking down the lizardman chieftain.

Amazing. Certain death to a two-hit victory.

 

[derelictjay]

I got a couple:

In a campaign once I DMed, it involved a dwarved cleric wielding a heavy pick. Every time my NPCs where starting to get the upper hand, his cleric would always roll a crit on the BMF of the group, either killing him or leaving so low on hp the next hit killed him. I still think he was fudging, even when I made him roll his dice where everyone could see him, and he still pulled those crits.

In an old 2e campaign, the 5th-thief (as they were called back then) had climbed up on an archway and was waiting for a hill giant to walk under it. The DM ruled that the thief would do extra damage on the backstab attempt. When the thief dropped down and attacked, you guessed it a crit, dropping that hill giant in one hit. The DM later admitted he had put the giant at max hp. The rest of us were shocked as to what had transpired as the thief was usually in need of a resurrection after having been ineffectual.

 

[Droid101]

What is it with humanoid barbarians and criticals?

I have a goblin barbarian katana wielder (don't ask; rather, read the story hour if you care to find out) NPC who crits all the time. It's gotten rather ridiculous. The PCs certainly don't mind, as it helps them immensely. I just think it's kind of funny.

 

[XO]

House rule to make crits effective

My group(s) usually apply "a crit will have minimum damage of the weapon's max damage + bonuses". The opponents have the same benefit.