Critical Hit with Fireball!

[Plane Sailing]

two threads on fireball criticals merged...

Cheers

 

[Abstraction]

What about the critical hit?

Sorry, what I should have said is that I am guessing the crit comes from the per-encounter use of Fireball, as rays have always been able to crit.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

Well, it said that one was taken out by the Double crit. I suspect that the others were damaged by the other crit. Or that this one was at full HP and just got vaporized.

He also noted that this was the first thing that happened during the combat... So... Either other critters within the fireball's AOE probably would have died anyway, and so their deaths weren't noteworthy, or the skirmisher was the only critter within the AOE, or you can use a fireball as a non AOE attack...

Later
silver

 

[Cadfan]

I second Mouseferatu's idea.

Actually, I first it, because I predate his post in the other thread and say the same thing. *sticks out his tongue and runs off to tell his very unimpressed girlfriend that he's won the internet*

I don't think we'll get spells with multiple versions right away, given the emphasis on simplicity for spellcasters.

 

[Stormtalon]

The critical hit would come into play on either of the per-encounter or at will uses, as those are single-target attacks under this theory.

And in the case of having multiple per-day uses of a spell at higher levels (as I'd hazard will be the case), the per-encounter/at will uses should still be available until all of the "higher priority" uses of it are expended. So, if you have, say 2 per-day uses of AoE Fireball ability, you can use one and still have the per-encounter/at will stuff available.

Although, thinking on it more, since they've said even after using all of the per-day stuff, a wizard will still be at 80% effectiveness, I suspect the concept of "lock-out" of the per-encounter/at will stuff isn't going to happen.

 

[HeinorNY]

From this information rich site:


There have been other discussions as well.

Thaumaturge.

And when did "possibly" become "confirmed"?

 

[Olfactatron]

I dislike the idea of saves being a static defense. It has the benefit of cutting down on die rolls which I appreciate as a GM, but it has significant potential to hose a wizard/artillery role or significantly reduce the threat of an encounter. Let me explain.
Imagine an homogeneous group of baddies. Pretty common occurrence, it could be a bunch of hobgoblins or drow or whatever, the point is they have the same stats. If they all have the same reflex defense, they either all "make the save" or all "fail it." Which leads to two undesirable outcomes. If they all fail, the encounter is blown through and no one else gets to go. If they all "make the save," then the wizard might feel like he wasted his action, or if they had evasion, has wasted his action.
This was a big problem I had with SESW.

 

[Zebediah Magus]

Eh, I've got a simpler theory.

Fireball (and other AoE offensive spells) might work in 4E similarly to the way fire seed does in 3E. Specifically, you aim at one target, who can be critted, and then everyone else in range takes a lesser amount of damage (and cannot be critted).

Seems simple enough.

That would work fine for me.

 

[HeinorNY]

Imagine an homogeneous group of baddies. Pretty common occurrence, it could be a bunch of hobgoblins or drow or whatever, the point is they have the same stats. If they all have the same reflex defense, they either all "make the save" or all "fail it." Which leads to two undesirable outcomes. If they all fail, the encounter is blown through and no one else gets to go. If they all "make the save," then the wizard might feel like he wasted his action, or if they had evasion, has wasted his action.

I just give half the stormtroppers a better Dex, so half the group would make the save and the other half would take full damage, that's ok with me.
If I want an even more realistic outcome, I'd just roll ability scores for each trooper.

 

[Thaumaturge]

And when did "possibly" become "confirmed"?

You didn't get that memo? hrm.

While it may not be confirmed, there is more evidence confirmation rolls are gone than there is evidence they are staying.

Evidence confirmation rolls are gone: SWSE has no confirmation rolls, confirmation rolls have yet to be mentioned in a playtest, and a designer report from GenCon (I can't remember who, or where it is now I found it: James Wyatt) where James specifically mentions feeling sorry for a dwarf who failed to confirm crits and how things would be better in 4e.

Evidence confirmation rolls are still around:Well it isn't *confirmed* they're gone.

Thaumaturge.