Critical Hits - what is maximised?

[Craith]

Could someone with the books clarify which dice are maximised on a Critical Hit? I would only maximise the [W] portion of the attacks, no Sneak Attack, Warlock's Curse or Hunter's Quarry.

I do know that extra damage from magical weapons and high crit weapons is not maximised, but is above assumption correct or some leftovers from 3.x?

 

[Obryn]

I would only maximise the [W] portion of the attacks, no Sneak Attack, Warlock's Curse or Hunter's Quarry.

That is correct.

-O

 

[Craith]

Thanks a lot for that quick answer.

 

[Xzylvador]

*frown* I thought all damage would be maximised, except for the additional damage done BECAUSE it's a critical hit (eg, magic weapon's extra dice)

Where's the rule? Page/Quote?

 

[Mort_Q]

RAW, any damage that you would normally roll for if you didn't crit is maximized. This would include sneak attack, etc. Special powers that are added after the initial damage roll, such as sneak attack, etc., are rolled as usual.

Only the extra dice added from various magic weapons, etc, because you rolled a crit, are not maximized.

PH 278

[edit]Changed my mind again[/edit]

 

[Scarface6174]

P 278

Maximum Damage: Rather than roll damage, determine the maximum damage you can roll with your attack. This is your critical damage. (Attacks that don’t deal damage still don’t deal damage on a critical hit.)

Extra Damage: Magic weapons and implements, as well as high crit weapons, can increase the damage you deal when you score a critical hit. If this extra damage is a die roll, it’s not automatically maximum damage; you add the result of the roll.

 

[HenryBlatbugIII]

Sneak Attack and Warlock's Curse aren't maximized. Those abilities state "You decide whether to apply the extra damage after making the damage roll," so the damage has already been maximized by the time you apply the extra damage.
However, Hunter's Quarry states "If you can make multiple attacks in a round, you decide which attack to apply the extra damage to after all the attacks are rolled." In this case, the damage will be maximized after you decide which attack gets the bonus, so the extra dice will be maximized.

 

[Mort_Q]

Sneak Attack and Warlock's Curse aren't maximized. Those abilities state "You decide whether to apply the extra damage after making the damage roll," so the damage has already been maximized by the time you apply the extra damage.
However, Hunter's Quarry states "If you can make multiple attacks in a round, you decide which attack to apply the extra damage to after all the attacks are rolled." In this case, the damage will be maximized after you decide which attack gets the bonus, so the extra dice will be maximized.

Ah... so those are covered under their own rules, not under the Critical rules. Fair enough.

 

[Arbitrary]

Damage Rolls

Roll the damage indicated in the power description. If you're using a weapon for the attack, the damage is some multiple of your weapon damage dice.

Add the ability modifier specified in the power description. Usually, this is the same modifier you used to determine your base attack bonus for the attack.

In addition, any of the following factors might apply to a damage roll

- Racial or feat bonuses
- An enhancement bonus (usually from a magic weapon or an implement)
- An item bonus
- A power bonus
- Untyped bonuses

----pg 276

The description of a normal damage roll, such as the kind you would maximize for a crit, does not include any mention of any bonus dice from anywhere. I think that a careful interpretation of the Hunter's Quarry to allow for the maximization of their bonus dice goes against the obvious spirit of bonus dice on crits goes against the streamlined nature of the edition. It isn't quite as clear as it was in 3.5, but there isn't anything anywhere that tells you to maximize bonus dice.

 

[keterys]

As far as I can tell, you maximize them - they're not extra damage for critting from an ability or magic weapon, and all of those rules quoted do not say not to maximize them.

In the example power card a few weeks back, the rogue maximized his sneak attack dice in his crit line as some useful proof.