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Critical Hits: Why not x2 damage?
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<blockquote data-quote="Xeviat" data-source="post: 6758668" data-attributes="member: 57494"><p>Why did the designers change critical hits from x2 damage to "double dice"? Were damage modifiers seen as too big to be multiplied? With the capping of ability scores at 20, and with reducing magic weapons to +3 max, it seems like multiplying modifiers are the least of our worries. Spell attacks have a large number of dice, and they get multiplied. Sneak attacks have a large number of dice, and they all get multiplied. Smites and Improved Smites too, as well as Hex damage and Hunter's Quarry. Several magic items add an extra dice of damage too, but only a few add modifiers (I'm looking at you, belts of giant strength).</p><p></p><p>The only thing that really stands out as something you probably wouldn't want to be multiplying would be GWFing and Sharpshooter's +10 to damage; which always looked like a lot to me.</p><p></p><p>4E changed up critical hits too; 4E's crits were max damage dice and then you rolled extra damage dice for magic weapons. This worked out to a bit less than simply doubling damage at the low levels, but added up to more than double damage at the higher levels. Again, it struck me as an odd choice. I've always wanted to go with a strict double damage again, for simplicity. Especially now that finesse and ranged weapons use Dex to damage, no one is at risk of getting a crit on a 1d6 and dealing 2 damage.</p><p></p><p>What are your thoughts?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Xeviat, post: 6758668, member: 57494"] Why did the designers change critical hits from x2 damage to "double dice"? Were damage modifiers seen as too big to be multiplied? With the capping of ability scores at 20, and with reducing magic weapons to +3 max, it seems like multiplying modifiers are the least of our worries. Spell attacks have a large number of dice, and they get multiplied. Sneak attacks have a large number of dice, and they all get multiplied. Smites and Improved Smites too, as well as Hex damage and Hunter's Quarry. Several magic items add an extra dice of damage too, but only a few add modifiers (I'm looking at you, belts of giant strength). The only thing that really stands out as something you probably wouldn't want to be multiplying would be GWFing and Sharpshooter's +10 to damage; which always looked like a lot to me. 4E changed up critical hits too; 4E's crits were max damage dice and then you rolled extra damage dice for magic weapons. This worked out to a bit less than simply doubling damage at the low levels, but added up to more than double damage at the higher levels. Again, it struck me as an odd choice. I've always wanted to go with a strict double damage again, for simplicity. Especially now that finesse and ranged weapons use Dex to damage, no one is at risk of getting a crit on a 1d6 and dealing 2 damage. What are your thoughts? [/QUOTE]
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Critical Hits: Why not x2 damage?
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