Criticals and automatic secondary damage on a hit

[Nikosandros]

This issue come up last session with Fiery Bolt, but I guess that it is a more general one...

On a critical hit, is the damage that is automatically dealt to all targets adjacent to the original one also maximized? Are the extra dice for a critical hit with a magic implement added?

 

[mattdm]

I posed this same question about fiery bolt a few weeks ago, and the general consensus was that the secondary damage gets maxed out too. It kind of goes against my instincts, but then, hey, why not let the criticals be awesome.

Not sure about the additional magic weapon damage.

 

[KlassyReborn]

Here is my feelings on the impliment damage. It is added once per attack, and since the automatic damage is from the same attack, it is not. Unless you choose to add it to that part of the attack. It sounds dumb, but then again, i'm a novice in the workings of DnD.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I went back and forth several times on this with CustServ, and they eventually consulted with the line developers.

The final word they gave me:

Thanks for your patients on this. The rules are not precise on this should be handled, I imagine that is why this question came up. The intent is that critical hits would and the benefits for them would only apply to the target you rolled to hit.

Fiery Bolt: The target of the power would be effected by the critical hit but all of the "splash" damage would not.
Furious Smash: You would add the extra critical dice to the damage for the attack but your allies attack would not be effected.
Cleave: Only the main target would take extra damage from the critical hit.

-Hyp.

 

[Tarrl]

bummer!

 

[vic20]

Thanks for your patients on this...

Did you get your patients back when they were done, or did you have to fully transfer ownership?

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

You can figure it out from the rules for critical hits in the combat section of the PHB. All damage dice that would be part of the damage done if it were NOT a critical hit, that includes SA damage dice, would be maxed. Implement dice happen ONLY if the hit IS a critical hit, and all those type of dice must be rolled (else why would they even be listed as die rolls if the are always maxed). So I say it is just RAW.

 

[Hypersmurf]

All damage dice that would be part of the damage done if it were NOT a critical hit, that includes SA damage dice, would be maxed.

That's not the question.

With Fiery Bolt, on a normal hit, you roll damage dice against the target, and you also roll damage dice against creatures adjacent to the target.

If we maximize all the damage dice we would roll on a normal hit, that would include the dice we roll to deal damage to creatures adjacent to the target.

CustServ says (eventually) "No - only damage dice you'd roll on a normal hit which apply to the target of the attack", which isn't clear from the crit rules in the PHB.

-Hyp.

 

[Nikosandros]

That's not the question.

Exactly. And thanks for posting CustServ answer... they ought to add this to the FAQ, IMO.