Fun with Crits, Has this ever happened to you?

[Number47]

In the game I DM, the players were chasing down a wizard on the road who had attacked them earlier, but fled when injured. So, they already knew he wasn't at full hit points. There plan is to capture him alive, find out who put a contract out on one of the players. They catch up to him on the road. He hears them coming up, but doesn't have enough time to prepare anything. Now, he is a 2nd level enchanter and the group of 4 chasing him are 1st level. As you know, anything can happen at low levels. In order to make another escape, the wizard tries to sleep the group. Everyone make their save, even the mounts! Oops! Time for the girls to attack. The wizard has an AC of 12. That's it, 12. Everyone misses until the fighters turn. She nocks and arrow and, natural 20. To confirm, she gets a 12, good enough. I tell her to roll double damage, but my buddy stops me and reminds me that the crit on a bow is triple damage. The table gets real silent. Dee Dee nervously picks up her dice. First time I ever witnessed a player regretting a crit and praying for low damage. Luckily, she only knocked him down to -5 hit points.

 

[Greybar]

I was solo playtesting a scenario I had written for a party of four level 10 characters. The particular scene involved the party being lured to a cave that they though was an important entrance, and fighting the (advanced) gargoyles there. The gargoyles would be a generally piece'o'cake fight. However, the Stone Giant with a level of Ranger (and rolled stats) hiding on the bluff to their flank.

I gave the giant Improved Critical with thrown rocks as his feat for Ranger1. The means the stat line reads:
Thrown Rock +18/+13/+8, 2d8+12, 19-20/x2, 180" increment

So in my playtest the heroes go into combat, the fighter and ranger into the fray with the cleric and bard in the back. The giant takes a full attack of thrown rocks at the bard. Three hits. Two critical threats, both confirmed. That's 10d8+60 points of damage. The bard dies with an excessive spattering of gore.

Hmm, I say to myself, just a lucky set of rolls? I decided to be nice (since this wasn't meant to be a big climax-type fight) and swapped out the Improved Critical for a more defensive choice (Iron Will), but in the actual game run he still nearly killed one of players, giving them a well-deserved fright.

John

 

[Ravellion]

Wizard "I suspect it to be a construct, can I roll Knowledge Arcana?"
DM "Sure."
*rolls high, but not really high*
DM "Well, if it is a construct, it might be a Doom Guard. It shouldn't be too much of a problem for you by now... though this one is a bit big - 9 foot tall"
Wizard "hey, paladin and fighter, that Plate armour is most likely animated, though it isn't that powerful"
PAL & FTR, with look of glee on their face "CHAAAAAARGE"
Extra HD Doom guard with Greatsword and reach takes his AoO: 20,20,20,14. (House rule that each consecutive 20 raises the multiplier by 1). Roll fortitude for massive damage.
FTR: "CLERIIIIIC!"

Rav

 

[Happiest_Sadist]

Well, this happened a couple of weeks ago. We were fighting a gnome who wasn't that tough, but we had no clue as to why a former friend would attack us. Nor did we know who the enimies really were. So I charge him with my great scimitar and score a crit dropping him to one HP. Then our rogue aims his crossbow. "We want him alive."

He then proceeds to roll a natural 20, then confirm, then roll near max damage for 18 points of damage.