Ghost Spike And Assassin Equipment

[cignus_pfaccari]

19-20/x3 is roughly equal to 20/x5 or 17-20/x2.

Man, I'd take a natural 19-20/x3 weapon in a heartbeat.

Brad

 

[Hypersmurf]

Man, I'd take a natural 19-20/x3 weapon in a heartbeat.

Especially since with Improved Critical, it's 17-20/x3 - approximately equivalent to a 13-20/x2 or a 20/x9 weapon...

-Hyp.

 

[Nazhkandrias]

Especially since with Improved Critical, it's 17-20/x3 - approximately equivalent to a 13-20/x2 or a 20/x9 weapon...

Yeah, it rocks, but it's more broken than the legs of a gnome trying to carry a warforged up a cliff... I don't think that any DM in their right minds would allow such a weapon without reducing the critical or otherwise balancing it, and even then, it's a little iffy... Soooo.... how about that Mithral Chain Shirt? Good? Bad? OK?

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Yeah, it rocks, but it's more broken than the legs of a gnome trying to carry a warforged up a cliff... I don't think that any DM in their right minds would allow such a weapon without reducing the critical or otherwise balancing it, and even then, it's a little iffy... Soooo.... how about that Mithral Chain Shirt? Good? Bad? OK?

Actually, a Medium 1h d6/19-20 x3 weapon is about balanced for an exotic weapon. I don't know about the rest of it being a one-handed double weapon, but hey.

And, yes, the Mithral Chain Shirt is pretty much the best armor for your assassin, barring such DM-fiat-requiring things like Celestializing glassteel full plate. (Were I the DM, I might be tempted to do that just for the plot point...you know, assassin, on the run from the celestials?)

Brad

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually, a Medium 1h d6/19-20 x3 weapon is about balanced for an exotic weapon.

Hmm. I guess, in theory, a Medium 1h 1d6 20/x5 might be an exotic pick of some sort, and that's about equivalent to 19-20/x3. I'm not sure if the rule of thumb covers going from x4 to x5, though.

-Hyp.

 

[Nazhkandrias]

Hmm. I guess, in theory, a Medium 1h 1d6 20/x5 might be an exotic pick of some sort, and that's about equivalent to 19-20/x3. I'm not sure if the rule of thumb covers going from x4 to x5, though.

-Hyp.

I don't think they EVER go over x4. The picks are all x4, but exotic picks do much more damage, thus improving the effect of the critical by a great degree. Light Picks do 1d4, Heavy 1d6, Greatpick is 2-handed exotic and I think it does 1d10 or something like that, and Dire Pick is hand-and-a-half exotic, 1d8 damage. Increasing damage for a weapon with a critical like that does about as much as increasing the critical by a bit, and flavor-wise, I can't imagine a more devastating sort of critical than a pick hitting home - it doesn't get much worse. I don't know how the heck a weapon could be x5, barring a barbed pick or something insane like that.

And a 1d6 20/x5 pick would probably have to be two-handed with a really long, but thin, head. You'd need two hands to bury something in somebody THAT deep. Plus, it'd have to have a VICIOUS point, something that would really tear things up on a real puncturing blow.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I don't think they EVER go over x4.

The Deepwood Sniper in 3E, from memory, eventually got his critical multiplier with a bow above x4.

-Hyp.

 

[Nazhkandrias]

The Deepwood Sniper in 3E, from memory, eventually got his critical multiplier with a bow above x4.

OK, so they RARELY go over x4, and no weapon that a player can use is over x4 right off the bat, with no abilities or class features to enhance that. As for 19-20/x3... Doesn't the Tarrasque or some similar monster have a critical rating like that?

Regardless, I'm not going to use the Ghost Spike. I'd rather be able to Finesse a rapier and a short sword.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Hmm. I guess, in theory, a Medium 1h 1d6 20/x5 might be an exotic pick of some sort, and that's about equivalent to 19-20/x3. I'm not sure if the rule of thumb covers going from x4 to x5, though.

-Hyp.

It is kind of iffy, yes.

It doesn't feel right, but it looks mathematically equivalent, in that you'd wind up with the same amount of damage inflicted.

Feel free to point out any math errors I'm making.

Assuming 50% chance to hit, which means a 50% chance to confirm the crit, standard weapons average out per hit at 1.1*damage, 18-20/x2 and 20/x4 are 1.15*damage, and 19-20/x3 and 20/x5 are 1.2*damage. Keeping the die size the same as the lower variety of weapon would seem to require an exotic weapon, using the example of, say, a great scimitar vs a regular scimitar or a longsword.

Now, strangely, I feel a lot more comfortable with a 19-20/x3 than I do with a 20/x5. I'm not entirely sure why that is.

Brad

 

[Nazhkandrias]

Now, strangely, I feel a lot more comfortable with a 19-20/x3 than I do with a 20/x5. I'm not entirely sure why that is.

I think it's because weapons are commonly 19-20/x2 and weapons are commonly 20/x3 - combining them seems much more natural than jumping up a category (20/x5) altogether. Plus, some monsters have 19-20/x3 natural weapons. The Tarrasque has a CRAZY +57 Bite attack with a 20-ft. reach that does 4d8+17 damage and an INSANE 18-20/x3 critical. Jeez, that's frightening.

Mathematically, you seem to be spot on. But keep in mind that math was never my strongest subject - I know enough to get by, but I stop when it gets quadromocatical.