Hideous Blow invocation and crtitical hits

[Gloombunny]

Dalamar's reading of the wording is... different than mine.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Well, technically the wording of the ability in Complete Arcane is that you make a melee attack with eldritch blast and, as a bonus, get to add weapon damage to it.

It says the eldritch blast damage is in addition to the weapon damage, not the weapon damage being in addition to the eldritch blast damage.

You make a melee attack, which deals weapon damage as normal (which may be none, if DR is in play, for example); if it hits, the target is affected as if by your eldritch blast.

The extra damage is the blast damage, not the weapon damage.

-Hyp.

 

[glass]

I see it as explicitly not being damage added to your weapon hit. But whatever... I'm not Perun's GM, obviously.

I'm not either.

Anyway, I don't see how you can read 'This damage is in addition to' as anything other than explicitly being additional!


glass.

 

[Perun]

Thanks for the replies, folks!

And, by the way, I am the DM in the group

The question really dealt with semantics. As far as I can remember, the "extra" damage, like sneak attack or skirmish damage, is always defined as, well, extra damage. And in the hideous blow description it's additional damage instead.

Regards!

 

[Hypersmurf]

The question really dealt with semantics. As far as I can remember, the "extra" damage, like sneak attack or skirmish damage, is always defined as, well, extra damage. And in the hideous blow description it's additional damage instead.

From the DMG: Unlike other modifiers to damage, additional dice of damage are not multiplied when the attacker scores a critical hit.

Or, if you want to add emphasis: Unlike other modifiers to damage, additional dice of damage are not multiplied when the attacker scores a critical hit.

-Hyp.

 

[Perun]

From the DMG: Unlike other modifiers to damage, additional dice of damage are not multiplied when the attacker scores a critical hit.

Or, if you want to add emphasis: Unlike other modifiers to damage, additional dice of damage are not multiplied when the attacker scores a critical hit.

-Hyp.

Thanks, Hypersmurf. Missed that bit. That will teach me not to rely on my memory



Best regards.

EDIT: Would you mind listing the page number where that quote can be found? I've skimmed through the DMG (particularly around p. 26), but couldn't find the reference. And I'd like to be ready when the issue comes up at the table. Thanks.

 

[Dalamar]

Seems my memory was a touch faulty (that's what I get for answering questions off the top of my head). I misremember how the last sentence of the description was worded, thus ending up with the interpretation I blurted out.

I still think it's poorly worded, though.

 

[Hypersmurf]

EDIT: Would you mind listing the page number where that quote can be found? I've skimmed through the DMG (particularly around p. 26), but couldn't find the reference. And I'd like to be ready when the issue comes up at the table. Thanks.

In the Magic Items section, under Magic Weapons.

-Hyp.

 

[Perun]

In the Magic Items section, under Magic Weapons.

-Hyp.

Thanks.

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

I was thinking about this, the other day... (And, this is what I get for thinking about it... )

Since the Eldritch Blast is normally a ranged touch attack...

1. Couldn't the Hideous Blow be resolved as a melee touch attack?

1b. If the Hideous blow is resolved as a melee touch attack, then if it resulted in a critical threat that was confirmed... Couldn't the damage dice from the Eldritch Blast be handled as normally multiplied for a critical hit?​

2. If the above scenario is allowed... If the attack roll was high enough to scroe a normal melee hit for the weapon involved, then weapon damage would be added normally.

2b. If the to hit roll resulted in a critical threat that was confirmed (for a melee weapon attack, not just a melee touch attack), then the weapon damage would be multiplied as normal for a critical hit with that weapon.​

3. The above could be combined making the Hideous Blow truly hideous... A melee touch attack that had the potential for also including melee weapon damage. And, with a high enough roll... All the dice would be multiplied as appropriate for a critical hit...​

Granted, all this results in some hideous complexity, especially when factoring in the concentration check for using the spell-like ability in a threatened square...

Thoughts???