"No save or die", but now "20 and TPK".

[brehobit]

I'm 99% sure we know that you make an attack roll against each target. Some playtest report mentioned getting two criticals with a fireball. (Anyone know where?)

So nothing to see here.

I still wish we had confirmation rolls...

Mark

 

[DandD]

Although the dragon did melt the flame protection of the wizard away, too.

 

[Intrope]

I'm 99% sure we know that you make an attack roll against each target. Some playtest report mentioned getting two criticals with a fireball. (Anyone know where?)

So nothing to see here.

I still wish we had confirmation rolls...

Mark

Actually, he crit'd twice with Fireball in the same game session (not against 2 people at the same time).

 

[Nikosandros]

Cover doesn't help if they roll a natural 20 as it hits you despite cover.

Oh and they errataed in a rule that you don't take the half damage on a miss from area effect attacks, previously you took half damage no matter what.

Did they? I've just looked at the errata and it seems to me, that if at least a 10 is rolled then, half damage is indeed inflicted even on a miss... of course, the 10 threshold does make quite a difference.

 

[Bagpuss]

From the Star Wars Saga errata:
I suspect it will work this way in 4e as well.

Except the article heavily implies that it doesn't talking about dragons getting criticals with breath weapons and wizards with fireballs.

 

[Bagpuss]

Did they? I've just looked at the errata and it seems to me, that if at least a 10 is rolled then, half damage is indeed inflicted even on a miss... of course, the 10 threshold does make quite a difference.

When it first came out, area effects worked as follows.

You place the template, and roll your attack roll, if you rolled under their Reflex defense they took half damage, if you rolled equal or higher it they took full, if you rolled a natural 20 they took double damage.

I'm not sure which order the following errata came in but they added (or clarified) the following.

1. If your modified attack roll is less than 10, then you did no damage with an area attack.
2. If you are in cover and the target rolls less than your reflex defense you take no damage.
3. If you roll a natural 20 on an area attack you no longer critical.

Now if you introduce 2 without 3 it actually makes things worse as players start to group in cover to avoid the half damage but instead end up all taking double damage with a critical.

This would come up a lot in Star Wars because everyone had to option to do a area attack with autofire weapons like blasters that everyone had easy access to. It might not come up as often in D&D as there aren't as many area attacks, but once could be enough to ruin the campaign.

 

[Nikosandros]

OK, if the modified die roll is 10 or higher, half damage is inflicted on a miss, which is what I wrote...

I wasn't sure if there was further errata beyond what I had seen and was quoting.