D&D 5E One-shot kills

[Khisanth the Ancient]

I also don't multiply poison damage with a crit, not sure if that's RAW.

Me neither (just started GMing 5E) but it totally should work that way, both for mechanical reasons and logical ones.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

On the topic of poison, or other additional damage types an attack might have:

Here's what I do, and what I think is what the rule-book suggests doing - if the damage happening is tied to an attack roll and involves no saving throw to reduce/avoid, it is affected by a critical hit. Otherwise it isn't.

So if you have an attack like a medusa's longbow attack that deals 1d8+2 piercing plus 2d6 poison, a critical hit would deal 2d8+2 piercing plus 4d6 poison. But if you have an attack like a purple worm's stinger that does 3d6+9 piercing and 12d6 poison that a save reduces by half, a critical hit is 6d6+9 piercing and 12d6 poison that a save reduces by half.

 

[Arnwolf]

If he cries we can make an exception to the rules and bring his character back through divine intervention. It's only fair since he got killed on one hit.

 

[CapnZapp]

I also don't multiply poison damage with a crit, not sure if that's RAW.

I don't either, and it is

 

[CapnZapp]

On the topic of poison, or other additional damage types an attack might have:

Here's what I do, and what I think is what the rule-book suggests doing - if the damage happening is tied to an attack roll and involves no saving throw to reduce/avoid, it is affected by a critical hit. Otherwise it isn't.

Phrase it like this and I'm with you: criticals double all the dice of an attack, but doesn't affect any secondary effects or attacks.

If a monster deals 2d6+3 damage, a critical is 4d6+3.

If a monster deals 2d6+3 poison damage, a critical is 4d6+3 poison.

If a monster deals 1d6+3 piercing damage plus 1d6 poison damage, a critical is 2d6+3+2d6.

But if an attack triggers any secondary attacks, the critical doesn't affect those.

Think of it like this: those 7d6 aren't rolled at the instant the critical takes effect, but "afterwards" (if only a split second later). Also, since you can succeed on the save, not everybody is going to take the 7d6, so then they are not available for doubling.

And since there is no counterpart to a critical when *you* make the roll, that is, there are no fumble rules; the damage delivered by a separate poison attack can never be doubled. ("failing miserably" is handled another way, such as the "if you fail the DC by 5" mechanic of Drow poison)

 

[Rya.Reisender]

It does not affect secondary attacks? What about stuff like sneak attack then? Not so sure about that.


On-topic: The hardest part with death for me is that I usually don't know how my players will react to that. There are those that really want the sense of danger and risk of dying at any time and if they get killed they'll just be like "Heh" and make a new character. Others get really attached to their characters and wouldn't be so happy about them dying.

But then again death only seems to be a problem in low levels on 5th edition. You can go by AL rules and allow free revival from one of the factions as long as you're below level 5. After that you hardly die in one hit, though you may be one-hit knocked unconscious. But players have many means to prevent death like first aid or even just anything that heals 1 HP or more, so if someone really dies, they must mess up a lot.
And I'm really not going easy on them (though I make intelligent creatures always concentrate their attacks on the biggest threats rather than go and knock an unconscious PC dead).

 

[CapnZapp]

It does not affect secondary attacks? What about stuff like sneak attack then? Not so sure about that.

What about it?

Sneak damage is specifically and explicitly part of what you double on crits.

I'm open to the possibility some DM will allow or not allow certain extra damage to be doubled on crits.

But sneak damage should not be one of those cases. The rules and the devs have repeatedly said sneak damage do double on crits.

(In the context of my posts, I'll simply note that sneak damage isn't a secondary attack, so my explanation is consistent with the rules and Sage Advice on sneak damage.)

Feel free to ask again if your question wasn't adequately covered, Rya!

 

[Krachek]

It happend to my wizards last game.
Critical hit by a Wraith. 8d8+3 for 45 damage. Level 6 wizards. 38 hits points is not enough.
At least I succed the DC 14 co saving throw to avoid being dead for good.

 

[LapBandit]

Does death by chewing count as one-shot? A LE 5th level Cleric of Bane offended an Ancient Silver Dragon who cast Hold Person on him and promptly ate him (crit 4d10 + 10 rolled 33+10), splint mail and all.

 

[Rya.Reisender]

[MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION]
Sorry I accidentally wrote secondary attacks when I actually meant to write secondary effects. As in "secondary attacks should not be affected, but secondary effects like Sneak Attack should be". Or do you call that a primary effect then?

 

[CapnZapp]

[MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION]
Sorry I accidentally wrote secondary attacks when I actually meant to write secondary effects. As in "secondary attacks should not be affected, but secondary effects like Sneak Attack should be". Or do you call that a primary effect then?

No problem, but not sure what you gain by talking about "secondary effects".

Read the section on criticals. It doesn't talk about primary or secondary anything, only that you double all dice that is part of the attack. (You double all weapon dice)

Sneak dice is such dice and they are doubled.

Dice from a rider spell that allow a save is a separate thing, and is not doubled.

If you call the fire damage from a flaming sword "primary" and the damage dice from Wyvern poison "secondary" to help you discern what dice to double and what dice not to double, fine.

 

[Ancalagon]

Oh! Best death ever:

We are playing D&D 2nd ed, it's our first game, we are teenagers. It's an adventure I made. The players don't know the monsters at all and are trying to use "real world" logic. There is a door (probably leading to kobold treasure) that is guarded by a boar chained to the floor (think of a guard dog on a chain, except a boar... yeah I know).

So one of the character says "ha! I draw my sword and step forward!" (he was a fighter). Another player (also a fighter) says "I don't know dude, boars are pretty vicious".

The first player says "it's a *pig*" with contempt.

So... he misses, I roll for the boar, hit, roll damage, max. One dead PC.

I would have fudged I think, but for that "it's a pig" comment

 

[Whirlingdervish]

I have zero problems with killing characters in any edition of the game i believe in permanant level drain, death via massive damage, and save or die effects. I also have no problems assigning high DC's for traps. I do not see the big deal the hero's are not supposed to win all the time they are supposed to lose as much as they win.

For me my best recent death was my 12 year old nephews character he has been gaming with us for about a year and everything we tried to teach him goes in one ear and out the other he thinks he has to be good everything even other characters roles... well we are playing BECMI and i am running the group through the palace of the silver princess and for those of you who know the module on the second level you find and fight a Decapus a carnivourous plant with nine arms.... the description of the room is that it is empty my nephew rushes in before anyone could say anything and i asked him if he was sure he wanted to do that. He said yes and i rolled 9d20 hit on six of the attacks and proceded to let the plant eat his character. Then i made him roll a new character without any help from the group. He spent two weeks grumbling until my sister told him to shut up it was his own fault...

 

[Rya.Reisender]

No problem, but not sure what you gain by talking about "secondary effects".

Read the section on criticals. It doesn't talk about primary or secondary anything, only that you double all dice that is part of the attack. (You double all weapon dice)

You introduced those terms:
"criticals double all the dice of an attack, but doesn't affect any secondary effects or attacks."

 

[Azurewraith]

I have zero problems with killing characters in any edition of the game i believe in permanant level drain, death via massive damage, and save or die effects. I also have no problems assigning high DC's for traps. I do not see the big deal the hero's are not supposed to win all the time they are supposed to lose as much as they win.

For me my best recent death was my 12 year old nephews character he has been gaming with us for about a year and everything we tried to teach him goes in one ear and out the other he thinks he has to be good everything even other characters roles... well we are playing BECMI and i am running the group through the palace of the silver princess and for those of you who know the module on the second level you find and fight a Decapus a carnivourous plant with nine arms.... the description of the room is that it is empty my nephew rushes in before anyone could say anything and i asked him if he was sure he wanted to do that. He said yes and i rolled 9d20 hit on six of the attacks and proceded to let the plant eat his character. Then i made him roll a new character without any help from the group. He spent two weeks grumbling until my sister told him to shut up it was his own fault...

Ah the moment children learn its sweeter than sugar.