Power Attack, Criticals, Sun Blades, and Doubling

[Quartz]

In this thread we're looking at the damage a raging high-level barbarian can do with a Sunblade against a low-AC opponent. Now, when wielding a weapon two-handed, you get 3:2 for Str and 2:1 on Power Attack, and the Sunblade doubles damage, giving 3:1 on Str and 4:1 on PA. But I'm also minded of the rule about multipliers: x2 & x2 = x3, not x4.

So, you have a 20th level Barbarian raging at Str 42 (+16 / +24) wielding a sunblade (2d8 +4 /x3) 2-handed and Power Attacking for 20 against an Evil creature. How much damage does he do on a successful hit? What about on a successful critical hit? (Yes, I know the monster in that thread is undead and not subject to criticals.)

BTW Str 42 comes from base Str 16, +2 Half-orc, +5 Inherent bonus, +6 Enhancement bonus, +5 Levels, and +8 Rage.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Neither Power Attack's 2 points of damage per point of attack penalty, nor the 1.5x Str bonus to damage, are treated as a multiplier for purposes of figuring criticals and Sunblade damage.

So assuming an evil, negative energy creature subject to criticals, the base damage is 2d8+68. Since it's a negative energy creature, this is doubled - 4d8+136.

Now, what you need to determine is whether "and x3 on a critical hit instead of the usual x2" means "x2 for the critical, doubled because it's a negative energy creature, giving x3", or "double damage, and in addition, the critical multiplier is increased to x3, for a final multiplier of x4".

I believe they mean the first - double damage, unless you score a critical, in which case it's triple damage. So a critical against the evil negative energy creature would deal 6d8 + 204.

If you consider the final multiplier to be x4 instead, it would be 8d8 + 270, but I believe this is a misinterpretation.

-Hyp.

 

[Quartz]

So I did it correctly. Thanks.