Spell Sword and criticals with stored spells

[Lodow MoBo]

A spell sword has a enervation spell(or vampric touch) loaded up in his keen scimitar. When he crits on a 15 does the envervation crit as well? Does it crit on a 20? Or does it not crit at all?

 

[Tatsukun]

We talked about this the other day, I think the general consensus was that it's possible to critical with the weapon, but not the spell. In the scimitar example, if you roll a 20 and confirm, you critical with both, but if you roll a 18 or 19 you can critical with the sword, but not the spell (the spell goes off normally).

-Tatsu

 

[Lodow MoBo]

Well if I have improved Critical Ray does that make it crit on a 19 or 20. The crit is delivered by the weapon. If the spell not delivered by an actual ray, why would the improved crit ray apply?

 

[Hypersmurf]

The only example we have of this in published rules, that I'm aware of, is the rules for delivering a touch spell with an unarmed strike, in Tome and Blood.

Take Shocking Grasp, for example.

If you deliver the spell with a touch (threat range of 20), then on a confirmed 20, the damage of the spell is doubled.

If you deliver the spell with an unarmed strike (threat range of 20), then on a hit, you deal unarmed strike damage plus spell damage. On a confirmed 20, the damage of the strike is doubled, but the damage of the spell is not.

If you have Improved Critical (Unarmed Strike), then on a confirmed 19 or 20, the strike damage is doubled, but in neither case is the damage of the spell doubled.

The damage of the spell can only be doubled if it is delivered 'normally' - as in with a touch.

If we generalise from this rule, then the Spellsword could deal critical damage with his sword... but the spell damage would never be multiplied.

-Hyp.

 

[Diirk]

Or you could just use the general rule 'extra dice aren't multiplied on criticals' as reference. Just as your rogue's sneak attack damage doesn't get doubled, that extra 5d6 from the shocking grasp doesn't either. You give up the chance to crit your spell and get the weapon crit instead.

Sometimes thats an advantage, sometimes a disadvantage, I think its fair tho, or that power attacking scythe with a channeled disintegrate could get out of hand

 

[Hypersmurf]

Or you could just use the general rule 'extra dice aren't multiplied on criticals' as reference. Just as your rogue's sneak attack damage doesn't get doubled, that extra 5d6 from the shocking grasp doesn't either.

That doesn't work with, for example, Harm, though - the damage isn't expressed in the form of dice

-Hyp.

 

[hong]

One of these days, I WILL roll a 20 on a harm. Oh yes.

 

[Joshua Randall]

I have a knack for rolling 20s with ray of enfeeblement. Especially ones that are already empowered. My DM hates me.

But as for the question at hand - I concur with Hyp. You should only be able to crit with a spell if you deliver it the normal way, not (in this case) through Spellsword's channel spell ability.

 

[Darklone]

I have a knack for rolling 20s with ray of enfeeblement. Especially ones that are already empowered. My DM hates me.

But as for the question at hand - I concur with Hyp. You should only be able to crit with a spell if you deliver it the normal way, not (in this case) through Spellsword's channel spell ability.

Uh oh, 2.5 times damage... I would hate to calculate it

 

[Saeviomagy]

I have a knack for rolling 20s with ray of enfeeblement. Especially ones that are already empowered. My DM hates me.

Better not tell him that ray of enfeeblement doesn't crit then, eh?

Specifically - ray of enfeeblement gives the target a penalty to strength. It does not (contrary to the short description) cause strength damage.