True strike

[Elf Witch]

I have a question about True Strike the spell reads that you get to add a +20 to you roll. There is a disagreement at our table on just what this means.

Some are saying that it is a crit threat and then you roll to confirm others are saying no it's not an automatic crit threat that it just adding +20 to what you rolled.

So what is the conseus here?

 

[Crothian]

No, it is not automatically a threat to crit.

 

[rgard]

I have a question about True Strike the spell reads that you get to add a +20 to you roll. There is a disagreement at our table on just what this means.

Some are saying that it is a crit threat and then you roll to confirm others are saying no it's not an automatic crit threat that it just adding +20 to what you rolled.

So what is the conseus here?

I read it, play it and DM it as not an automatic crit threat.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Elf Witch]

Thanks that is my take as well now all I have to do is convince the DM who keeps using it on us as a crit threat.

 

[Christian]

I'm not even sure where he's getting this from. Does a 20th level fighter threaten a critical on every attack, just because he has (at least) a +20 attack bonus?

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Definitely not a critical threat, unless the PC rolls a threat on his/her to-hit roll as per normal. I'm not sure where your GM got that from.

Olaf the Stout

 

[DarkJester]

I'll chime in with the chorus, definitely not a critical threat. Critical threats only occur because of the roll of the dice, not any subsequent modifiers.

Critical Hits

When you make an attack roll and get a natural 20 (the d20 shows 20), you hit regardless of your target’s Armor Class, and you have scored a threat. The hit might be a critical hit (or "crit"). To find out if it’s a critical hit, you immediately make a critical roll—another attack roll with all the same modifiers as the attack roll you just made. If the critical roll also results in a hit against the target’s AC, your original hit is a critical hit. (The critical roll just needs to hit to give you a crit. It doesn’t need to come up 20 again.) If the critical roll is a miss, then your hit is just a regular hit.

 

[Dross]

Thanks that is my take as well now all I have to do is convince the DM who keeps using it on us as a crit threat.

While not likely but: Is it a house rule?

Agree with the others.

By RAW the +20 is a modifier of what you roll, it does not automatically give you anything (other than a better chance to hit). If you cast true stike then roll a "1" on the dice, you miss.

 

[isoChron]

Well there was a spell (Hunters Mercy) which did give a auto threat and you just had to confirm, but this was a 3.0 spell for rangers and I hope it is not revived in Spell Compendium or other sources. This spells description said so explicitly.

+20 just means that. You roll and add +20 to your normal attack, good enough.

 

[darkbard]

There is, of course, also the debate about whether or not the true strike bonus applies to a confirmation roll should the player roll high enough for a threat....