Tweaking Fortification and Vorpal

[Synchronicity]

Wonderful! I like how those two special qualities are described now. I like them both and most likely I will use them in my own campaign.

The only thing I have to add is that the vorpal ability only works on a natural 20, not on any critical. At least that's the way it does in the DMG. If you wanted for it to work on this toned down version on any critical roll other than a 20 I think you should rework the cost and add +1 more to its value for weapons of 19-20 threat range and +2 for those of 18-20. Watch out for abuse of this quality by having Improved Critical, Power Critical and any other related feats. Personally I will use them in my campaign with the vorpal only working on a natural 20 to prevent abuse.

Whoops, sorry, that's how I meant it to work, as that's how the new DMG has it. I just neglected to mention the 'natural 20' part. :S Editing it now.

 

[milo]

The DC on the vorpal should be 10+1/2 damage dealt by crit at a +4 bonus. The DC for the above would be a 72, this is still a high DC, but it will be rare that someone gets this in. I like the fortification changes, still useful but not so much that it makes it overpowering.

 

[Terraism]

One possibility might be - and it's still damn powerful - but, perhaps make the Vorpal property automatically confirm critical hits. (And, if it's not already a +5 power - I don't feel like looking it up right now - bumping it up to +5.) It'd be damned powerful, but really not so much more than the current "vorpal kills" method - and it's far easier to work with than a DC of 10 + 2x^2... (yeah, I'm exaggerating. Point being, it's simpler.) Alternatively, it count count as rolling a twenty on the confirmation roll, usually guaranteeing a crit - but not always.

 

[ruleslawyer]

Auto-confirm is worth +5 how, exactly?

Personally, I like the Fort save (DC 10+1/2 damage dealt) or die idea, plus making it a death effect. It's as powerful as the Devastating Critical epic feat, with the limitation of being a magical death effect and costing a lot of money. And yes, it's still powerful, but the fighters do need something dangerous, don't they?

 

[Terraism]

Auto-confirm is worth +5 how, exactly?

Personally, I like the Fort save (DC 10+1/2 damage dealt) or die idea, plus making it a death effect. It's as powerful as the Devastating Critical epic feat, with the limitation of being a magical death effect and costing a lot of money. And yes, it's still powerful, but the fighters do need something dangerous, don't they?

Because at higher levels, automatically critting on every crit you make is harsh. Probably boils down to insta-death after two or three such hits, anyway. If not sooner. (Example: without running figures, most would agree that it's feasible to create a 20th level fighter who can do around 90 damage in one hit. Double (or triple, or quadruple) that, and... [shudder.] If that doesn't kill something outright, it probably couldn't have it's head lopped off by a vorpal blade, anyway.)

 

[GravyFingerz]

We made a small change to Fortification Armor.

Light Fortification: 25% chance to negate a crit or sneak attack; +1 value.
Medium Fortification: 50% chance to negate a crit or sneak attack; +3 value.
Heavy Fortification: 75% chance to negate a crit or sneak attack; +5 value.

On the note of Vorpal weapons, maybe make it an epic weapon quality, maybe +6 or +7, and let it do its thing on a crit, not a nat 20. Seems like vorpal should be special anyway, you know? Not just any weapon should be a vorpal weapon.