Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cabral" data-source="post: 2777512" data-attributes="member: 1193">Because the trigger event is the critical hit, fortification protects against it.If the fortification negates the critical hit, the natural 20 followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit still happened. The Vorpal effect is not dependant on the critical hit, it is dependant on the successful confirmation roll which fortification does not affect.If instead Vorpal said: "If a roll of a natural 20 results in a critical hit, ..." then I would agree fortification protects against it.If instead Fortification said: "When an attack threatens a critical against the wearer, fortification provides a chance to negate it. If the chance is successful, the threat does not confirm, otherwise roll normally." Then I would agree that it would protect against vorpal.Since, neither is the case, Fortification, as written, does not protect against Vorpal, as written. 3.5 is (generally) written in very deliberate language for a reason. The fact that they did not make vorpal dependant on a critical hit was intentional. The fact that fortification does not protect against a vorpal weapon may or may not be.Edit: Just for grins, I sent this question to Sage Advice ... maybe we'll see in Dragon in a few years... <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/laugh.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing    :lol:" data-shortname=":lol:" /></blockquote>