Critical Hits

[doktorstick]

Is the damage dice from the weapon doubled, or the damage dealt? I think the PHB and DMG contradict each other.

DMG pg. 65, Behind the Curtain: Critical Hits, 2nd paragraph states: Multiplying all damage, the roll and the bonuses, makes critical hits particularly dangerous. With the surrounding context, it sounds like if you roll 1 on your 1d8 that is 2 pt. critical and an 8 is a 16 pt. critical--not 2d8. (And double any other non-extra dice bonuses.)

PHB pg. 123, Critical Hits, 2nd paragraph states: A critical hit means that you roll your damage more than once with all your usual bonuses. In the above example, it would be 2d8.

Personally, the DMG wording makes more sense to me. You whacked him once, but just in a good spot. Depending on the whack, it might be a better critical hit than others.

I suspect, however, that the PHB is the correct way. Yes?

/ds

 

[Xarlen]

I just multiply the damage.

 

[mirzabah]

I don't know exactly what the rules say or where, but my understanding has always been that you multiply the number of dice you roll, not the results. You do, however, multiply any damage bonuses you deal. So, a fighter with STR 16 wielding a longsword would deal 1d8+3 on a normal hit and 2d8+6 on a critical.

[changed "double" to "multiply"]

 

[doktorstick]

I don't know exactly what the rules say or where, but my understanding has always been that you double the number of dice you roll, not the results. You do, however, double any damage bonuses you deal. So, a fighter with STR 16 wielding a longsword would deal 1d8+3 on a normal hit and 2d8+6 on a critical.

I searched through the FAQ and found an example talking about melf's acid arrow. (It was about the behavior on a critical hit spell that lasted more than one round.) Anyway, the discussion was about 4d4 acid damage which suggests that the PHB language is correct.

/ds

 

[mirzabah]

From the d20 system reference document (SRD):

A critical hit means that the attacker rolls for damage more than once, as indicated by the weapon description for the weapon that scored the threat, with all the attacker's usual bonuses, and add the rolls together to get total damage.

This should be taken as the definitive statement on the subject.

PS. The SRD adds that:

bonus damage represented as extra dice is not multiplied when a character score a critical hit.

This means, for example, that a rogue does not multiply his sneak attack dice on a critical.

 

[Black Omega]

Indeed, your roll more dice rather than multiply. A method I much prefer as a GM, since there is less chance of a random shot wasting a PC out of the blue.

 

[Baalzebul]

For an unambiguous example of multipliers and critical hits see DMG p6, General Guidelines, Multiplying.

It makes more sense to roll the dice rather than multiply single dice rolls because this reduces the random element overwhelming a situation out of nowhere. The DMG mentions in a discussion of rules variants (the Instant Kill variant, I think) that things that increase the randomness of combat ultimately hurt the PCs more than anyone else. Multiple dice rolls will average out. Although multiplying a single dice roll will result in very little damage being done as often as it will result in a killer hit being produced, the killer hits will hurt the PCs more than the NPCs.

 

[Henry]

DMG pg. 65, Behind the Curtain: Critical Hits, 2nd paragraph states: Multiplying all damage, the roll and the bonuses, makes critical hits particularly dangerous. With the surrounding context, it sounds like if you roll 1 on your 1d8 that is 2 pt. critical and an 8 is a 16 pt. critical--not 2d8. (And double any other non-extra dice bonuses.)

PHB pg. 123, Critical Hits, 2nd paragraph states: A critical hit means that you roll your damage more than once with all your usual bonuses. In the above example, it would be 2d8.

I see no contradiction in the two statements.

"Multiplying all damage, the roll and the bonuses, makes critical hits particularly dangerous." saying 2d8+6 is also saying that for 1d8+3, you are multiplying the ROLL and the BONUSES. 2d8+6 = (2 x 1d8) + (2 x 3). It is NOT identical however, to 2 x (1d8+3).

Of course, you could also say that (1d8+3) x 2 is ALSO mutiplying the roll and the bonuses, but it is more accurate to say you are multiplying the TOTAL of the roll and the bonuses.

In other words, the statement in the DMG could apply for both cases, but the PHB makes it clear.

 

[Gromm]

Indeed, your roll more dice rather than multiply. A method I much prefer as a GM, since there is less chance of a random shot wasting a PC out of the blue.

Or wasting an important NPC.
Its too easy to deal max damage if you just multiply the results and not the dice.
The odds of doing 36 damage with a Greatax on 3d12 is fairly small, unless you multiply 1d12 by 3, in which case its really easy to do.