D&D 5E Death strike is grisly

[fuindordm]

Am I reading this right?

p. 196: all damage dice are doubled on a crit, including sneak attack dice.

p. 97 (Assassin subclass): any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit

(17th level): when you attack and hit a surprised creature, it must make a con save. On a failed save, double the damage of your attack.

So at high levels, the damage from a death strike would be automatically (2dW + 20d6) x 2, averaging about 150 HP!

The assassin might as well use a toothpick or hairpin, the weapon damage hardly matters at that point. Or just snipe with a crossbow. Yes, I know the wizards have meteor swarm at this point... I'm just very impressed.

Ben

 

[jadrax]

Yeah, every time I read Assassin the Alert feat becomes more and more tempting! ;o)

 

[Curmudjinn]

Am I reading this right?

p. 196: all damage dice are doubled on a crit, including sneak attack dice.

p. 97 (Assassin subclass): any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit

(17th level): when you attack and hit a surprised creature, it must make a con save. On a failed save, double the damage of your attack.

So at high levels, the damage from a death strike would be automatically (2dW + 20d6) x 2, averaging about 150 HP!

The assassin might as well use a toothpick or hairpin, the weapon damage hardly matters at that point. Or just snipe with a crossbow. Yes, I know the wizards have meteor swarm at this point... I'm just very impressed.

Ben

I would think that one of the most experienced assassins in the world could easily kill someone with such a minor weapon. At that level, you might as well be a surgeon with how well you know (demi)human anatomy. Even a focused blunt strike in the proper location can incapacitate and kill its target.

I remember a game in which the party hunted an assassin that was killing with a makeshift syringe, injecting air bubbles into his victims and causing aneurisms well after the initial altercation. It was brilliant and deadly.

 

[Chocolategravy]

I would think that one of the most experienced assassins in the world could easily kill someone with such a minor weapon. At that level, you might as well be a surgeon with how well you know (demi)human anatomy. Even a focused blunt strike in the proper location can incapacitate and kill its target.

It isn't restricted to (demi)human. There is a weird disparity between how effective the assassin is on a surprised target and a helpless one. It's like they forget all those anatomy lessons. They should have included stunned/paralyzed in what you can hit with death strike.

 

[drjones]

It isn't restricted to (demi)human. There is a weird disparity between how effective the assassin is on a surprised target and a helpless one. It's like they forget all those anatomy lessons. They should have included incapacitated in what you can hit with death strike.

I think it is a pretty important balance feature that you can only pull off the mega-stab on the first round.

 

[Chocolategravy]

I think it is a pretty important balance feature that you can only pull off the mega-stab on the first round.

Balance shouldn't trump making sense. Make the mega stab do less damage then.

 

[Paraxis]

Sense this is D&D the mega stab doesn't have to be a stab at all, it could be a whipping.

You can crack a whip at a surprised foe and do the same damage, in fact you can do significant damage to a surprised golem with a whip like this....so sense has little to do with D&D.

Now I need to make a rogue with a silvered whip that hunts undead. Yes nothing in the rules says you can't silver a whip, another bit of sense in D&D.

 

[drjones]

Balance shouldn't trump making sense. Make the mega stab do less damage then.

That way madness lies. Why can't a Barb rage every moment of every day? Why does a level 1 clerics god answer their prayers only 2 times a day? Why can't a wizard just study harder and memorize more spells? How come a bard can only inspire people a certain number of times?

Because this is a Role Playing GAME. If you just want to make up a story that makes perfect sense to you, you need to give up any premise that you are playing a game with built in resource management and write a story.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Yeah, every time I read Assassin the Alert feat becomes more and more tempting! ;o)

Yep. First time the assassin subclass came out in playtest, I saw that combo immediately In fact, it was the example I used in a discussion a while back as to why choosing stat bumps isn't always better than a feat (as was claimed).

 

[Chocolategravy]

That way madness lies. Why can't a Barb rage every moment of every day?

This has a basis in reality, although they are being very generous with how often a barbarian can rage already.

Why does a level 1 clerics god answer their prayers only 2 times a day?

Magic isn't real, it is not based on anything real, they can literally define it however they want and it makes perfect sense.

Why can't a wizard just study harder and memorize more spells?

They can, it's called gaining experience. Again, this has a basis in reality, although, again, it's touching on magic so anything would make sense.

How come a bard can only inspire people a certain number of times?

Magic.

Because this is a Role Playing GAME. If you just want to make up a story that makes perfect sense to you, you need to give up any premise that you are playing a game with built in resource management and write a story.

Or play one of the thousands of other role playing games with a better rule system... because being immersive and telling a story is actually the reason the rules of a role playing game exist. It's not a BOARD game, or a CARD game or a TABLETOP game, it's a ROLE PLAYING game.