Cranial Burst?

[Lhurgyof]

Does anyone know what happened to the Cranial Burst weapon property?
It's referenced in the XPH, but no stats on it.

I vaguely remember a ranged weapon enchantment that explodes peoples heads... but can't find it. Any help, Playground?

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Page 165 of the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and I quote:


Mindcrusher: Any psionic creature struck in combat
by a mindcrusher weapon loses a number of power points
equal to half the amount of hit point damage the weapon
deals (only the base damage of the weapon contributes to
the power point loss; additional damage from high Strength
or other sources does not cause additional power point loss).
A psionic creature that is out of power points (or has none)
must succeed on a DC 17 Will save or take 1d2 points of
Wisdom damage.
Strong psychometabolism; ML 12th; Craft Psionic Arms
and Armor, psychic vampire; Price +2 bonus.

[Lhurgyof]

Darn, that's a lot less cool than I thought it'd be...

Oh wait, I remember now! There's a picture at the beginning of the items section, that shows a bow, which says "Cranial Burst Bow"... THAT'S what I need to find out about, lemme change the title...

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Well, that's totally different from Mindcrusher. Doesn't exist, at least not that I've ever seen. Someone drew in a picture of a bow, they called it a Cranial Burst bow, and then nobody ever bothered to actually make the ability. If you wanted to homebrew it, you could probably get away with some ranged Vorpal type ability, that causes the target's head to explode on a Natural 20, and requires the Cranial Deluge power to create. But there is no official Cranial Burst ability.

[Lhurgyof]

Well, that's totally different from Mindcrusher. Doesn't exist, at least not that I've ever seen. Someone drew in a picture of a bow, they called it a Cranial Burst bow, and then nobody ever bothered to actually make the ability. If you wanted to homebrew it, you could probably get away with some ranged Vorpal type ability, that causes the target's head to explode on a Natural 20, and requires the Cranial Deluge power to create. But there is no official Cranial Burst ability.

That's exactly what I remember seeing, is the issue. Is it in the 3.0 Psionics handbook, perhaps?

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Y'know, it might be, but we don't talk about that. 3.0 psionics was a baaaad thing.

[arguskos]

That's exactly what I remember seeing, is the issue. Is it in the 3.0 Psionics handbook, perhaps?
Maybe, though since the Internet lacks references to such an item ability in any way at all, I don't think it exists. Likely, you are conflating the bow's name with the cranial deluge power and your brain fills in the blanks.

[Lhurgyof]

Maybe, though since the Internet lacks references to such an item ability in any way at all, I don't think it exists. Likely, you are conflating the bow's name with the cranial deluge power and your brain fills in the blanks.

Ahh, man. Probably.

It seems like such a great idea.

A relic bow named "Headshot"


Edit: 3.0 psionics may not be really good, but it works for the Dark Sun campaign setting. (In the sense that everyone, even the dumbest half-giant can be a practitioner of the way)

[Admiral Squish]

Oooh! You could talk to your DM about getting the 'cranial deluge' power involved. You make the enemy take massive damage, and if they die, their head asplodes.