Maximising Touch Attack Critical Potential

[Vaz]

1, does a Critical Hit increase the damage of a touch spell? Ie Criticial Hit with Shocking Grasp; is it 4d6 damage?

2, what way is there to increase Critical threat range apart from Improved Critical (Touch). Handwraps of Auto-Crit Touch Attacks I'm guessing aren't available. Blood in the Water I guess, but I'm hardly Crit Fishing, and I'm not going for Duskblade or Warblade Builds; I'm doing Caster but one who wouldn't mind Swinging with the big boys for once.

[BowStreetRunner]

You want to look at the Weaponlike Spell rules from Complete Arcane for the full treatment on this question. However, the short answer is that a spell that requires an attack roll and deals damage can do extra damage from critical hits.

A shocking grasp normally deals 1d6 per caster level so the critical hit would double this to a total of 2d6 per caster level.

[The Viscount]

Gloves of Deadly Casting from Forge of War double threat range, though I don't think they stack with improved critical. Were you to have iron hands and a lenient DM, you might make use of Disciple of Dispater's improved critical threat range.