Critical hit with spells?

[RedMage125]

This has probably been addressed, but can spells that require attack rolls, such as most cantrip, critically hit on a 20?

What about spells like Thorn Whip, that do piercing damage and not energy damage?

[mr_odd]

This has probably been addressed, but can spells that require attack rolls, such as most cantrip, critically hit on a 20?

What about spells like Thorn Whip, that do piercing damage and not energy damage?

I believe that they critically hit in the sense that a 20 is always going to hit, but they do not deal extra damage.

[Bubzors]

I don't have my book right next to me, but I'm pretty sure any spell that requires an attack roll can critical like a normal attack. Makes sense to, instead of hitting you in your padded chest with my ray of frost, I got lucky and hit you square in your face. However any aoe or save spells can't crit.

At least that's how my group has been playing it

[Slipperychicken]

If a spell uses an attack roll, then it follows the rules for attack rolls, which indicate that a natural 20 on the roll is a critical hit.

[Kane0]

General rule is if you need to roll to hit, you can roll a crit.

[RedMage125]

So...that natural 20 on Thorn Whip should deal double damage, yes?

I've looked through the rules again, and I can't find anything that explicitly forbids it, but don't want to be guilty of munchkin fallacy here. The only actual support is that the rules for critical hits do not say "weapon attacks", but simply "attack roll", as opposed to Sneak Attack, which explicitly specifies "weapon attacks".

[Tenmujiin]

Crits are part of the rules for attack rolls, the spell uses attack rolls. I see no reason for them not to crit (though my party's rogue wishes they didn't after he got instagibbed last session).

[Slipperychicken]

So...that natural 20 on Thorn Whip should deal double damage, yes?


Remember how crits work in 5e. You just roll the damage dice twice. You don't double the modifier. So an attack which normally deals 2d6+3 damage would instead deal 4d6+3 on a critical.