[Class Feature] Intentional Critical (unfinished)

[Tasbard]

As a class feature, the character gains a bonus that can be applied to an attack roll. If the bonus raises the unmodified roll to 20 or higher, the roll plus the bonus count as a natural 20 for the purpose of determining critical hits. The character may only use the crit-hit bonus a certain number of times a day. Intentional Critical is an Extraordinary ability.

The bonus improves over time with the acquisition of levels, and the number of times per day that it may be used likewise increases.

Yet to be determined: At what rate should it improve?

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Obviously, there are a lot of holes in this. If you could offer your ideas and criticisms, that would be great. ^^

[Inyssius Tor]

:eek:

EDIT EDIT: On a second reading, that's actually not too bad. It's not as bad as Improved Critical, in fact...

[Tasbard]

:eek:

Um... I think that would be, um, worth an LA of +39.

EDIT: Eh, perhaps that's a little excessive. Not too excessive, though.

... what?

I'm not familiar with the term LA...

[Inyssius Tor]

Level Adjustment. They're like a little marker for monster races that says "this race is powerful, treat it as if it were X levels higher than its hit dice would suggest."

EDIT: and I think I thought you were suggesting something else, on first reading.

[Poppatomus]

Level Adjustment. They're like a little marker for monster races that says "this race is powerful, treat it as if it were X levels higher than its hit dice would suggest."

Centaurs, for instance, have an LA of, i believe, +4. So if you wanted to play a centaur character that had one level of fighter, you'd be appropriate in a 5th level party because your ECL (effective character level) would be 5.

[Tasbard]

Oh... *wince* Overpowered?

EDIT: Being an idiot, I spelled 'wince' 'winde'.

[Poppatomus]

Would be better as a progression then as a feat I think. As a feat it would be too hard to balance, as a progression it can define a class and get better over time, making it easier to keep from being either too weak late or too strong early.

Would this also trigger abilities like "Vorpal." Could you apply it to a save? (nat. 20 on a save automatically saves no matter what the DC is.) I can see a whole class built around this, the luckster or some such.

cool idea, hope to hear more.

[Tasbard]

Centaurs, for instance, have an LA of, i believe, +4. So if you wanted to play a centaur character that had one level of fighter, you'd be appropriate in a 5th level party because your ECL (effective character level) would be 5.

Right; I didn't recognize the acronym.

[Tasbard]

Would be better as a progression then as a feat I think. As a feat it would be too hard to balance, as a progression it can define a class and get better over time, making it easier to keep from being either too weak late or too strong early.

Would this also trigger abilities like "Vorpal." Could you apply it to a save? (nat. 20 on a save automatically saves no matter what the DC is.) I can see a whole class built around this, the luckster or some such.

cool idea, hope to hear more.

1: Okay, so progression.

2: Well, vorpal weapons just augment a critical hit, so yes. Also, effects like 'flaming burst' and 'thundering' would be triggered as well.

3: I dunno about saves. The idea with the bonus is that the character is good enough at thinking on her feet to specifically target a sensitive area- the solar plexus, the heart, etc.

[Zeta Kai]

My first suggestion would be to decide which kind of ability this is going to be. Is it a feat? Or a class feature? Or a monster ability? Until that nailed down, I don't know where to start.

[keyboardboy101]

While deciding that is important, would it be a certain number of times per day? A player would have to decide to use it before their attack roll. (<side note)

Adding the Dex bonus would make it overpowered (most likely too powerful even for the Greater version of the feat).

You've thought it out for the most part though (as a class feature and a feat and it sounds like it could actually be amazing).

[SurlySeraph]

Adding the character's Intelligence bonus to the roll would be reasonable. Dexterity is an overpowered stat already, and this would make Intelligence useful for fighters.

[Callix]

Put it in the Expertise chain, chuck in a couple of other prereq's and make it say +2 2/day as basic. Add int bonus to any crit damage, multiplied normally. That way there's a static bonus as well as a /day, and the two abilities mesh. Just my 2 copper.

[Tasbard]

My first suggestion would be to decide which kind of ability this is going to be. Is it a feat? Or a class feature? Or a monster ability? Until that nailed down, I don't know where to start.
It's gonna be a progression- Poppatomus made a convincing case for that.

[Tasbard]

While deciding that is important, would it be a certain number of times per day? A player would have to decide to use it before their attack roll. (<side note)

Adding the Dex bonus would make it overpowered (most likely too powerful even for the Greater version of the feat).

You've thought it out for the most part though (as a class feature and a feat and it sounds like it could actually be amazing).

1: Yes, it would be limited in the number of times per day that it could be used; and I forgot to write the 'player must decide to use it before the roll' etc.

2: Well, as a progression in a character class, the Dexterity option doesn't make sense, so it's out- I'm going to revise the first post to include the changes.

[Tasbard]

Adding the character's Intelligence bonus to the roll would be reasonable. Dexterity is an overpowered stat already, and this would make Intelligence useful for fighters.

Intelligence or Wisdom, because Wisdom is tied in with perception. But it's no longer potentially a feat, so the increasing set bonus makes more sense than the stat bonus. Thakns for oyur contribution, tho. ^^u

[RedScholarGypsy]

This sounds pretty good, and it looks like a nice basis to homebrew a class around.

Just to clarify:

This will trigger any ability/effect that works on Natural 20's/crits

This is going to have no effect on undead and such

This class feature won't interact with keen/ imp crit

This will be usable on whatever weapon the char is holding.

Edit: (This will be an EX ability and not a SU or SP)

Can we say power attacking scythe? :smallamused:

[Tasbard]

This class feature won't interact with keen/ imp crit

How do you mean? If a weapon has a widened critical threat range, magical or otherwise, and the bonus-modified roll falls within it, it will be a critical hit.

[RedScholarGypsy]

Ah, okay. Because you stated Natural 20 instead of just calling it a Threat. If you want it to just trigger within the Crit range, perhaps rewording? Otherwise coolness.

[Tasbard]

Right, that is a problem... Linguistically, I'm a bit of a hide-bound pedant, so I should have caught that. Thanks for pointing it out! :smallsmile:

[Kan8]

Very nice idea. However essentially it's only lowering the threat range of whatever weapon the character's wielding, so why not make it do that, save bonuses for other class features (e.g. Will Fortitude and Reflex bonuses).

I'd say let it stack with Keen Edge/Improved Critical, but these effects go on first (So the spell/feat affects the weapon's base threat range, not it's modified one).

As far as advancement goes I'd say let them get it at 1st, then increase it at 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th. Uses/day is the really tricky bit though...Give it too much and it'll be severly overpowered, too little and it'll be used as much as Kobolds are as BBEG's...

All in all awesome idea, hope to see the whole class soon :smallsmile: