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View Full Version : Critical threat range greater than just 20, but AC so high only a 20 hits?



Fiery Diamond
2017-09-20, 07:53 PM
Say you're wielding a weapon that has a critical threat range of 18-20. You have a total attack bonus of +5. You go against an enemy with AC 25+. What happens if you roll an 18 or 19? It's within your critical threat range, but not the normal range to hit. Do you roll to confirm the critical and get a regular hit if you fail to roll a 20 (and a critical if you roll a 20), like normal critical threats? Do you miss because it wasn't high enough to hit the AC, even though it was in your critical threat range? I haven't found any information on how this is supposed to play out.

If you use the former ruling, then increasing your critical threat range (by weapon choice, feat, and/or spell) also increases your likelihood to hit things that are hard to hit. Using a keen rapier, for example, would give you 30% chance to auto-hit instead of a 5% chance (miss chances aside).

If you use the latter ruling, then you seem to be going against the critical threat rules of automatically hitting if you threaten a critical.

Which is it?

Dr_Dinosaur
2017-09-20, 07:56 PM
Only a 20 ever auto-hits. Natural 20 and Critical Hit aree separate things.

Fiery Diamond
2017-09-20, 08:05 PM
Only a 20 ever auto-hits. Natural 20 and Critical Hit aree separate things.

Ah, found the text that confirms what you said. Would have been nice if you had linked it. It is as follows (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm):


Increased Threat Range

Sometimes your threat range is greater than 20. That is, you can score a threat on a lower number. In such cases, a roll of lower than 20 is not an automatic hit. Any attack roll that doesn’t result in a hit is not a threat.

Bolded part relevant.

Dr_Dinosaur
2017-09-20, 08:11 PM
Sorry, on mobile

Psyren
2017-09-21, 12:49 AM
Would have been nice if you had linked it.

This seems needlessly hostile towards someone who was trying to help you with the correct answer.

Denver
2017-09-21, 11:07 AM
This seems needlessly hostile towards someone who was trying to help you with the correct answer.

Irony included for effect?

Goaty14
2017-09-21, 10:05 PM
wait so if I crit on a 19, then I still have the option of missing AND I have to confirm the crit?

I've read it wrong my whole life...

KillianHawkeye
2017-09-21, 11:02 PM
wait so if I crit on a 19, then I still have the option of missing AND I have to confirm the crit?

I've read it wrong my whole life...

Well technically, you only do one of those. There's no need to confirm the crit if you didn't actually hit them.

John Longarrow
2017-09-21, 11:42 PM
I posted about this a while back in the "stupid house rules" thread.

You have to hit first.

IF you hit, if your roll was in the crit range, roll to back it up.

No tricks to get a 12+ to hit ANYTHING...

Mordaedil
2017-09-22, 01:40 AM
It does make sense as you could otherwise end up with some ridiculous 11-20 threat range.