Critical Hits + Power Attack + Str Bonus

[Kincaid]

I read in the Conan book that damage multiplied in a Critical is just weapon damage.

I am wondering if you power attack and crit, is that damage multiplied as well?

What about strength bonus damage in a crit?

I have always multiplied all of the above if i crit. How are others doing it and am i doing it wrong?

 

[Netherek]

You are doing it right, it is bonus dice damage that are not affected by a crit such as Sneak Attack, magic bonus damage dice i.e. +1d6 flame, etc. etc.

 

[Valgrim Bragisson]

In our campagin we've always multiplied in all damage bonuses EXEPT Sneak Attack damage. So, you multiply Base Damage+STR+PA by the crit multiplier, and than add the sneak damage to that total.

MP

 

[rgrove0172]

Really? No Sneak Attack multiplier? I guess I missed that. I would have thought that a key advantage to a high level thief in combat.

 

[Foxworthy]

When it says a weapons normal damage it's being a bit unclear. What they mean by normal damage is all the modifiers +the base damage dice. It's written pretty badly in the SRD. The SRD has this to clarify it.

Multiplying Damage

Sometimes you multiply damage by some factor, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results. Note: When you multiply damage more than once, each multiplier works off the original, unmultiplied damage.

Exception: Extra damage dice over and above a weapon’s normal damage are never multiplied.

So it's supposed to be all the modifiers to damage and the wepaons damage dice but not anything that give you extra dice like sneak attack.

 

[Auggie]

Let's say you rolled a crit and succeeded on the second roll 'to back it up'. If your multiplier for a crit is, say, x2 and your damage is 1d12+4+6 (if you're using power attack).

With the crit, you would roll a total of 2d12+20 for damage.

 

[Daz]

Let's say you rolled a crit and succeeded on the second roll 'to back it up'. If your multiplier for a crit is, say, x2 and your damage is 1d12+4+6 (if you're using power attack).

With the crit, you would roll a total of 2d12+20 for damage.

I think you'd roll just one d12 and then double it. But whatever, it doesn't make a difference.

 

[Yogah of Yag]

Let's say you rolled a crit and succeeded on the second roll 'to back it up'. If your multiplier for a crit is, say, x2 and your damage is 1d12+4+6 (if you're using power attack).

With the crit, you would roll a total of 2d12+20 for damage.

I think you'd roll just one d12 and then double it. But whatever, it doesn't make a difference.

:shock:
I think Auggie has it right. IIRC, SnATT isn't multiplied.
Valgrim: cool avatar. 8)

 

[Foxworthy]

Let's say you rolled a crit and succeeded on the second roll 'to back it up'. If your multiplier for a crit is, say, x2 and your damage is 1d12+4+6 (if you're using power attack).

With the crit, you would roll a total of 2d12+20 for damage.

I think you'd roll just one d12 and then double it. But whatever, it doesn't make a difference.

Nope you roll the dice multiple times so Auggie is right. This is done to increase the variable of damage done by the crit.

 

[slaughterj]

Let's say you rolled a crit and succeeded on the second roll 'to back it up'. If your multiplier for a crit is, say, x2 and your damage is 1d12+4+6 (if you're using power attack).

With the crit, you would roll a total of 2d12+20 for damage.

I think you'd roll just one d12 and then double it. But whatever, it doesn't make a difference.

Nope you roll the dice multiple times so Auggie is right. This is done to increase the variable of damage done by the crit.

Exactly, but a lot of people get this wrong.

 

[Trodax]

Nope you roll the dice multiple times so Auggie is right. This is done to increase the variable of damage done by the crit.

You are right on the rules (you're supposed to roll the damage dice several times on a crit), but this actually decreases the variability of a crit. You are much more likely to roll a 24 (or a 2) if you roll 1d12*2 than if you roll 2d12 (with 2d12 you'll end up much more often around the mean of 13). Doesn't really matter, I'm just saying.

 

[slaughterj]

Nope you roll the dice multiple times so Auggie is right. This is done to increase the variable of damage done by the crit.

You are right on the rules (you're supposed to roll the damage dice several times on a crit), but this actually decreases the variability of a crit. You are much more likely to roll a 24 (or a 2) if you roll 1d12*2 than if you roll 2d12 (with 2d12 you'll end up much more often around the mean of 13). Doesn't really matter, I'm just saying.

Yep, more dice rather than doubling does mean that you tend to get more average results, i.e., a 1d10 weapon will give you 10 damage 10% of the time, and doubling the roll will give you 20 damage at the same 10%, while doubling the dice will give you 20 damage only 1% of the time (you have to roll a 10 2x on a d10). I like the way it is in the rules, to help curb what would be overfrequent abnormally high or low results.

 

[Foxworthy]

Nope you roll the dice multiple times so Auggie is right. This is done to increase the variable of damage done by the crit.

You are right on the rules (you're supposed to roll the damage dice several times on a crit), but this actually decreases the variability of a crit. You are much more likely to roll a 24 (or a 2) if you roll 1d12*2 than if you roll 2d12 (with 2d12 you'll end up much more often around the mean of 13). Doesn't really matter, I'm just saying.

What I meant by variable is that you can have a variaty of results. For example with 1d12x2 you wouldn't be able to get a three or any odd number. Which you can have by rolling two dice.

 

[Trodax]

What I meant by variable is that you can have a variaty of results. For example with 1d12x2 you wouldn't be able to get a three or any odd number. Which you can have by rolling two dice.

Ah, OK, I see. Yes, the number of possible results is larger with 2d12, but the randomness is higher with 1d12x2. That's really what I meant.

 

[rgrove0172]

So just for clarrification - roll the damage dice the number of times equal to the critical value, then add in the bonuses or strength and such - then roll a sneak attack die, if its applicable, one time only.

 

[Foxworthy]

So just for clarrification - roll the damage dice the number of times equal to the critical value, then add in the bonuses or strength and such - then roll a sneak attack die, if its applicable, one time only.

Roll the dice + modifiers multiple times + sneak attack dice. For example let's say a Soldier/Thief witha bardiche and 2d8 sneak attack with a 4 point power attack and Str bonus of 2

Damage on a crit would be 6d10+33+2d8 aka instant death.

 

[slaughterj]

So just for clarrification - roll the damage dice the number of times equal to the critical value, then add in the bonuses or strength and such - then roll a sneak attack die, if its applicable, one time only.

You multiply the bonuses such as STR, Point Blank Shot, etc. by the crit multiplier also.

 

[Sutek]

ActuallyI don't think you multiply stuff like Point Blank Shot.

The normal damage of a weapon is its damge rating plus STR, and Critical damage states that it is applied to the weapon's normal damage and that "extra damage over and above the weapons normal damge is not multiplied".

I've always read that as STR and weapon damage rating are the only things that get doubled. Everything else is just tacked on to the end, including stuff from feats that adjust damage conditionally.

 

[Foxworthy]

Well in the SRD it's supposed to be all modifiers to the damage that aren't extra dice. Conan doens't have the text that clarifies it in the SRD though. So in Conan it's really up to the individual GM if they add point blank shot, weapon spec as being doubled. I thinkt he SRD does it cause it's simplier that way but doubling all the dice could be too overpowered. Of course thier is a chance that the intent was to not double those bonus but that eb hard to know really.

 

[slaughterj]

ActuallyI don't think you multiply stuff like Point Blank Shot.

The normal damage of a weapon is its damge rating plus STR, and Critical damage states that it is applied to the weapon's normal damage and that "extra damage over and above the weapons normal damge is not multiplied".

I've always read that as STR and weapon damage rating are the only things that get doubled. Everything else is just tacked on to the end, including stuff from feats that adjust damage conditionally.

If you read it that way, wouldn't the STR damage also be "extra damage over and above the weapons normal damge" and therefore not multiplied?

I just use the SRD method, because as with many things in Conan, they are not fully explained in Conan, and Conan is a d20 game, and therefore the d20 SRD rules are Conan rules to the extent that the d20 SRD does not clearly contradict it.