Crits Ahoy!

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

With the new Pathfinder Critical Hit Deck, you can inject a dose of chaotic mayhem into the game, making critical hits feel like more than mere numerical increases to damage. Whenever a PC, or an equal or higher level foe, critically hits with a natural 20, draw a card and see what happens. Each critical hit effect has an evocative name to let you envision what just happened. Did you jab them in the calf, shatter their jaw, or pierce their heart? In addition, it lists a special effect. Unless it says otherwise, the attack still deals double damage, but attacks might instantly kill PCs or foes, control them for a round, send them to another plane, or all sorts of other devastating effects.

But that’s just the default setting. For truly brutal and capricious critical hits and high PC turnover, you can instead use the deadly variant, where all critical hits draw a card, not just natural 20s, and even low-level foes draw.

Pathfinder Critical Hit Deck: The Rules Pathfinder Critical Hit Deck: Thunder Strike, Nailed In Place, Decapitation, Returning Spell
Pathfinder Critical Hit Deck: My Teef!, Gusher, Terrible Cit, Excruciating Pathfinder Critical Hit Deck: Overwhelming Smash, Nicked An Artery, Carve Your Initials, Distraction

Mark Seifter
Designer

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Pathfinder Critical Hit Deck Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Pathfinder Second Edition
Grand Lodge

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Huzzah card decks!


I can't wait for my copy!

Is there a default way to calculate DCs? What would be the Fortitude DC be of the decapitation effect be, for example?


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
The Rot Grub wrote:

I can't wait for my copy!

Is there a default way to calculate DCs? What would be the Fortitude DC be of the decapitation effect be, for example?

Probably the total of the attack roll.


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Fumarole wrote:
Probably the total of the attack roll.

That would be a guaranteed failed save then, given that the attack roll was a nat 20.

10 + triggering attack modifier seems more likely. Or just class DC / monster's highest ability DC.


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Fumble Deck says it's the class DC


MY TEEF!

Very weak effect, but I love the name nonetheless!


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I'm pretty excited to punch my initials into someone or knock their head off with a tiger style monk.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
The Rot Grub wrote:

I can't wait for my copy!

Is there a default way to calculate DCs? What would be the Fortitude DC be of the decapitation effect be, for example?

According to the rules card, you use your class DC (or spell-casting DC for spells).

Sovereign Court

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Applied_People wrote:

MY TEEF!

Very weak effect, but I love the name nonetheless!

A spellcaster might not think so! But bear in mind it still does double damage. The one that gets me is “knicked an artery: normal damage.” Plus the effect of course, but it reads a little funny.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Ageron wrote:
Applied_People wrote:

MY TEEF!

Very weak effect, but I love the name nonetheless!

A spellcaster might not think so! But bear in mind it still does double damage. The one that gets me is “knicked an artery: normal damage.” Plus the effect of course, but it reads a little funny.

The rules card states that the critical hit does double damage like a regular critical unless it says normal or triple damage, it which case you change to that. From what I can see, if it does normal damage the effect is often stronger.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Kelseus wrote:
Fumble Deck says it's the class DC

I guess for monsters it'd be the DC by Level, with adjustment if necessary. For physical attacks, at least.

Grand Lodge

She put 900 silver on the fifth horse in the sixth race,
I think its name is "Crits Ahoy!"
Came in six lengths ahead, we spent the whole next week smoking pesh.
At first I thought that she hit off some tip that she got from some other boy. We were overjoyed!


I'm not sure I want to use these if there's a chance my players will get one shotted because of a nat 20.

Dark Archive

Wow, I have never liked random crit effects in D&D or Pathfinder, but these look so... tempting! Paizo, you already have most of my money, please don't take everything, otherwise Asgetrion Jr. will starve along his father... ;)

Dark Archive

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Unikatze wrote:
I'm not sure I want to use these if there's a chance my players will get one shotted because of a nat 20.

Ah, players... those b*stards who always try to outwit the GM, cheat their way through adventures and ultimately break the game with their oh-so-clever "builds" -- I think it's time the game will start breaking them! ;P

Silver Crusade

Asgetrion wrote:
Unikatze wrote:
I'm not sure I want to use these if there's a chance my players will get one shotted because of a nat 20.
Ah, players... those b*stards who always try to outwit the GM, cheat their way through adventures and ultimately break the game with their oh-so-clever "builds" -- I think it's time the game will start breaking them! ;P

After DMing a 5e game last night at my FLGS. I kinda agree with this statement! I have one player (ranger/archer) doing like at least 20+ damage on arrow attacks. Rogue/assassin does well with his damage as well. Other players are doing great as well.

Oddly, big boss villain (mummy lord) does 49 pts to a cleric & she throws a tissy over it. I say bring em on!!


Haldir wrote:

After DMing a 5e game last night at my FLGS. I kinda agree with this statement! I have one player (ranger/archer) doing like at least 20+ damage on arrow attacks. Rogue/assassin does well with his damage as well. Other players are doing great as well.

Oddly, big boss villain (mummy lord) does 49 pts to a cleric & she throws a tissy over it. I say bring em on!!

That cleric wouldn't like my games. I love reducing the players' characters within an inch of their life. Not necessarily all of them at the same time, but if the monsters aren't dealing damage something is not right.

I think it would be interesting to introduce some random bad things with crits, both when from the players and from my critters... think I'm buying this.


Ageron wrote:
Applied_People wrote:

MY TEEF!

Very weak effect, but I love the name nonetheless!

A spellcaster might not think so! But bear in mind it still does double damage. The one that gets me is “knicked an artery: normal damage.” Plus the effect of course, but it reads a little funny.

Sure. But what are the chances that you roll a natural 20 with a bludgeoning weapon against a spellcaster that can't cast a 1-action Heal on themselves (hint: the chances are much less than otherwise). That's the only time this would really do anything. And even then, it only has a 25% chance of having an effect.

All I'm saying is the likelihood of this doing anything worthwhile is vanishingly small. That being said, I love the flavor...and it's a free possibility for an additional effect. So hey, that's a bonus.

Silver Crusade

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Wizards beware.


Feros wrote:
The Rot Grub wrote:

I can't wait for my copy!

Is there a default way to calculate DCs? What would be the Fortitude DC be of the decapitation effect be, for example?

According to the rules card, you use your class DC (or spell-casting DC for spells).

Clarification: it says "The save DC for an effect inflicted by a PC is their class DC".

It would be reasonable to your your tradition DC for an actual spell. But most of these cards involve effects, not spells.

A spellcasting PC would still use its (crappy) class DC for any effect listed on these cards.

The sorcerer, for instance, will never get trained in its class DC, so even a level 20 sorcerer will likely still only have a class DC of ~20.

Tl;dr:

* every class gets a class DC, even spellcasters who never use it (outside of these critical effects)
* some classes remain untrained in their class DC throughout their entire life

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