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Indeed, you are right. I'll not wait for it.
Thanks for the contribution guys, have a good one!

The intent here is not to assign blame, but rather to raise this debate and reach a conclusion on whether or not we can utilize the Axe Crit Spec.

About the pick thing, as a good Brazilian would say: "one thing is one thing, another thing is another thing." In my opinion, since the niche of Picks focuses on single-target critical damage, this approach is very straightforward. The Axe, as already pointed out by someone, possesses a Crit Spec designed to spread damage among multiple targets, which occurs on a Swipe Crit. Swipe, in my view, is much more aligned with the Axe’s niche than with that of the Pick.

Comparing the damage output between the Pick and the Axe is not entirely meaningful, as the Axe Crit Spec provides situational bonus damage, whereas the Pick's effect will always proc consistently.

Finally, moving on to this point:

Swipe double dipping the crit specialization of axes encourages degenerate play where it's better for the PC to have an enemy mook near the boss so they can crit the mook + hit the boss with swipe, and deal more total damage to the boss than if the mook didn't exist.

One example. If there is a mook positioned next to the boss, and I make a single attack against the mook, score a critical hit, I'll spread the damage to the boss. Then, proceed to make a second attack directly against the boss and just hit it; the resulting effect would be functionally identical to the scenario you described.

The intent behind the Swipe feat is precisely to combine these first and second attacks into a single attack roll, allowing the character to, quite literally, "swipe" through both enemies, again applying whatever crit specialization it has.

I recognize that this discussion falls within a grey area of interpretation, which is why an official clarification from the developers would be highly valuable in this case.

Yeah, I’ll definitely bring more info to him beyond just my own arguments, haha. I think he might’ve read one of those Reddit posts and became sticked to it.

On the flip side, I just realized I can search for keywords here on the forum (game-changer!), and I found a few solid examples supporting this interaction. In the Swipe feat + Sweep weapon trait post: The guy said:

As of now it'd be:

-Roll high enough to crit both targets.
-Both targets take same double damage + crit effect
-W/ axes, then choose a target adjacent to the initial* target that had the crit effect. Which could very well be the B for A and A for B (assuming your Swipe is normal and requires them to be adjacent).

*In context this isn't addressing initial target for a Strike w/ multiple targets, but rather designating the target of the Strike in contrast to the one that'll get struck by the crit effect. One could argue it is there for multiple targets, but that'd be overreaching AFAICT.

As wild as it seems, any other weapon would get the full effect on each from a crit. I think the only exception might be Penetrating Shot since there's only one missile to pin them down and it traveled past the first target.

It's quite a spectacular image, like a flurry cutting easily (or at least critically) through your enemies. In a more realistic campaign one could argue the order of events prevents this, but PF2 has a high fantasy foundation.

Or in the Swipe & Critical Specialization Effect (Axe) post.

You roll one Strike, and compare against two target's ACs. You do not determine which is "first" or "second", you damage them both in the same Strike, applying effects separately based on their respective ACs. If you crit one with a weapon which you can apply the critical specialization effects for, you are able to do so if you wish. Therefore with an axe, yes you can apply the effects to both the targets, if you crit both of them. The same would apply for any weapon's critical specialization, such as knocking them both prone or making them both bleed.

That lines up perfectly with how I’ve been seeing it. For me, the default feels like: "Yeah, if you crit both, you apply the crit effect on both." Having it not work that way feels more like the odd ruling, not the standard.

Thanks, that actually lines up pretty closely with how I’ve been interpreting it too.

My GM, though, brought up the point that since Swipe explicitly allows the Sweep trait to apply to both targets, that means both A and B are considered “initial targets.” So in his view, neither one could be used as the adjacent creature for the axe crit specialization—you’d need a third creature (C) nearby for it to trigger. (Which, let’s be honest, doesn’t sound like a super common scenario. I don’t expect to be landing Swipe crits with three enemies huddled around me too often, haha).

I get where he’s coming from—especially since the Swipe wording is a bit awkward. Like you said, “all your Swipe attacks” feels strange when there’s only one attack roll. But that phrasing also supports the idea that Swipe acts as two attacks resolved independently, even if they share the same roll.

From that angle, it still feels fair that A could trigger the axe crit on B and vice versa. That seems consistent with how critical specializations work across weapon groups—flails knocking multiple targets prone, swords applying flat-footed to each, etc.

Really appreciate all the insight so far—it’s helped me see that this is a genuine gray area that I needed some clarification. Curious to hear if more GMs out there rule it the same way!

Hey everyone,

I'm in a bit of a rules debate with my GM and group and would love some input. It's about how the Axe critical specialization interacts with the Swipe feat—specifically, whether it can trigger twice (once from each target) if both are critically hit.

Here's the situation: I use Swipe with a melee axe against two adjacent enemies (let's call them A and B), and I score a critical hit on both. The axe's critical specialization says:

Choose one creature adjacent to the initial target and within reach. If its AC is lower than your attack roll result for the critical hit, you deal damage to that creature equal to the result of the weapon damage die you rolled [...]

So the question is: since both A and B were critically hit by the same Swipe, can I apply the axe crit effect from A to B and from B to A?

My understanding is that even though Swipe is a single Strike, the attack roll is resolved separately against each target. For example, given AC differences, the same roll can result in different outcomes—hit, miss, or crit—against each enemy. That means each enemy is effectively the “initial target” of their own critical hit resolution. And since they’re adjacent to each other, each could also be eligible as the "creature adjacent to the initial target."

Additionally, there’s nothing in the rules for Swipe that would prevent both critical specialization effects from triggering independently with other weapon groups. For example, if you score a critical hit with a War Flail (Also has the Sweep Trait), both targets could potentially be knocked prone. This makes it hard to see why Axes would be treated differently, especially since the interaction seems consistent with how other weapon group specializations function with Swipe.

To me, this feels like a valid and flavorful synergy between Swipe and axe crits. Honestly, the first thing I imagined when reading Swipe was someone swinging a big axe in a wide arc, so it just makes thematic sense.

Has anyone seen a dev clarification on this, or had a similar situation at your table?
Thanks!