RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Thought I'd throw out an idea I had for a new feat recently to see if anyone thought it was a good idea or something that could go horribly wrong.
Supreme Critical
Prerequisites: Proficiency with chosen weapon, Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Greater Weapon Specialization in chosen weapon, Improved Critical, Power Critical.
Benefit: When scoring a critical hit with the chosen weapon, increase the critical multiplier by one when resolving damage (i.e. a weapon with a x2 multiplier gains a x3 multiplier instead).
Special: This feat may be chosen more than once. Each time it is chosen, it must apply to a new weapon. The benefits of this feat cannot stack with any other spell, enhancement, or ability that would increase the critical multiplier on a given weapon.
Some fairly high prerequisites, making such a feat only available to higher level fighters (who are probably having at least a little bit of trouble keeping up with the barbarian on the damage scale by this point anyway), but I don't think it screams 'unbalanced' to me. Powerful, sure, but feats with such steep prerequisites probably should be. Is it too much, though? Would rolling this ability into some sort of prestige class be preferable to simply making it a feat?
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Thought I'd throw out an idea I had for a new feat recently to see if anyone thought it was a good idea or something that could go horribly wrong.
Supreme Critical
Prerequisites: Proficiency with chosen weapon, Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and Greater Weapon Specialization in chosen weapon, Improved Critical, Power Critical.
Benefit: When scoring a critical hit with the chosen weapon, increase the critical multiplier by one when resolving damage (i.e. a weapon with a x2 multiplier gains a x3 multiplier instead).
Special: This feat may be chosen more than once. Each time it is chosen, it must apply to a new weapon. The benefits of this feat cannot stack with any other spell, enhancement, or ability that would increase the critical multiplier on a given weapon.Some fairly high prerequisites, making such a feat only available to higher level fighters (who are probably having at least a little bit of trouble keeping up with the barbarian on the damage scale by this point anyway), but I don't think it screams 'unbalanced' to me. Powerful, sure, but feats with such steep prerequisites probably should be. Is it too much, though? Would rolling this ability into some sort of prestige class be preferable to simply making it a feat?
This has something of a math problem, in that it does more for high-crit range weapons.
Crit x3 and crit 19-20 are equivalent in power right now - each gives you a chance at 2 extra damage increments in 20 swings
Likewise, crit x4 and crit 18-20 are equivalent, which 3 extra damage increments per 20 swings
Because (at the current time) you can normally only increase crit range, improved critical affects all of the above equally. x3 goes to 4 extra damage increments (2 extra each on 19 and 20), while 19-20 goes to the same (1 extra each on 17, 18, 19, and 20).
The problem comes in with your crit mult. If you were to improve a weapon doing 19-20/x3 (i.e. a x3 weapon with improved critical, per your preqreqs), it becomes 19-20/x4, doing 3 extra increments on 19 and 20, or 6 increments total. On the other hand, a weapon doing 17-20/x2 bcomes 17-20/x3, doing 2 extra increments on 17, 18, 19 or 20, or 8 increments total.
For 4x vs. 18-20, the problem is worse. 19-20/4x becomes 19-20/4x, or 8 increments, whereas 15-20/2x becmes 15-20/x3, or 12 increments.
So unlike the current feats, that one would not affect all crit ranges equally. You've taken crit ranges that are supposed to be equivalent, and made one more favorable than the other.
I've thought about that before (although I would have named it "Augmented Critical"). However, I rejected the idea as a "normal" feat for much the reasons already listed.
On the other hand, it might make an extemely cool Epic feat, especially if you add Epic Prowess and Epic Weapon Specialization to the prerequisites.
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This feat is similar in flavor to OGL epic feat Overwhelming Critical. On a successful crit, Overwhelming Critial adds +1d6 damage, plus an addional 1d6 for each crit multiplier over 2x (+2d6 for 3x, +3d6 for 4x, etc.).
Your Supreme Critical feat would actually be more powerful when coupled with a weapon that does more than d6's damage. The prereq's for Overwhelming Critical are: Str23, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Crit, Power Attack, & Weapon Focus (and the implied character level >20).
Using all this a benchmark, I'd say that Supreme Crit needs to be epic as written. If it were, the only real appeal would be for fighters that went the Weapon Focus/Specialization route, but didn't want to invest in the Cleave feats just to go down the Overwhelming/Devistating Critical path.
Alternatively, you could lessen the requirements match those of Overwhelming Crticial, but keep it non-epic. This would encourage a high-level, non-epic fighters to take this and gain the additional d6's granted by Overwhelming.
Hope that's helpful
-Skeld
The calculation noted above is somewhat (read: somewhat) equalized because a 15 may be a threat, it is not neccesarily a hit. You still need to hit to be able to threaten, which is much more likely on a 19-20 range then it is on a 15-20 range.
Its definitely a nice capstone to a fighter who uses two weapons, because the power attack tree is kind of redundant when you don't a have a two handed weapon. I can't give any help on the math at the moment, but I like where it's going!
Bah, I think it's fine as written. I think the Epic rules need a major overhaul as is. The fact that there's an OGL Epic feat somewhat similar to this doesn't inherently mandate that it be the benchmark.
The feat has high prerequisites. Also, not all fighters go the Weapon Specialization route. So, it enters play at higher levels, and only some fighters are going to want it. So what if it doesn't affect all weapon equally? All weapons are not created equal. There are several in the PHB with no special qualities, less than stellar damage, and underwhelming criticals. Essentially, they aren't the equal of other weapons. Big whoop that this feat doesn't treat them equally.
Now, I realize that the discussion is more aimed at weapons with interesting critical properties (x3, x4, 19-20, 18-20, etc.), but I still don't see the problem with the feat affecting some weapons differently than others.
Take a look at some of the PHB2 fighter feats and options. They're pretty damned powerful. Honestly, I think this feat is about in line with the other high end ones in there, and is just fine.
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The fact that there's an OGL Epic feat somewhat similar to this doesn't inherently mandate that it be the benchmark.
That would be correct. There is no requirement to benchmark it aganist similar feats. Regardless of any overhauls of the epic rules, it is helpful to benchmark it against something. Since the OGL rules are the core rules, accessable by everyone, and haven't "power-creeped," that makes them an easier comparison than a set of feats not everyone uses, from a book not everyone has, and came out later than the core set.
-Skeld
Contributor
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I have other effects that I allow that increase the crit multiplier and I don't find them overwhelming.
However, I modified Improved crit to only increase the threat range by one, and we use 2d10 instead of a d20 in my current campaign. Although I also use action points and add their effect to the base roll, allowing the PCs to engineer criticals when they need them.
So basically, my experience is probably worthless to your situation.
I agree that it seems alright. The fact that it affects some weapons better is not a good reason at all to disregard it, as Saern said, not all weapons are created equal.
It also seems balanced. I didn't really study the pre-reqs to be honest, but for a high level fighter, my system of balance is "Does this equal the power of high level spells?" This clearly is not in this territory. (I would think 7th level spells are much mroe powerfu lthan this feat). So it seems fine.
When you get to high level high damage from the melee characters is the least of your problems, so anythig that doesn't insanely increase their damage is not going to be a problem compared to what the high level spell caster are chucking around.