Once again assuming that a fighter hits on an 11+ on average (meaning that on a full attack they hit more often on the first attack and less often on later attacks), that 5% chance requires, on average, 20 attacks, which is going to be a lot less than 18 rounds if there are full attacks involved. If there is not a full attack, then the odds to hit go up and it will still take less than 20 rounds.
If the fighter is instead optimized for crits, using a scimitar instead, (15% crit chance) then it takes an average of just over six attacks to get a crit.
Once again assuming that a fighter hits on an 11+ on average (meaning that on a full attack they hit more often on the first attack and less often on later attacks), that 5% chance requires, on average, 20 attacks, which is going to be a lot less than 18 rounds if there are full attacks involved. If there is not a full attack, then the odds to hit go up and it will still take less than 20 rounds.
If the fighter is instead optimized for crits, using a scimitar instead, (15% crit chance) then it takes an average of just over six attacks to get a crit.
Yikes, I must have had a brain-fart just then! Thanks, I have amended my math above. :-)
What do you guys think about this? Do you prefer Vorpal as is or do you want some changes that make sense?
Everything I could say has already been said by Derek on this thread:
This is how I would like to see a vorpal sword presented in the Pathfinder rules. With the ability to overcome damage reduction I would prefer this to be a minor artifact or highly prized specific weapon.
The Vorpal sword: This potent and feared +4 Keen mighty cleaving Adamantite Longsword ignores any damage reduction a creature may have and allows the weapon
to sever the heads of those it strikes. Upon a roll of natural
20 (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit),
the weapon severs the opponent’s head (if it has one) from
its body unless the creature succeeds in a Fortitude save DC 23, this counts as a death effect. Some creatures, such as many aberrations and all
oozes, have no heads. Others, such as golems and undead
creatures other than vampires, are not affected by the
loss of their heads. Most other creatures, however,
die when their heads are cut off.
Minor artifact or specific weapon? Strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th;
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, circle of death, keen edge;
Price ?
Hmm...
If this weapon makes its way into the minor artifact section, then I think some of the other iconic weapons of old should follow it: Holy Avenger, Sun Blade, and Luck Blade come to mind, and should have abilities representing such status. In a way, perhaps it is fitting for them to reach such a position in this "edition"... relics, historically speaking.
This is how I would like to see a vorpal sword presented in the Pathfinder rules. With the ability to overcome damage reduction I would prefer this to be a minor artifact or highly prized specific weapon.
The Vorpal sword: This potent and feared +4 Keen mighty cleaving Adamantite Longsword ignores any damage reduction a creature may have and allows the weapon
to sever the heads of those it strikes. Upon a roll of natural
20 (followed by a successful roll to confirm the critical hit),
the weapon severs the opponent’s head (if it has one) from
its body unless the creature succeeds in a Fortitude save DC 23, this counts as a death effect. Some creatures, such as many aberrations and all
oozes, have no heads. Others, such as golems and undead
creatures other than vampires, are not affected by the
loss of their heads. Most other creatures, however,
die when their heads are cut off.
Minor artifact or specific weapon? Strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th;
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, circle of death, keen edge;
Price ?
Hmm although I like this, weapon, I dont think it should be the only vorpal.
In comment to another in this thread, the adamantite sword IS the "light vorpal".
I would really dislike too many "similar" items existing and crossing over eachother and havng half of this power and some of that.
Mish mash, yuck!
I dont really think a good vorpal sword is going to "fix" the fighter.
It would be really lame to see every fighter over 11th level with a vorpal weapon.
Dont make it so good its a must have.
I dont think it's reasonable to say youd have to be 14th level before getting one.
So an 8th level fighter couldnt find a vorpal sword in a pile of monster treausre?
Bilbo, thorin and company found Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting (all elven artifact weapons, as identified by Elrond) by defeating three trolls (well gandalf did really)
Seems to me this was better treasure than when they got to smaugs lair!
Hence the fun of random treasure generation. which is also why I HATE wealth by level.
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The vorpal sword is mentioned as the sword to cut off the head of Medusa by Perseus, as also seen in the movie in "Clash of the Titans". It has all the qualities we know and love from the game.
The sword of Perseus is an antique weapon, a harpe with a sickle-like extension to one side of the blade, for thrust and cut.
The Harpe was a type of sword mentioned in Ancient Greek and Latin sources, almost always in mythological contexts. Most notably it was the sword used by Perseus to decapitate theMedusa, and by Cronus to castrate his father Uranus. In Greek and Roman art it is variously depicted, but it seems that originally it was a khopesh-like sickle-sword.
Lewis Carroll published Through the Looking-Glass in 1871. Near the beginning, Alice discovers and reads "Jabberwocky". The word "vorpal" appears twice in the poem, which describes a young boy's quest to slay a monster called the Jabberwock: "He took his vorpal sword in hand", and later,
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
As with much of the rest of the poem's vocabulary, the reader is left to guess at the meaning of "vorpal" from the context. It is commonly assumed to mean "deadly" or "sharp"[citation needed], words often used to describe swords, but some readers have imagined other properties the word could describe. Alexander L. Taylor points out in his Carroll biography The White Knight that "vorpal" can be formed by taking letters alternately from "verbal" and "gospel".[1]
Carroll himself once wrote, "I am afraid I can't explain 'vorpal blade' for you—nor yet 'tulgey wood.'"[1]
A vorpal sword in an example of a specific magical weapon in the D&D game. The vorpal sword first appeared in the original Dungeon Master's Guide (1979), listed as "sword, vorpal weapon". The name of the sword is derived from the vorpal sword mentioned in Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky", apparently a reference to the boy's decapitation of the Jabberwock. The designers of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game take "vorpal" to mean capable of decapitation, specifically through magical means. "Vorpal swords" exist fictionally in various works, especially in role-playing games and video games, where they are generally based on the Dungeons & Dragons concept. While its statistics have varied through the editions of the game, the weapon has been defined by its magical power to decapitate foes more easily than an ordinary weapon could.
.....the sword is derived...
hmm curious and informative ( I never actually read jabberwocky)
cool though.
I guess we cant change the head chopping of the vorpal weapon NOW...Its in Wiki!
Wiki man! Wiki!
Well its far more sacred cow than nearly anything else at this point, eh?
head chopping it is.
Hmm although I like this, weapon, I dont think it should be the only vorpal.In comment to another in this thread, the adamantite sword IS the "light vorpal".
I would really dislike too many "similar" items existing and crossing over eachother and havng half of this power and some of that.
Mish mash, yuck!
I dont really think a good vorpal sword is going to "fix" the fighter.
It would be really lame to see every fighter over 11th level with a vorpal weapon.
Dont make it so good its a must have.I dont think it's reasonable to say youd have to be 14th level before getting one.
So an 8th level fighter couldnt find a vorpal sword in a pile of monster treausre?
Bilbo, thorin and company found Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting (all elven artifact weapons, as identified by Elrond) by defeating three trolls (well gandalf did really)
Seems to me this was better treasure than when they got to smaugs lair!Hence the fun of random...
I don't think ANY item should be a "must have" for any class, I would prefer tat all classes could stand tall on their own without the aid of magical items, although a magical item should make things easier of course.
If you were to keep Vorpal as a weapon quality and not an artifact or specific weapon, it could be the same as I posted before except that you drop the +4 keen mighty cleaving adamantite bit and allow the property on all slashing weapons. (or you could allow it for all weapon types, just changing the flavor to head smashing and heartseeking f.ex)
I really don't think it is necessary to analyze the origins of the vorpal sword in order to make statistics for it in game. In D&D the sword has always (as far as I know) cut off heads, and I think that is all we really need to consider.
Having played through a couple epic campaigns I can say that instant death effects become really broken at those levels. You are fighting monsters with hundreds of hit points regularly and I find it ludicrous that a single non-epic effect could instantly kill creatures of such magnitude.
Also to keep more in line with the current changes in instant death effects in Pathfinder I believe the vorpal sword needs reworking. Allowing a save would be the best choice for a fix in my book.
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Having played through a couple epic campaigns I can say that instant death effects become really broken at those levels. You are fighting monsters with hundreds of hit points regularly and I find it ludicrous that a single non-epic effect could instantly kill creatures of such magnitude.
It's no more broken at Epic level than at any other. HPs do not represent actual physical damage in DnD.
Even if they did, I think that there is always a place in the game for instant kill effects. Otherwise it degenerates into a Quake like 'strafe the BBEG until the health bar hits zero'.
A single-hit kill is no more ludicrous than pitching multiple disintegrates into a target for no apparent effect and then killing it with a 1 HP poke from a chopstick.
I do agree that a Fort save mechanism would work well with Vorpal though. Something along the lines of save-or-die on a confirmed critical.
Beyond whatever power-level or swingyness concerns of Vorpal weapons, I find the flavor of their effect bizzare. It's almost less of a sharpness enchantment and more of a 'neck seeking', which is just odd.
Plus it implies that magic is needed to decapitate someone.
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Beyond whatever power-level or swingyness concerns of Vorpal weapons, I find the flavor of their effect bizzare. It's almost less of a sharpness enchantment and more of a 'neck seeking', which is just odd.
Plus it implies that magic is needed to decapitate someone.
Any magical sword guides the wielders hand to make their strikes more accurate. The Vorpal sword just, as you said, seeks the neck. Once it's there, it's just old fashioned tempered steel that does the actual cutting, no magic required.
Beyond whatever power-level or swingyness concerns of Vorpal weapons, I find the flavor of their effect bizzare. It's almost less of a sharpness enchantment and more of a 'neck seeking', which is just odd.
Plus it implies that magic is needed to decapitate someone.
Any magical sword guides the wielders hand to make their strikes more accurate. The Vorpal sword just, as you said, seeks the neck. Once it's there, it's just old fashioned tempered steel that does the actual cutting, no magic required.
I do believe that part of the original fluff was that the Vorpal sword was supposed to be extremely sharp, not just neck-seeking, and I would like to see this reflected in the mechanics somehow perhaps by allowing the sword to bypass damage reduction and hardness.
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I do believe that part of the original fluff was that the Vorpal sword was supposed to be extremely sharp, not just neck-seeking, and I would like to see this reflected in the mechanics somehow perhaps by allowing the sword to bypass damage reduction and hardness.Beyond whatever power-level or swingyness concerns of Vorpal weapons, I find the flavor of their effect bizzare. It's almost less of a sharpness enchantment and more of a 'neck seeking', which is just odd.
Plus it implies that magic is needed to decapitate someone.
Any magical sword guides the wielders hand to make their strikes more accurate. The Vorpal sword just, as you said, seeks the neck. Once it's there, it's just old fashioned tempered steel that does the actual cutting, no magic required.
Very true, and I didn't intend to discount that in my comment.
In addition to DR and hardness, I'd put serious thought into it ignoring armor bonuses, or at least, reducing a targets armor bonus by 1 on each hit.
Very true, and I didn't intend to discount that in my comment.
In addition to DR and hardness, I'd put serious thought into it ignoring armor bonuses, or at least, reducing a targets armor bonus by 1 on each hit.
That's actually an idea, merging the crappy brilliant energy property into vorpal (minus the glowing and not being able to harm unliving things part.) I never understood why the brilliant energy property was a +4 modifier, the penalties far outweigh the benefits IMO, but that's a debate for another thread.
The current vorpal is so Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies.
I don't like these kinds of absolutes.
So I changed vorpal so that a nat-20-crit with a vorpal weapon is a coup de grâce. Still pretty much Off With Their Heads, but there's a chance now.
The current vorpal is so Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies.
I don't like these kinds of absolutes.
So I changed vorpal so that a nat-20-crit with a vorpal weapon is a coup de grâce. Still pretty much Off With Their Heads, but there's a chance now.
That's actually a great idea.
I've DM'd vorpal swords into low level campaigns. Just as they are they are fantastic!
The cachet is huge, the tanks quickly realize the weapon is no guarantee of success.
And the costs are fantastic - too expensive to sell; and the ongoing threat of something more deserving of a vorpal blade coming to extract it from the party.
So my $.02 is: yes, there is a difference between perception and reality when it comes to this item. It isn't as good as we expect it to be.
Why not rewrite it with some personal flair? Considering the depth of knowledge demonstrated in this thread alone, gamers will pick and choose the flavor they want. Just hope your flavor isn't new coke!
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The current vorpal is so Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies.
I don't like these kinds of absolutes.
So I changed vorpal so that a nat-20-crit with a vorpal weapon is a coup de grâce. Still pretty much Off With Their Heads, but there's a chance now.
Now here is something I "can" get into. This is a great idea KaeYoss and I think I may have to use it as well.
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I've seen Vorpal devastate a campaign, and I was kind of the cause...
A friend was DMing and asked what we wanted to do. I said I wanted to take over a kingdom, so the rest of the group agreed and we took over a kingdom. After that we just couldn't stop, and along the way we ended up with a randomly rolled +1 Vorpal sword (don't ask me how, I didn't make up the tables). Realizing we were kicking too much @$$ he decided to end teh campaign by throwing an ancient Gold Dragon at us whilst we were level 7. Two rounds later I was the owner of a gold dragon head and carcass, ready for my XP.
Snicker-Snack ended the campaign.
I geuss it could be chalked up to fairly poor GMing however...
Took over a kingdom? At level SEVEN? Yes, I'd say bad GMing.
We never used worpal weapons even in older editions. They're no fun, and certainly overpowered.
Owner - Johnny Scott Comics and Games
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Personally, I've always enjoyed vorpal swords, both as a player and a DM. Sure it's swingy, but that's the point! No matter how powerful a creature is, there's always a chance (however small) that it could be killed with a single strike.
I'm with Heathy. Leave it alone. If you don't like it, don't use it - after all, nothing is forcing you to use all available magic items in your campaign.
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Eric brings up a good idea, and moving this to a minor artifact makes some sense. That said, this is a pretty large sacred cow... I am just not sure if it is untouchable.
Thoughts.
Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
The scaredest of cows I'm afraid.
Actually I like magic items (and spells to an extent) to give the game more swing. Swing gives the players something to fear, it keeps everything from just being a probability and statistics problem. It also gives the player the chance for the one in a million shot, that everyone remembers. I think taking more of the randomness and swing out of the game is a bad idea.
Hm. Seems clear that a consensus isn't going to come about with this. There's no way the game designer can make a call that will make everyone happy. So what to do?
I agree from a crunchy standpoint, having a weapon that deals specific body-part damage in a game that otherwise does not feature called shots is problematic. It basically introduces a new mechanic that works only for this one specific thing, which IMO, lover of crunch simplicity that I am, seems... unnecessary. I always feel like if an item's description takes longer to read than some combat maneuver descriptions (warning: stated without actually directly comparing paragraphs, as intending to be more illustrative than nitpicky), something's wrong.
On the other hand, it's not like it's that complicated.
But, purely from a rules and balance perspective, I'd leave it out.
But of course, we have the "sacred cow" (sacred sword) aspect. Vorpal blades are a long time staple of D&D. There's even one in Nethack. In short, by this perspective, both adherence to tradition and "rule of cool" trumps clean mechanics or system balance. And in a fantasy RPG, a little of that is okay. Perhaps even more than okay--a little of that is necessary for the right flavor.
So when it comes to this one, single but major magic item, what more important--rules or tradition? That's for others to decide other than me.
I am sure that if it isn't in the book, homebrew stats or use of what's in 3.5 will be used by anyone who wants a Vorpal Sword, and if it is in the book, any GM who thinks they're too powerful will simply not inlclude them in his or her game.
Maybe the closest thing to a compromise would be to use the magic item, head-choppy abilities intact, but with a little blurb in a box somewhere warning GMs it may not be suitable for some campaigns.
((For the record, if I were to homebrew a vorpal blade, I'd stick to its origins and make it a keen dragon-bane weapon (that says "Snicker-snack!" of course), as the Jabberwock is a bit dragonish looking. The interesting thing is that when I read the poem, I always assumed the slayer cut the jabberwock's head off after he killed it, as means of having a trophy of the fight. But anyway, for the D&D version of the weapon, far be it from me to suggest that is what everyone should use. I don't think anyone actually wants the sword that killed the jabberwock. They want the cool beheady thingy that's been a D&D magic item since first ed.))
You could leave it as is except that you made it a minor artifact, this would assure that the weapon was out of reach for item crafters, and wouldn't just randomly pop up. Dm's that wanted to use one could just include one in his game.
You could leave it as is except that you made it a minor artifact, this would assure that the weapon was out of reach for item crafters, and wouldn't just randomly pop up. Dm's that wanted to use one could just include one in his game.
That makes a lot of sense.
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I agree from a crunchy standpoint, having a weapon that deals specific body-part damage in a game that otherwise does not feature called shots is problematic.
Teeny nit-pick : it isn't specific body-part damage - it's an instant kill with a fluffy description. Just like disintegrate used to be in the good old days.
Teeny nit-pick : it isn't specific body-part damage - it's an instant kill with a fluffy description. Just like disintegrate used to be in the good old days.
Except its not, since it states that certain creatures don't die due to decapitation. Most undead don't die, but do they have to carry around their heads afterward? Do they go blind? Ettins don't die, but what happens to them if they survive the combat? Does a Troll die, or do they just fall down and have to wait for their head to grow back?
What about monsters like Delvers, where it can be a fun debate if it HAS a head or not?
What about creatures with heads that are subject to crits, but can take a less-distinct form, like a Djinn or Gaele?
How does it interact with Pathfinder's idea that most creatures are subject to crits, even when a lot of those monsters still don't depend on their head for life?
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I'm toying with the thought of making 'Vorpal' simply a name for a weapon with specific abilities, the idea being that Vorpal weapons are created for a specific purpose, i.e. to kill a particular kind of creature.
A Vorpal weapon would always have a Bane ability, be Keen, be aligned (Axiomatic, etc.) or possibly have Disruption instead of alignment if the target creature is Undead. I'm thinking it might also have Speed, just for that extra touch of damage. So each Vorpal weapon would be different in its specifics, but when you say a weapon is Vorpal you always know that's shorthand for (Your Creature Here) Killer.
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So, i watched Clash of the titans today, and no mention(this is also the way i 'read' the ten comandments :P) and no mentin of the Vorpal blade. howevre it did cut through solid granite with a half@$$ swing. I think the Vorpal weapon is the equivilant to a death effect(yes it has been mentioned before, i know). why not take away the head thing, which is purely dicriptive, and NOT suposed to be in a dicription. Make Keen edge and circle of death, 2 great things, give it the keen ability, and a natural 20 forces a save (what ever a CL 18 spell is) or die. the rest is just a plain old keen weapon. At CL 18 anyone short af a 14th level character getting ahold of this this is pure stupidity. Other then that, i think the weapon is fine. And at the price of a +6 bonus, i say it should take that long to afford it.
By the way, the creatures that don't die are imuune to crits.
The sword of sharpness could take any limb... maybe vorpal should just have a death affect on a natural twenty (or death effect on a crit that allows a save throw).
With it simply being vorpal + natural 20 = death effect, anything that is immune to "death effect" magics would, by extension be immune to a natural 20 on a vorpal weapon (this could include the death ward spell).
The sword of sharpness could take any limb... maybe vorpal should just have a death affect on a natural twenty (or death effect on a crit that allows a save throw).
With it simply being vorpal + natural 20 = death effect, anything that is immune to "death effect" magics would, by extension be immune to a natural 20 on a vorpal weapon (this could include the death ward spell).
Not the new Death Ward anymore.
page 216:"The subject gains a +4 morale bonus on saves against all death spells
and magical death effects. The subject is granted a save to negate such
effects even if one is not normally allowed. The subject is immune to
energy drain and any negative energy effects, including channeled
negative energy.
This spell does not remove negative levels that the subject has already
gained, but it does remove the penalties from negative levels for the
duration of its effect.
Death ward does not protect against other sorts of attacks, even if
those attacks might be lethal."
But I agree with you for the 'death effect' idea. Sadly Dungeons and Dragons (and, by extension, Pathfinder) lacks a codified system for damage to specific body parts (but ironically has a spell - Regenerate - which allows to 'regrow missing body parts'). As long as there are no specifical mechanics, we should change the 'behead' property of the Vorpal Sword with something which is dealt by the rules - specifically, a Death Effect.
Now, if only we could do something to the Regenerate spell... I find it a bit extreme to cast a 7th-level spell to regrow a single finger (sure, it heals damage and removes nasty conditions, too, but still...). I have always house-ruled that if you have the piece of your body, you can reattach it with a cure spell, provided that you heal an adeguate amount of damage (usually, the same that caused your part to 'fall off')... but this is an house rule, since in 20+ years of RPG games, I've seen perhaps a dozen or two of 'missing digits' and similar. To keep a spell whose primary utility is almost never seen is.. I don't know... strange at best.
But I'm off-topic now, and for this I apologize.
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Ideally I would like to see the vorpal ability go back to the full threat range of the weapon but I don't expect Jason to go that route. A paladin with Bless Weapon up having the feat Improved Critical (scimitar) would automatically decapitate on a roll of 15+ against evil opponents. Paladin players would love it. The downside is scimitars and falchions would be the vorpal weapon of choice.
Doug
don't forget rapiers? (18-20 crit, and with every weapon feature they have, they count as light weapons for everything)
oh wait, i was thinking of thier slashing cousin, "The Sabre"
Here is an attempt at some patched wording that gets around some flavor and mechanics issues. The 'effect' is the same, save that it affects more creatures (no more Ettin wierdness), and allows a Fort save (not that many creature will make a fort save of 10 + crit damage). If it is balanced or not is a different discussion
Vorpal
The powerful ability allows the weapon to strike deadly killing blows even in combat. Upon a successful critical hit off of a natural 20, the blow becomes similar to a Coup de Grace, forcing the target to make a fortitude save of DC 10 + the damage dealt or die instantly. Creatures not normally subject to a coup de grace from the weapon, such as creature immune to crital hits or creatures with regeneration, are unaffected. A vorpal weapon must be a slashing weapon. (If you roll this property randomly for an inappropriate weapon, reroll.)
Creatures killed in this fashion are slain by a precise, killing strike, such as decapitation, disembowling, or being run through the heart.
Strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, circle of death, keen edge; Price +5 bonus.
Here is an attempt at some patched wording that gets around some flavor and mechanics issues. The 'effect' is the same, save that it affects more creatures (no more Ettin wierdness), and allows a Fort save (not that many creature will make a fort save of 10 + crit damage). If it is balanced or not is a different discussion
Vorpal
The powerful ability allows the weapon to strike deadly killing blows even in combat. Upon a successful critical hit off of a natural 20, the blow becomes similar to a Coup de Grace, forcing the target to make a fortitude save of DC 10 + the damage dealt or die instantly. Creatures not normally subject to a coup de grace from the weapon, such as creature immune to crital hits or creatures with regeneration, are unaffected. A vorpal weapon must be a slashing weapon. (If you roll this property randomly for an inappropriate weapon, reroll.)
Creatures killed in this fashion are slain by a precise, killing strike, such as decapitation, disembowling, or being run through the heart.
Strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, circle of death, keen edge; Price +5 bonus.
I like this. I like this very much, in fact.
Here is an attempt at some patched wording that gets around some flavor and mechanics issues. The 'effect' is the same, save that it affects more creatures (no more Ettin wierdness), and allows a Fort save (not that many creature will make a fort save of 10 + crit damage). If it is balanced or not is a different discussion
Vorpal
The powerful ability allows the weapon to strike deadly killing blows even in combat. Upon a successful critical hit off of a natural 20, the blow becomes similar to a Coup de Grace, forcing the target to make a fortitude save of DC 10 + the damage dealt or die instantly. Creatures not normally subject to a coup de grace from the weapon, such as creature immune to crital hits or creatures with regeneration, are unaffected. A vorpal weapon must be a slashing weapon. (If you roll this property randomly for an inappropriate weapon, reroll.)
Creatures killed in this fashion are slain by a precise, killing strike, such as decapitation, disembowling, or being run through the heart.
Strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 18th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, circle of death, keen edge; Price +5 bonus.
Hey, I like the way your brain works, sir! I used the vorpal similarly the *one* time I gave it to one of my players. Well, very close to this (confirmed crit off a natural 20, coup de grace, failure causes the target to lose a head if it has one, and if that kills it, so be it).
Really, though, this was more for me, just so I could fudge a die roll in the event of a particularly anticlimactic kill (which never happened, btw).
If we look at the way the Beta has it worked out, a standard vorpal (with no other bonuses) shouldn’t even be in a PC’s hands until at least 11th level (minimum + 1 enhancement, vorpal quality is +5, total value 72,000gp; wealth by 11th level 82,000gp). A vorpal longsword +1 would require a minimum Fort save of 14 (minimum damage 4 + 10) and a maximum (with a +4 Str mod) of 36; the good save of an equal CR (i.e., CR 11) creature is +15, while its poor is +11. Two levels lower, and it’s +12/+8, while four levels lower is +11/+7.
The vorpal can still be pretty deadly, but now it requires 3 rolls instead of 2, and one of those rolls is under the complete power of the GM.
But yeah, kudos!
Vorpal
The powerful ability allows the weapon to strike deadly killing blows even in combat. Upon a successful critical hit off of a natural 20, the blow becomes similar to a Coup de Grace
Where have I read that before?
Actually I like magic items (and spells to an extent) to give the game more swing. Swing gives the players something to fear, it keeps everything from just being a probability and statistics problem. It also gives the player the chance for the one in a million shot, that everyone remembers. I think taking more of the randomness and swing out of the game is a bad idea.
My version takes this closer to one-in-a-million:
Old vorpal is 1 in 400, at worst: Natural 20 to score a threat, natural 20 to confirm against any AC 20x20 being 400.
My version gives you a 1 in 8000 chance (or better) to kill: Natural 20 to score the threat, natural 20 to confirm against any AC, and the victim rolling a natural 1 to fail the required fort save.
This assumes a worst case scenario: A guy with an incredible AC (you can only hit with a natural 20) and incredible fort save (so that he fails the save only on a natural 1). Usually, you'll have a better chance to hit, and with the damage you usually deal on a crit, the critter will need to roll higher than 2 to save. Say you hit with 17-20 and the guy needs to roll a 6. That means 1:20 over 1:5 over 1:5 for 1:500.
Of course, we have a long road ahead of use to make it one-in-a-million (which, as we know, crop up nine times out of ten), but this is a start.
Suffice it to say that it was a fairly small kingdom
You invaded Lancre?