Any reason why the CR 5 cyclops wouldnt use its flash of insight ability on an attack roll with power attack to deal ~70(9d6+39) damage to a 5th level PC?
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Provided the cyclops had already hit with the power attack, I'd say he wouldn't do it because most players would consider that to be, how do you say, a "d!ck move," by the DM. On the other hand, I don't know many players who would pass up the chance to use the same ability at every opportunity. If you're a DM, I'd recommend you exercise some restraint with this ability but don't be afraid to bust it out when dealing with optimized or munchkin players who stand a chance of recovering or just need some fear put into them. A trio of cyclopes could wreck an adventuring party if each of them decided to use their flash of insight in the same round.
Just to point out, it's not "auto crit" per se.
Since it only applies to one DICE roll (as opposed to one attack roll),
It's either an auto-HIT OR an auto-CONFIRM of a Crit.
So if you have a very-high-AC (or miss chance concealed) PC, the Cyclops may well choose an auto-HIT after a miss or two.
Otherwise, I agree with VZ...
If you figure it might "drop" a PC, that's one thing, but if they're pretty likely to kill them dead (past -CON),
why not save it for another PC? Then again, there's not alot of margin of error, either :-)
Remember that crits require two rolls, and the insight ability is 1/day.
Remember that crits require two rolls, and the insight ability is 1/day.
Yes but dropping the chance of a crit from 7/400 (1/20 x 7/20) to 7/20 is still scary especially if the cyclops wait till it gets flanking or some other bonus to hit.
I am mainly worried that the ability is quite powerful and with out it would the CR of a cyclops be lower? (from the point of view of does a cyclops lacking flash of insight add up to CR5, not does removing flash of insight lower the CR)
You know, I've seen treantmonk read the Cyclops ability this way before, and I think it's a misreading.
* Evidence A, from the combat chapter: "When you make an attack roll and get a natural 20 (the d20 shows 20), you hit regardless of your target's Armor Class, and you have scored a “threat,”"
* Evidence B, from the combat chapter: "A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a hit. A natural 20 is also a threat—a possible critical hit."
* Evidence C, from the cyclops entry: "(Su): Once per day as an immediate action, a cyclops can peer into an occluded visual spectrum of possible futures, gaining insight that allows it to select the exact result of one die roll before the roll is made."
I present it to you, m'luds and ladies, that Flash of Insight does not constitute a "Natural" threat result, and therefore cannot auto-threat.
It can be used to auto-hit or auto-confirm, but it's a Supernatural power. It can't auto-threaten.
Or am I being too pedantic? Anyway, it's a reading that reins in the power a bit.
Meh! I think the natural part is more like '20 without any modifiers'. So I'd say you are over analyzing the natural-part. IMO :-)
A trio of cyclopes could wreck an adventuring party if each of them decided to use their flash of insight in the same round.
Nasty nasty stuff!
porpentine, I see that as evidence backing Insight's use for auto-threat.
A threat is a natural roll of 20. As in, no modifiers to the dice roll. A 19 on the dice with a +1 modifier = 20 is not a threat, as it's not a natural 20 on the dice.
Insight allows it "To select the exact result of one die roll". So the DM takes that d20, and instead of rolling it, sets it down on the table, 20 side up. That is a natural 20, with no modifiers.
I've been thinking about the use of the skill, and tactically i would try to hang on to it for as long as you can before bieng forced to use it. It's one shot, after all. You never know if you really need to make that saving throw (of which the Cyclops has very bad ref and will saves) and then only throw out that auto-threat against a target that shows itself as a big threat, and gamble you don't need to make a nasty save afterwords.
But even then, the damage of a crit power attack for a CR 5 cyclops would be devastating for a same level fighter or barbarian with a high chance of a one-hit kill. Perhaps that is the intent however, that the tactics against a cyclops must be altered from the standard "Run up and smash it until it stops moving" tactic to more of one of keeping it at bay and devastating it with spells and arrows, of which it has zero defenses.