What happens when a cat confirms a crit?


Rules Questions


Given that a housecat does 1d2-4 or 1d3-4 damage in combat and that all 0 or negative damage hits are converted to one point of nonlethal damage, what happens if a housecat confirms a critical hit?

Grand Lodge

I would multiply the 1 point of nonlethal.


Then YOU'RE the one with a hairball!


Physical damage rolls always do 1 point minimum, from what I remember, so a crit might do 2.

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber
cattoy wrote:
Given that a housecat does 1d2-4 or 1d3-4 damage in combat and that all 0 or negative damage hits are converted to one point of nonlethal damage, what happens if a housecat confirms a critical hit?

If I were the DM (and I am for my group - score for me!), I'd just treat it like any crit: 2d2-8 or 2d3-8, which would result in 1 point of nonlethal. Unless, of course, there's some rule that says to handle nonlethal cat damage differently (since I'm just answering this off the cuff).

On a related note, why would you (as DM) force PCs (or commoner NPCs for that matter) to battle a housecat anyway?

-Skeld

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16

Skeld wrote:
cattoy wrote:
Given that a housecat does 1d2-4 or 1d3-4 damage in combat and that all 0 or negative damage hits are converted to one point of nonlethal damage, what happens if a housecat confirms a critical hit?

If I were the DM (and I am for my group - score for me!), I'd just treat it like any crit: 2d2-8 or 2d3-8, which would result in 1 point of nonlethal. Unless, of course, there's some rule that says to handle nonlethal cat damage differently (since I'm just answering this off the cuff).

On a related note, why would you (as DM) force PCs (or commoner NPCs for that matter) to battle a housecat anyway?

-Skeld

It could be a familar. Speaking from personal experience though a crit from a cat can really hurt - don't piss one off!

Liberty's Edge

A mouse goes to heaven.

Grand Lodge

What about dogs?


Mothman wrote:
A mouse goes to heaven.

Who are you kidding? All mice go to HELL.


TriOmegaZero wrote:
What about dogs?

Double for you, bucko. Don't believe the hype, all dogs go to HELL!


cattoy wrote:
what happens if a housecat confirms a critical hit?

Somewhere in the world, a commoner dies.


You run around screaming with a housecat attached to your face looking like a total doofus. No save.

Liberty's Edge

Ernest Mueller wrote:
You run around screaming with a housecat attached to your face looking like a total doofus. No save.

this made me lol IRL


Skeld wrote:
cattoy wrote:
Given that a housecat does 1d2-4 or 1d3-4 damage in combat and that all 0 or negative damage hits are converted to one point of nonlethal damage, what happens if a housecat confirms a critical hit?

If I were the DM (and I am for my group - score for me!), I'd just treat it like any crit: 2d2-8 or 2d3-8, which would result in 1 point of nonlethal. Unless, of course, there's some rule that says to handle nonlethal cat damage differently (since I'm just answering this off the cuff).

On a related note, why would you (as DM) force PCs (or commoner NPCs for that matter) to battle a housecat anyway?

-Skeld

Imagine a crazy cat lady who has a legion of housecats that she can command to attack people...

Now imagine that you pissed her off...

Liberty's Edge

cattoy wrote:
Now imagine that you pissed her off...

Seen that before...

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber
cattoy wrote:

Imagine a crazy cat lady who has a legion of housecats that she can command to attack people...

Now imagine that you pissed her off...

Just apply the swarm template. You now have a cat swarm.

-Skeld

Scarab Sages

Skeld wrote:
cattoy wrote:
Given that a housecat does 1d2-4 or 1d3-4 damage in combat and that all 0 or negative damage hits are converted to one point of nonlethal damage, what happens if a housecat confirms a critical hit?

If I were the DM (and I am for my group - score for me!), I'd just treat it like any crit: 2d2-8 or 2d3-8, which would result in 1 point of nonlethal. Unless, of course, there's some rule that says to handle nonlethal cat damage differently (since I'm just answering this off the cuff).

On a related note, why would you (as DM) force PCs (or commoner NPCs for that matter) to battle a housecat anyway?

-Skeld

I don't think you double the strength penalty. I would do 2d2-4 or 2d3 -4. Either way, the crit is still likely to just be 1 pt, with max dmg on the 2d3 being 2pts.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Wouldn't it be 1d2-4 (minimum 1) rolled twice? Therefore you would always do 2 damage on a crit. Otherwise, what's the point of getting the crit?

Writing it out as 2d2-8 is a common shorthand, but technically isn't correct I think.


Critical hits don't deal two sources of damage. They deal one source of damage multiplied by 2. So you'd add 1d2-4 added to 1d2-4, which is less than zero. That would deal one point of nonlethal damage.


Unfortunately the strength penalty does get doubled. I had an elf druid PC coup de grace'ing with a dagger once, doing 2d4-4... had to do it 3-4 times.

Honestly, it would depend on what would be more appropriate for the situation (and probably what would be more comedic). At least make the 1 point lethal, if not making it two points. Seriously, if you kill a PC with a crit from a cat it will be remembered forever.

Bigger question is what happens when a cat confirms a threat to kill :)

You do give your cats rend right?


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
meabolex wrote:

Critical hits don't deal two sources of damage.

Absolutely right, however I still stand by my belief that the "minimum 1" comes BEFORE the multiplier in the order of operations.


Core Rulebook, pg. 184:

Quote:
"A critical hit means that you roll your damage more than once, with all the usual bonuses, and add the rolls together."

Which I interpret to mean you roll your damage once, figure out how much it is (minimum 1), then roll it again, doing the same, and add them together, making it 2 damage.

Grand Lodge

Somehow I don't see the harm of letting the poor thing do two points of damage.


ChrisRevocateur wrote:
Which I interpret to mean you roll your damage once, figure out how much it is (minimum 1), then roll it again, doing the same, and add them together, making it 2 damage.

There is only one damage result on a critical hit with a weapon that deals 1d2 - 4 and has a 2x crit multiplier: 1d2 - 4 + 1d2 - 4. Not damage result 1d2 - 4 followed by damage result 1d2 - 4. When you succeed on a critical hit, you deal all the damage at once.

PRD mumbo jumbo:
If your attack succeeds, you deal damage. The type of weapon used determines the amount of damage you deal.

Damage reduces a target's current hit points.

Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of nonlethal damage.

Quote:
Somehow I don't see the harm of letting the poor thing do two points of damage.

Heh, it's a question of dealing 100% more damage!

Grand Lodge

Which sounds nice unless you're doing 100% more of 0. :)


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
meabolex wrote:
ChrisRevocateur wrote:
Which I interpret to mean you roll your damage once, figure out how much it is (minimum 1), then roll it again, doing the same, and add them together, making it 2 damage.

There is only one damage result on a critical hit with a weapon that deals 1d2 - 4 and has a 2x crit multiplier: 1d2 - 4 + 1d2 - 4. Not damage result 1d2 - 4 followed by damage result 1d2 - 4. When you succeed on a critical hit, you deal all the damage at once.

** spoiler omitted **

Quote:
Somehow I don't see the harm of letting the poor thing do two points of damage.
Heh, it's a question of dealing 100% more damage!

Nobody here has said it should do damage more than once. It's not deal 1 damage then deal 1 damage again, it's roll damage to get 1, roll damage again to get 1, then deal 2 damage. Notice how it only gets applied once, but rolled twice, exactly like the rules say to do? We are simply talking about doing the math in the proper order, and then applying a single instance of 2 damage.


I once had a party fight a room full of fiendish house cats.

Ah, good times.


When a cat confirms a crit, a god kills a tosser.

ChrisRevocateur wrote:

Core Rulebook, pg. 184:

Quote:
"A critical hit means that you roll your damage more than once, with all the usual bonuses, and add the rolls together."
Which I interpret to mean you roll your damage once, figure out how much it is (minimum 1), then roll it again, doing the same, and add them together, making it 2 damage.

+1

Grand Lodge

Not a fan of salad?


Ravingdork wrote:
meabolex wrote:
ChrisRevocateur wrote:
Which I interpret to mean you roll your damage once, figure out how much it is (minimum 1), then roll it again, doing the same, and add them together, making it 2 damage.

There is only one damage result on a critical hit with a weapon that deals 1d2 - 4 and has a 2x crit multiplier: 1d2 - 4 + 1d2 - 4. Not damage result 1d2 - 4 followed by damage result 1d2 - 4. When you succeed on a critical hit, you deal all the damage at once.

** spoiler omitted **

Quote:
Somehow I don't see the harm of letting the poor thing do two points of damage.
Heh, it's a question of dealing 100% more damage!
Nobody here has said it should do damage more than once. It's not deal 1 damage then deal 1 damage again, it's roll damage to get 1, roll damage again to get 1, then deal 2 damage. Notice how it only gets applied once, but rolled twice, exactly like the rules say to do? We are simply talking about doing the math in the proper order, and then applying a single instance of 2 damage.

Exactly.


TriOmegaZero wrote:
Not a fan of salad?

Not that sort.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
cattoy wrote:
what happens if a housecat confirms a critical hit?

It rips your eyes out... just ask Vincent Price in Tales of Terror.


Ravingdork wrote:
Nobody here has said it should do damage more than once.

The minimum damage rule is applied when damage is dealt. If damage is dealt only once, then it applies exactly once. To apply the minimum damage rule twice, you'd have to deal two sets of damage during the critical hit -- which is not done.


meabolex wrote:
Ravingdork wrote:
Nobody here has said it should do damage more than once.

The minimum damage rule is applied when damage is dealt. If damage is dealt only once, then it applies exactly once. To apply the minimum damage rule twice, you'd have to deal two sets of damage during the critical hit -- which is not done.

Read the rule. It says you roll your damage twice (meaning a minimum of 1 each time), then add it together.

If it were your interpretation, it would say something more along the lines of "You double the number of dice as well as the bonuses and/or penalties, then roll."


ChrisRevocateur wrote:
Read the rule. It says you roll your damage twice (meaning a minimum of 1 each time), then add it together.

Your attack doesn't typically deal "damages"*. It deals one damage value. This is a damage result.

PRD wrote:
If your attack succeeds, you deal damage.
PRD wrote:

Multiplying Damage: Sometimes you multiply damage by some factor, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results.

Note: When you multiply damage more than once, each multiplier works off the original, unmultiplied damage. So if you are asked to double the damage twice, the end result is three times the normal damage.

Once you add/subtract values to the damage total (like through a critical hit), you have the actual damage result.

After you determine the damage result, you apply the minimum damage rule.

PRD wrote:
Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of nonlethal damage.

* this excludes additional dice and precision damage, which can be separate damage results, but they're not factored in because they don't involve critical hits.


meabolex wrote:
ChrisRevocateur wrote:
Read the rule. It says you roll your damage twice (meaning a minimum of 1 each time), then add it together.

Your attack doesn't typically deal "damages"*. It deals one damage value. This is a damage result.

PRD wrote:
If your attack succeeds, you deal damage.
PRD wrote:

Multiplying Damage: Sometimes you multiply damage by some factor, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results.

Note: When you multiply damage more than once, each multiplier works off the original, unmultiplied damage. So if you are asked to double the damage twice, the end result is three times the normal damage.

Once you total the results, you have the actual damage result.

After you determine a damage result, you apply the minimum damage rule.

PRD wrote:
Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of nonlethal damage.
* this excludes additional dice and precision damage, which can be separate damage results, but they're not factored in because they don't involve critical hits.

I'm not seeing anything that is supporting your argument what so ever.


cattoy wrote:
Imagine a crazy cat lady who has a legion of housecats that she can command to attack people...

Imagine a crazy cat lady. Okay, I'm with you so far.

Who has a legion of house-cats. Again, not much of a stretch.
That she can command. Now look. I get it that this is a fantasy game, but that's clearly beyond ludicrous. They're cats. By definition they're not subject to being commanded. If they were, they wouldn't be cats. I'm sure charm monster was going to have a sentence specifically exempting cats, but Jason realized it was inherently obvious and cut it for space concerns.


ChrisRevocateur wrote:
I'm not seeing anything that is supporting your argument what so ever.

I'm sorry ):


TriOmegaZero wrote:
Which sounds nice unless you're doing 100% more of 0. :)

Technically you only do 0 if the target is immune to nonlethal damage.

Dark Archive Bella Sara Charter Superscriber

If a cat gets a critical hit, you immediately upgrade it to have the stats of a 1e cat. The remaining inhabitants of the village will have roughly a week to live in the face of such a powerful predator...


Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber
cattoy wrote:
what happens if a housecat confirms a critical hit?

You draw a crit card from the critical hit deck. Fun times. :)

The Exchange Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6

The minimum damage of 1 is on the hit, not on the damage roll itself. So your hypothetical hit inflicts whatever damage it does after doubling (likely a negative number), which is then adjusted to 1 point of nonelthal damage if the result is less than 1. Rolling damage more than once is irrelevant, since it is not treated as two hits. If it were, DR would apply twice to crits.

"Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage
result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of nonlethal
damage (see page 191)."

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