So we have been bouncing around the idea of making things more deadly we have been talking about letting improved crit and keen stack or this idea. I know what you guys think about the stacking I want to know what you think of this rule.
Whenever you threat to critical if you back up that critical with another critical threat you increase the weapons critical modifier by one
So example
I attack with my Elven Curve Blade and I roll an 18 so I threaten my critical I roll to back it up and I roll a 19 so I threaten with my back up roll so now for this attack my crit modifier for my Elven Curve Blade is x3.
So what do you guys think about this one?
So we have been bouncing around the idea of making things more deadly we have been talking about letting improved crit and keen stack or this idea. I know what you guys think about the stacking I want to know what you think of this rule.
Whenever you threat to critical if you back up that critical with another critical threat you increase the weapons critical modifier by one
So example
I attack with my Elven Curve Blade and I roll an 18 so I threaten my critical I roll to back it up and I roll a 19 so I threaten with my back up roll so now for this attack my crit modifier for my Elven Curve Blade is x3.
So what do you guys think about this one?
I have a hazy memory of playing with this rule(or something very similar) and I remember it worked great for the PCs, but was horrible when they were on the recieving end- one person died after two non-consecutive mega-crits. It might be better to do this with consecutive natural 20s instead.
I do this rule with natural 20s. Each consecutive 20 confirmed gives an extra critical multiplier-- we haven't seen it go past x4 on a x2 weapon, but when it did it did 78 damage in one hit... at level 5.
: )
My group had an old house rule akin to yours: I roll a crit, threaten, roll to confirm, if roll a crit again the multiplier goes up (let's say from x2 to x3, as yours), and roll again to confirm, if threaten again modifier goes up again, and so on... when the multiplier reaches x5 and get confirmed (doesn't matter if the confirming roll was a threaten or not) the target dies (for bosses, recurrent villains and players we added a Fort save, dont remember the CD)
So, you needed 4 threatens and a confirm for x2 weapons (high threat margin) and only 2 threats and a confirm for x4 weapons (only threat on a 20). We dont made the maths, but that seemed balanced enough... fun times
I do this rule with natural 20s. Each consecutive 20 confirmed gives an extra critical multiplier-- we haven't seen it go past x4 on a x2 weapon, but when it did it did 78 damage in one hit... at level 5.
: )
We play 3 Nat 20s death
I use this, combined with the Paizo Crit and Fumble deck (I also do exploding fumbles, which gets hilarious. We had a triple nat 1 just last session, Sahuagain alchemist smashes his claws into the deck of the boat he was fighting on, couldn't use the attack for a while and nearly tore a tendon.) Draw an extra card for every confirm after the first. And only 1 card, regardless of the crit multiplier of the weapon. Be warned, to balance the chance of exploding crits on higher threat range weapons, I allow the wielder of a larger crit multiplier weapon to apply ALL of the cards he draws for it, not just his choice of one.
This combined with the Crit Deck creates an interesting element of randomness. Granted, some of the crit cards turn a "ho hum" crit into "DECAPITATION!" but most aren't that bad and may honestly be worse than just getting double damage.
So here is how it works: Say a rapier fighter rolls a 19. Confirms with a second 19 and rethreatens. Confirms again and rethreatens with a nat 20. Confirms one more time with a 15. Thats three threatens, three confirms. Since the rapier is a x2, thats one card for the origional crit, one card each for the 2 exploders. 3 cards in total.
If this was, say, from a keen scythe wielder, he would draw 3 cards for his origional threaten, and then 2 more for the others, for a total of five cards (which is a horrific amount, but hey, you just got triple critted by a scythe....what do you expect?).
Fairly balanced, players have fun with it, and while your mileage may vary, its been good times here at my table since its inception.
Statistics wise it's fairly balanced. It makes the keen property even more important and high crit threat weapons even more important though.
I started using it last level when my players wanted to have something happen when they double 20'd. Obviously an autokill is right out so I went with that instead.
It hasn't affected the lethality of my encounters really. It is using an electronic dice roller with that group, so at that point it's a bit more predictable I suppose.
I do not recall where I read this in 3.5, but I saw a rule that if 3 20s are rolled, naturally of course, it's a one hit kill. I have used it off and on from time to time to really make crits something to love, and fear as well.
Related to the title of this thread, I watched Daybreakers last night, and I have to say exploding vampires are a trope I wish existed in more media. Let's do this.
Exploding Critical
Prerequisites: BAB+15, Critical Focus, At least one other Critical Feat
Benefit: This Critical Feat only takes effect if you either A: Roll another threat on your confirmation roll, or B: reduce the opponent to 0 hp or less with a critical hit. The might of your blow causes the target to explode. Their body is reduced to a fine, powdery ash if they were reduced to 0 hp or less. If this is due to threatening a confirmation roll, they instead take 4 points of constitution damage as part of their body is blasted away. All creatures except you in a 10 ft area burst take splash damage from the blast equal to the target's hit dice plus your attack bonus. If any of them are reduced to 0 hp or less by this effect, they also explode. Repeat this process as much as is necessary.