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I'm having a hard time deciding between a bigger threat range (meaning more crits), versus a larger multilpier ( more damage on each crit). Just thought I would ask for suggestions from the community. An exotic weapon is fine, but it has to be one handed. I want to take the shield focus feats to help the AC. So, what do you folks think? Thanks.
usually the scimitar is good all around, 1d6 crit range 18-20 mult x2
i prefer crit range....more critical strikes are better than 1 with greater dam for me.
There is the Falcata ( Taldorian sword with 1d8 19-20 x3 ) but is an exotic that must be used in junction with a particular buckler i think.
I agree with Gandal. Sure, Scythe crits are evil but what good is is a high crit multiplier if you hardly ever crit in the first place?
Especially as a "crit focused fighter", you will most likely get all kinds of crit feats (Stagering Critical, Tripping Strike and so on) to give your crits more than pure damage. To make the best use of those feats, you should really crit as often as possible.
So yeah, Scimitar is pretty much your best choice with the Rapier being the second best, but slightly inferior (damage type, can't be wielded 2handed for more damage).
I guess scimitar, yeah, if you're determined to use a 1h weapon and shield. Though personally I'd say Falchion or two Kukris.
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On a pure numbers game, the falcata (APG) wins. Good multiplier and still 19-20 range.
Purely a flavor thing, but I'm all about freedom of concepts.
EDIT: Wow my internet sucks at work. It took like 3 minutes of spinning for the thing to submit, and even then it double-submitted.
Also, IIRC x4 and 18-20/x2 are about the same until you get critical mastery stuff (19-20/x3 is slightly better). If you're going to get a lot of those critical feats scimitar is totally the way to go, since the only thing you'll care about is threat range.
Go both ways! APG Falcata. Exotic, One-handed, 1d8, 19-20/x3. Nice threat range (not the best anyway), but for a x3 multiplier? Yes, please.
Edit: ninja'ed
I know you said 1-hander only but here's a thought:
Elven Curve Blade (2-hander) 1d10 18-20/x2
Feat: Shield of Swings (APG): Half damage to gain +4 shield bonus to AC and CMD.
This gives you the option of going full offense or going defensive. The only catch is that the feat requires a full-attack to use.
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I suggest the higher crit range. Anything 18-20. That way you are critting more often. The critical focus feats are awesome and work better if you're criting more often, rather than harder.
In addition, "burst" weapon abilities such as flaming burst, icy burst, activate their special ability on a crit. (1d6 for all attacks, 1d10 for crits)
Critting more often is also better if you're using the Critical Hit deck, or a critical hit chart.
Half of the crits with a large crit range weapon will be total overkill. If a monster has 30 HP and you deal 20 with a normal attack, a scimitar and a scythe will will do the same thing on a crit: kill it. The scimitar will have a 10% greater chance to get a crit though. The scythe can be great early in the fight against high HP foes, but often the added damage is overkill.
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In addition, "burst" weapon abilities such as flaming burst, icy burst, activate their special ability on a crit. (1d6 for all attacks, 1d10 for crits)
I'd like to note that the burst weapons actually get higher multiplier than the multiplier of the weapon, since the base of 1d6 is lower than the "add" of 1d10 per crit multiplier above 1.
Though as Caineach noted, much of the extra damage from criticals is likely to be overkill. And in the cases where it isn't, it's a drama killer (as it makes short work of the big-bad-bosses). This is less of a problem with low multiplier weapons, but it's still there. There are probably better systems, but I'm too lazy to make one right now.
If you're able to use or suggest house rules, there are 2 in particular over in this thread that might free up your weapon selection a bit.
I've tried the one I suggested initially and it still favors higher threat ranges, but works well with higher multipliers as well.
The other suggestion is pretty neat too, imho.
I go for the higher crit range as well. However, I allow players to replace stats for weapons so that they don't have to choose between flavor and mechanics. Generally this takes the form of replacing all stats from one weapon for another.
So our Barbarian and a "Big Axe" that did 2d6/19-20x2 instead of 1d12/x3.
Another player had a long spear Fighter with Shocking Burst (she called it her Lightning Rod) that she used like a Guisarme. She liked to trip, but she wanted a spear. The x3 crit gave her 6d4+1d6+2d10 damage on a crit. She would sweep an opponents legs and then "ground" the spear in her opponent's body.
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Depends on what books are open to you? Staying pathfinder you are a bit limited, if allowed 3.5 books well...
Exotic
If you can get your hands on a pair of Strong Arm Bracers (MIC...cheap) you could single hand (with a negative 2) a Greathorned Minotaur Hammer
1d12 19-20 crit X4
Warfans
(1d6) 20 X3
Collapsing crescent fan
(flavor)Folded up size of a wand. If attack a flat footed foe with it you gain a +4 if its folded up at the time.
(1d6) 19-20 X2
Eagle Claw
Curved blade - +1 sleight of hands to conceal against your forearm, blade rotates forward on a hole at the end of the handle in which your finger sits.
(1d6) 18-20 X2
Khopesh
(1d6) 18-20 X2
Check out the arms and equipment guide for 3.5 whole list of nice weapons to look at.
Is that a (class) Fighter? Are you going to take Critical feats in the future?
Then go for big threat ranges.
If you are a Barbarian and you don't want to spend your precious feats in that, then go for larger multipliers and take that rage power that allows you to autoconfirm crits when the possible.
Definitely more range than multiplier. For my money I like the Bastard Sword. It's no 18-20, but at (1d10) 19-20 x2, this is somewhat mitigated by the increased average and maximum damage. Then again, I'm still playing 3.x, so I don't get a critical threat on some creatures (something I think they changed in Pathfinder?), so it pays to keep the non-critical damage up.
Of course, when I go for critical hit builds, I like 2-weapon fighting. If I have a 25% chance of a threat on attacks, the more attacks the better.
There are a lot of great posts here on the subject.
The big crits with the /x3 and /x4 multipliers are real killers.
However, I've got a two-weapon kukri fighter in a game I am GMing and he consistently out damages everyone on a single target. With improved critical his 18-20 becomes 15-20 and with so many swings he crits almost every round sometimes more than once. Now add the crit feats like staggered or blinded and it starts to get ridiculous. So even if the target doesn't die from damage they are significantly hampered.
The comment earlier about /x4 weapons for "coup de grace" is exactly right. In a different game we used to carry around a pick to finish off helpless targets.
THREAD NECRO!!
I am playing a crit focused fighter now using a nodaichi for the d10 damage and 18-20 crit range.
at 9th level I will crit threat on a 15 and have +5 to my confirmation roll.
for defense I plan to stack full attack shield of swings, with fight defensively and combat expertise. for my character that will be +10 or so defense and still able to crit applying crit focus abilities when I get them.
I tend to feel that the damage of the nodaichi is better than the increased attacks of something light like a kukri because DR so easily negates such small weapons.
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The best option is to mainhand a Keen Kukri and offhand a battleaxe with the Butterfly Sting feat.
Use the Kukri to fish for crits and when it does crit use the Feat to pass the crit to yourself (you always count as your own ally) and then hit with the x3 battleaxe for 3D8 +(3*bonus). You get the best of both worlds and will do an absolute massive amount of damage (enough to overcome the work of going the 2wep route)
The fauchard has reach, which works excellent with a trip/critical build. Trip feats at the lower levels, critical feats at level 9+. Reaching more targets is always good.
I'm having a hard time deciding between a bigger threat range (meaning more crits), versus a larger multilpier ( more damage on each crit). Just thought I would ask for suggestions from the community. An exotic weapon is fine, but it has to be one handed. I want to take the shield focus feats to help the AC. So, what do you folks think? Thanks.
As you evolve, you'll want to use criticals for far more than just damage. I'd reccomend the higher crit range always.
18-20 weapons. It can be argued that the Falcata is as good or better. I happen to disagree, but it's a reasonable position.
Everything else is wrong.
I'd say the falcata.
I disagree with everyone else... again...
This is a game. I often make my choices for the entertainment value.
When I get x2 crits all the time it doesn't feel like anything special. It is practically the standard damage for the weapon.
But when you get to roll 10d6 just for the base weapon damage...
That is just awesomeness.
Yeah over the long haul if you keep track of all your numbers, the 18-20/x2 will perform a little better than the 20/x4. You will especially get to use the crit imposed conditions a lot more (if you take those feats). However...
HASSAN CHOP ! ! !
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I know you said 1-hander only but here's a thought:
Elven Curve Blade (2-hander) 1d10 18-20/x2
This is a nice option because it is not just making the crit but what you do with it. This way if you have high str and using power attack your numbers are 50% stronger then doubled because of the crit. You do a good amount of damage with high crit range and with this being one weapon you are always doing the full damage, compared to dual wielding, on stepping up and attacking or AOOs.
If you often face brutes with high hit points, imho Falcata is the best option. It crits often enough, having x3 increase the chance to kill the monster in your turn (and therefore "heals" you damage, that you don't take becouse it's dead), and is not overkill as a x4 weapon against normal lower hp monsters are. It's also the more powerful option in average damage, in 20 attacks, if you hit with 2+ it does 27d8+27*str. With a Scimitar, you get 25d6+25*str.
If you want to take adventage of critical feats, then Katana is the best one hander (it does 2d6 when enlarged) and Nodachi beats the crap out of any other two hander, becouse it has Brace property. That means you can roll for double damage, with a 15+ crit chance, for a REALLY powerful maneouver (specially if you use the hero point for instant ready action).
Another case of thread necro, but I wanted to throw out some critacular facts.
x4 and 18-20/x2 are identical in terms of average damage (as are 19-20/x2 and x3). If you aren't planning on taking feats that cause fun stuff to happen when you crit, there is no difference between them. Just preference.
If you want raw damage, however, the falcata has the best crit in the game. 19-20/x3 is superior to 18-20/x2 and x4 in terms of average damage. All assuming you hit on an 18. And no, keen/improved critical doesn't change that fact. 19-20/x4 is identical to 15-20/x2.
Also fun to note, crits are more important late game and damage dice are more important early game. I ran some numbers a while back and I believe it's somewhere around +40ish to damage that a scythe begins doing more damage than a greatsword on average. It's before then that a falcata does the same and it's a one-handed weapon that you can just tote around in two hands. The falcata is just a little too powerful in terms of raw damage if you ask me since you can just be a half-elf and pick up the proficiency for free. Or be human. Or just in general. Whatever works.