Coral Golem's Powerful Blows


Rules Questions


According to it's statline, the Coral Golem possesses the same Powerful Blows ability that other golems have, like the Iron Golem and Noqual Golem. I see the damage bonus, but the only crit range bonus comes from the Improved Critical bonus feat. If that's the case, then it should have a further increased base crit range.

However, Quintessence Golems also have Powerful Blows without the crit range bonus.

If I make one, should I increase the critical range to 17-20? Or is it just judged by the DM?

Liberty's Edge

AoN wrote:

Powerful Blows (Ex) [Mythic]

Source Bestiary 6 pg. 296, Bestiary 4 pg. 298, Bestiary 5 pg. 297, Mythic Adventures pg. 227
The specified attack adds 1-1/2 times the creature’s Strength bonus to its damage rolls instead of its normal Strength bonus or half its Strength bonus.

Format: powerful blows (slam)
Location: SQ.

It doesn't increase the crit range.

Silver Crusade

Like Diego said, the Iron Golem's Powerful Blows ability specifically increases crit range, but the base ability doesn't.

That being said, I find it more curious that the Coral Golem has the Powerful Blows (slam) ability, and yet no slam attacks in its attack entry, only claws. Given that the claws damage bonus is +10, and the Coral Golem's Str is +7, I guess the authors intended it to be Powerful Blows (claws) instead.

The Exchange

Brief history of PF1 monsters:

Prior to Bestiary 4, Powerful Blow was a unique ability that would be fully detailed in a monster's stat block. Most of those (like the Iron Golem) gave 1-1/2 times strength bonus and a threat range of 19-20.

From Bestiary 4, Powerful Blow was added as a universal monster rule. Because it was showing up on a lot of monsters it was easier to make it a universal rule instead of repeating it for each monster. As part of that change the increased threat range was dropped from the ability description so that they could give monsters the 1-1/2 strength to damage without automatically giving increased threat range. (Such as the Tikbalang or Quintessence Golem.) If they still wanted to give it increased threat range, just give it Improved Critical with the same attack. (Such as the Coral Golem.)

And yeah, the Coral Golem should have Powerful Blows (claws). At a guess, the example format from the universal ability was copied and it wasn't caught in editing.

Liberty's Edge

Just to point it out, normally golems can't take feats as they are mindless. To give them feats you need to give them a bonus feat, exactly as it was done with the Coral golem.
As Belafon explained, making Powerful Blows a general monster ability included removing the increased threat range from it.
Adding the Improved critical bonus feat was a way to give back the increased critical threat range.

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