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5 years ago ::
Feb 19, 2008 - 10:30PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Feb 20, 2008
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Case you haven't read it (it's a bit over a month old, but I just read it.) Heres the writeup http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drdd/20080104I realize this may be a dead horse but I haven't been on the forum for a while so it's news to me, but I really dislike the new mechanics. I like that you crit on a simple D20 roll, and if Keen and similar bonuses are in, that makes them even more powerful. The Confirmation Roll was an interesting mechanic, added tension and it wasn't often 'that' difficult to succeed, but it always sucked when you missed on the Confirmation. Now the part I dislike is that your crit is always the same. It's the maximum damage you do with a weapon. So using just weapon damage, a longsword always crits for 8. A two-hander always crits for 12, and so on. Now this can be changed with a magical weapon that has bonus damage. So an Icy Longsword does 1d8+1d6, and a crit does 8+1d6. Wow thats incredible ah? Yea.. are you thinking the same as me? This saps all the fun, all the suspense, surprise and excitement out of crits. It's a simple 'max damage' hit now. You can do that on a normal every day role. At level 1 with a dagger you have a 1 in 4 chance of doing as much damage with every single attack, but a 1 in 20 of doing the same amount. BORING! Am I alone in this? I cant believe they thought this was a cool idea. It's a needless Dumbing-Down change. Sure previously crits could be wildly different based on chance, but that was the fun. Sure it could hurt.. BAD if you got critted by a tough high end monster. But players almost always crit for more in 3.5 accept vs the most physically powerful of monsters, so it generally isn't a powerful. We don't know all the games mechanics yet, and of course the game is still playtesting, but if this sticks, and if it sucks as bad as it appears to, my very first house rule will be to revert to the old critical hit style.
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5 years ago ::
Feb 19, 2008 - 10:32PM
#2
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I actually think it is infinitely superior to double damage. And no, its not still in playtesting anymore, its going to the printers soon.
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5 years ago ::
Feb 19, 2008 - 10:41PM
#3
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I actually think it is infinitely superior to double damage. And no, its not still in playtesting anymore, its going to the printers soon.
Me too, but i miss the threat ranges. Only thing I'll miss from 3e so far, i think.
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5 years ago ::
Feb 19, 2008 - 11:21PM
#4
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Date Joined:
Mar 28, 2001
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I too think the new crit system is a better way to go from what I've seen. In my SW SAGA games, having no confirmation roll has worked great, speeding up combat, allowing us to exalt in our luck (or accept our bad luck) quickly then move on with the encounter, without hold ups but with the same pleassure of success.
As for the max damage crit, I like that too, since the article we've house ruled this into our Star Wars game as well; its quick, easy and still has a large impact on combat without being too overwhelming (in particular in starship combat, where previously a crit could -and has- resulted in a TPK).
In all, the system is more steady and reliable, while still allowing chance to be a notable factor in the game.
He who should not speak...
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5 years ago ::
Feb 19, 2008 - 11:57PM
#5
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Umm, no. One problem with confirmation rolls, aside from the disappointment of missing out, is that lightly armored PCs are more likely to be the victims of a crit strike, rather than those with the hit points to handle it.
Besides, how many groups just multiply the damage by 2 or 3 instead of rerolling the damage the required number of times? Quite a few, I'll bet. (Check the bottom of page 140 of the 3.5 PHB if you're wondering whether that's right). Maximised damage crits clear out that little nugget of confusion.
Given the large battles that will become more front-and-center in 4e D&D, crit damage had to be toned down, otherwise battles would become too swingy. With five PCs versus five monsters, crits would happen about once every two rounds.
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5 years ago ::
Feb 20, 2008 - 12:01AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Aug 28, 2006
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Max damage has about the same mechanical effect as double damage (since average damage on the randomized portion of an attack is about half of max damage), but it doesn't have the game-breaking wild swings of damage that the current critical hit rules have.
I like it. Rather a lot.
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5 years ago ::
Feb 20, 2008 - 12:25AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Aug 23, 2007
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Learn it, Live it, Love it.
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5 years ago ::
Feb 20, 2008 - 12:32AM
#8
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Max damage has about the same mechanical effect as double damage (since average damage on the randomized portion of an attack is about half of max damage), but it doesn't have the game-breaking wild swings of damage that the current critical hit rules have.
It does not the same average damage. 1d8+15 x2 = 2d8+30, average of 39. Max damage would be 8+15=23.
However, i think it is a good thing to tone down the effect of pluses in crits. High strength+power attack+2handed weapon+crit was akin to a nuclear weapon.
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5 years ago ::
Feb 20, 2008 - 1:24AM
#9
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Date Joined:
May 17, 2003
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Am I alone in this? I cant believe they thought this was a cool idea. It's a needless Dumbing-Down change.
Congratulations on using a scapegoat to try to add validity to your argument that otherwise lacked some, and failing at doing so.
Stating that you dislike it is perfectly within reason. Not everyone is going to like the change. In fact, I found the most common houserule in 3e to be crits.
But you've simply tried to pin something that is your opinion on something that isn't the case. How is multiplying any more complex than maximum damage + bonus crit damage?
Obviously, crit design was designed to solve a perceived problem of crits making the game too unpredictable where it didn't need to be. A critical by a kobold killing your PC? How anti-climactic, when it could be a swarm of kobolds all contributing to each other to take you out. That mob is a lot more climactic than getting lucky 1-shotted.
Or having a big monster that just one shots you right at the beginning of combat 1-shots you from full leaving you say "Well that sucked. Now I'll sit here with my thumb up my butt all night" and you didn't even get a chance to react as opposed to "wow, that guy did a nice hunk of damage, I'm going to have to watch myself," when you take a big hit.
The new crit system allows players to wield fun crits as well as enemies who are of significance, but while it's nice, it's not the one roll at the very beginning of the night that can destroy your fun.
They changed it not because they were trying to simplify it, but rather address a perceived problem. Whether you had that problem they were trying to solve is not the point. Simply not liking a change doesn't make it dumbed-down.
[/ ]
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5 years ago ::
Feb 20, 2008 - 1:30AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Dec 19, 2007
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I imagine some weapon will still have some kind of bonus to crits, especially magic weapons.
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