Ahhh… “CRIT!” Is there any more exciting word to exclaim during D&D combat?
Critical hits are beloved for a reason. Or many reasons. The d20 just looks so cool. A big “20” showing up on it looks even cooler! Oh, and there’s that whole wallop they pack from all that bonus damage. Good times!
And yet, something’s missing about crits in 4e. Something’s not quite right. Do you feel it or see it too? I bet you do.
You forget what and how many bonus dice to roll, don’t you? Crit math feels like an eternity sometimes, doesn’t it? Especially when that guy or that girl or that jerk has all sorts of riders and bonus dice from eight different sources between race, item type, damage type, class feature, skill, sex, and favored underwear.
As you watch the following dramatization of the all-too-familiar “D&D Crit Dice Scene” unfold, ask yourself this question:
Do you feel lucky, PUNK?
Oops, wrong question. Ahem! Ask yourself:
Has the following ever happened in my games?
How to Crit Bad Guys
Step 0. One of you crits and you scramble to do math. The world – okay, the game at least – goes into slow motion… or, slows to a crawl. Perhaps it’s even stunned for six seconds.
Step 1. Figure out maximum damage dice math. Remember to include special damage, too, like Sneak Attack or Quarry.
Step 2. Figure out what crit dice – type and count – you need to roll. Hopefully they’re on the your card or character sheet. (There was a time when they weren’t! Oh that new Character Builder, it’s simply a love/hate thing, isn’t it?)
Step 3. Find and roll all those bonus crit dice. Is it magical? Is it high crit? (Remember any bonus “cool stuff” that happens on crit, like how your Holy Avenger heals you. More good times.)
Step 4. Figure out more math: add all the bonus crit dice total to the original maximized damage dice total.
Step 5. Finally, the world begins to spin again. Something actually got crit! IN DA FACE. And it only took several minutes to figure out!
Wait.
Several minutes?
Aren’t crits supposed to be exciting, fast and furious? Talk about anticlimactic. This is a D&D travesty! What the hell is taking so long?? Nice going. Even Vince Lombardi is getting pissed off over your crits at your D&D session.
Faster Crits to The Face
Want to return crits to their classic, simple burst? Including in their resolution?
First, no more rolling – at least not after looking up and verifying, confirming, authenticating, and cross-checking all those crit dice (if you even remember them at all amidst all the math, tactical calculations, and actions you’re already in the middle of).
Next, do either of the following and watch as your 4e crits prevent any groans, sighs, head shakes, eye rolls, sudden naps – and generally stop sucking the life out of your otherwise thrilling D&D combat:
Flat Bonus Damage by Tier
Replace any bonus crit dice with 5 or 10 bonus damage per tier. Simple, effective, easy to remember. In heroic tier, +1 and +2 weapons and items deal around +1d6 (3.5 average damage, 6 maximum) or +2d6 (7 average damage, 12 maximum) bonus crit dice worth of damage, so you’re on target with either the low or high end value suggestion, depending on how much burst you want in your crits.
Since 30th level weapons and implements deal around +6d6 bonus dice, such as the aforementioned Holy Avenger +6, you’re right on schedule with this method, very close to the average dice results. All without having to look for, roll, and calculate more dice results.
If you can handle it, 5 bonus damage per 5 levels works out nearly perfectly, scaling well with each + of a magic weapon or implement, staying just slightly ahead of the current actual bonus crit dice averages. And who doesn’t love scaling damage mechanics in level-based RPGs?
Double Max Damage
Now we’re talking!
For those who love more burst and deadliness in their games (and to be honest, if you’ve followed me so far, characters don’t do enough damage anyway, significantly contributing to combat grind and length), up the damage, stakes and drama by doubling the original maximized dice from your crit.
I’m pretty sure if your playgroup had a combat menu in front of them, and the “New!” item on it was “Monsters That Die Faster and More Spectactularly From Crits,” accompanied by really cool art of all sorts of weapons and spells violently splitting a dragon into bloody, gorey, treasure-stuffed bits, they’d be all over it.
That’s two steps for your crits.
Two. Steps.
You add once, and then multiply by two.
Fast. Easy. Awesome.
Critical Mass
By now it’s clear to you: the 4e crit is woeful in execution and needs some help to make it fast and glorious again. What do you think of these alternative crit rules? What alternative crit rules do you or would you use to dial up the excitement and pace in your games?
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Kilsek
You make a great point. I would add that the problems of the crit in 4E exist on a smaller scale constantly, especially with certain leader classes. Like if you have a warlord who grants a healing surge when someone action points, and then the surge triggers something that triggers something. This is why 4E combat takes so long. You really have to be careful not to let it drain the fun, even a little. I like your solutions and may give them a try sometime.
Thanks for your comment, mbeacom and welcome to Leonine Roar!
You’re right, the stacking multi-trigger ripple effect you see in crits, especially at higher levels, is just one example of the same rider-heavy concept. The action point is a great example. While all those ripples and riders are cool in theory, in actually play, the execution is often time consuming and clunky. More simple or elegant class features or feats, such as “always-on” bonuses are something I highly recommend. Like these crit dice options, it often means less math to do and less steps to go through every time it happens.