Severity

Naturally, critical strikes cover a great range of severity. There’s a world of difference between a burning hands spell cast by a 2nd-level wizard and the awesome blast unleashed by an ancient, fire-breathing dragon. If the whole-body injury rules cover the size of the attack, severity measures its intensity.

The best approximation for the severity of a critical strike is how much damage the attack can inflict on its target. Figure the maximum damage potential of the spell or effect, compare it to the maximum, unwounded hit point total of the victim, and refer to Table 48 : Critical Severity.

Terthan, the warrior from the previous example, has a normal hit point maximum of 35 when unwounded. The lightning bolt was thrown by a 6th-level wizard with a potential of 6d6 points of damage (a maximum of 36 points). Since this is more than Terthan’s hit points, without being twice Terthran’s total, the severity roll will be 2d6.

Refer to the appropriate critical strike chart and roll the severity dice indicated for the hit location. The result is the specific injury or effect suffered by the victim for the critical strike. Unlike the critical hits of the Player’s Option: Combat & Tactics book, critical strikes do not inflict doubled damage, and they do not allow the victim a special saving throw to avoid the specific effects. After all, the target already blew one saving throw, or he wouldn’t be rolling on the critical strike table.

Lord Nonnach Redoff the Bold, a 20th-level warrior, rides forth to do battle with an adult red dragon. The dragon naturally opens the fray with its best fiery blast. Nonnach must make a saving throw vs. breath weapon, needing only a 4 to succeed. Unfortunately, Nonnach rolls a 1 and misses. Since the dragon has 17 Hit Dice, its victims suffer critical strikes if they miss their save by at least 3 points and roll less than a 5—which Nonnach just did.

Chortling with glee, the DM rules that the dragon’s breath is a huge attack, inflicting critical strikes in 1d4 locations; Nonnach rolls a 3, so he’ll get three separate rolls on Table 46 and winds up with critical strikes to the abdomen, right leg, and left arm. Now, on to severity: the dragon’s damage potential is 126 points, and Nonnach at his best only has 109 hit points, so each strike will be rolled with a severity of 2d6. In addition to the 79 points of damage Nonnach takes from the dragon s breath, he suffers minor injuries to his arm and abdomen, but his leg is burned off at the knee! (And the DM could require him to make a saving throw vs. death magic to check for death from massive damage, as described in the PHB .) All of a sudden, Nonnach finds himself wishing he were somewhere else entirely.

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