Discussion:Can you critical on a sunder attack?
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Can you critical on a sunder attack?
- Can a critical hit apply to a sunder attack.
- If the first statement holds true, then could a sneak attack apply to a sunder, if for granted your opponent had lost their dexterity bonus in some way, or you had succeeded a feint?
and a bonus, can a monk's unarmed strike perform a sunder attack? (my theory is yes, but suffers a -4 penalty due to size modifier)
I have another question about sundering. Can you sunder artifacts? If so, what happens? Are there rules for that, or is it DM-dependant?
EldritchNumen 01:49, 11 October 2007 (MDT)
No, you can't get a critical on a sunder because all objects are not subject to critical hit damage, nor to sneak attacks (where is the door's or sword's internal organs, again?). And yes, the monk can try to break the club with his fists. Or his feet. Or elbow. Or whatever. As to artifacts, they are a grab bag, but-- like any other object-- they can theoretically be sundered (though remember that magical items have increased hardness and hit points). In the end, though, the best you will ever be able to do is reduce the artifact to a single hit point, since most artifacts have only one obscure way to be destroyed. Also, remember that many artifacts are simply immune to any sort of physical damage, just as most are immune to disintegration, etc.
Calidore Chase 09:48, 11 October 2007 (MDT)
As a house rule, if the damage from a sunder attack that hit with a natural 20 is enough to break the item, I generally try o make the results a bit more spectacular.
We have a house rule that applies to anything immune to critical (including undead) that if you roll a 20, you deal max. That's 20 only, so rapiers can't deal max on an 18.
Thats a cool rule. I like it.
How would this apply to a Hydra, a living creature whose heads can be sundered?
I'd say yes. After all, the sunder rules for that is that a head is a portion of the creature, and thus has its hp It's still living so you can crit it, making sundering those a might easier.
On the other hand, maby you could score a critical on a sunder, I mean, say your sundering armor, you hit the straps, if your sundering a sword, you hit a weak spot between the blade and hilt, but thats probably a tad dodgey, just thinking aloud, I like the idea, you do max on a 20 with all non-critical things, I will use that from now on...