I almost addressed this in the post about House Rules, but changed my mind at the last second. I decided that it was weighty enough to earn a post in its own right. I want to look at the Rogue’s sneak attack in the light of critical hits. In the game I play now, the DM has ruled that when a Rogue makes a critical hit (a natural 20 to hit) when making a Sneak Attack, he/she only gets a single extra die. So, if the Rogue gets a 1d6 from their weapon, and say 5d6 from their Sneak Attack, for a total of 6d6, the Rogue only gets a single additional 1d6 roll if they make a critical hit.
I have mixed feelings about this.
On the one hand, I get that doubling all the dice, that is, going from 6d6 to 12d6 would be really devastating, and probably not the best idea. However, I just think a single 1d6 is just insufficient. I kind of have that feeling with respect to all critical hits (by other classes and other creatures as well). A crit just leads to a single additional unmodified die of base damage. If your weapon gives 1d8, a crit gives a 2nd unmodified 1d8. Maybe it’s because I always roll crappy, but I just wish crits had a little more punch.
The Super-Crits I discussed in the House Rules might solve this problem, but I’m not sure.
But going back to the Rogue, though, if the character is high enough level to do 10d6 Sneak Attack damage, the extra d6 is almost not noticeable. Maybe 1d6 plus 1 per Sneak Attack die? So, you’d get 1d6 base damage, plus 10d6 Sneak Attack damage, plus 1d6+10 critical damage? Hmmm…. I just came up with that off the top of my head, and I think I like it. It gives a little extra punch, but not too, too much.
Or, there is the Super-Crit method. Or combine them? That would make Super-Crits really deadly, but Super-Crits are really rare.
Conclusion
Well, those are my thoughts on the junction between Critical Hits and the Rogue’s Sneak Attack. Of course, I’m always kind of biased toward maximizing damage inflicted. It’s just too much fun to heap on piles and piles of damage. Woo hoo!
The Wizard's Inkwell 