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Neverwinter Nights seriesQuestion on Armor Class/ Criticals(11 posts)solved(11 posts)solved
(11 posts)solved
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Posted November 20, 2012
I bought NWN two years ago, and though I played it for a bit of time, lost interest in finishing. After purchasing Baldur's Gate, and taking some time to learn the general premise of the D&D rules, I decided to give the game a second chance, which I find more enjoyable, knowing a little more on the rule set.

That said, I realize there are still some foggy areas I've yet to figure out, and that BG and NWN differ in the rules in a few places. In BG, armor class apparently aids in preventing damage to a character rather than reducing damage received. Is the same true in NWN, or is it vice versa?

Also, with weapons: does a weapon have a higher critical if it is marked as something such as (19-20/x2), or if it is simply a x2 or x3?
Post edited November 20, 2012 by Comanche88
This question / problem has been solved by DarrkPhoeniximage
Posted November 21, 2012
Regarding armor class, in both games armor class only affects the chance for a character to be hit- it doesn't reduce damage done if a character is hit. Also, going between the BG series and NWN can be a bit confusing with armor class, as the BG series uses 2e rules, under which lower AC is better, while NWN uses 3e rules, under which higher AC is better. Also, note than in addition to armor class characters can also get damage reduction, which doesn't affect their chance to be hit, but which reduces certain types of damage if their are hit. Damage reduction is usually for a very specific type of damage, such as piercing, slashing, or a certain type of elemental damage; some types of physical damage reduction can also be negated if an attach is carried out by a weapon with a sufficient level of enchantment (for instance, an item may give a character 5/+3 damage reduction, which means that 5 points of physical damage will be reduced, unless the attach is carried out with a +3 or better weapon).

Also, regarding critical hits, the initial range refers to the attack rolls that can trigger a critical hit. All attack roles are made with a d20, so a range of 19-20 means that a roll of either a 19 or a 20 will trigger the chance for a critical hit. The x2 refers to the bonus damage if a critical hit is triggered, meaning that a critical hit does double the normal damage. x3 would mean that a critical hit would do 3 times the normal damage.
Posted November 22, 2012
Thank you for the detailed answer, and yes I did notice that armor class ratings were the reverse between the two games, which put me in a bit of a loop when I first started BG. I just have one more question: I know you said the attack roles are calculated on a die of 20, such that a weapon with a critical of 19-20/x2 or so depends on a role of the initial #'s. If a weapon does not have the initial range listed (ex., it merely states x2 or x3), how is a critical then determined?
Posted November 22, 2012
If a weapon doesn't list a critical threat range then that weapon can only score a critical hit if a 20 is rolled on the attack roll (this was how it used to be for all weapons in 2e, then some weapons were given a larger threat range in 3e).
Posted November 23, 2012
Great to know, and thanks again for answering my questions. If I should have any more inquiries, I'll post them here, and hope you're around to answer them. :)
Posted November 27, 2012
Something I'll add just to flesh out the critical info:

- if an opponent's AC is 21 or more higher than your highest attack roll, it's not possible to score a critical hit (since you cannot roll a 'hit' on the confirmation roll, since a roll of 20 for the confirmation roll is not considered an automatic hit).

- the 'multiplied' damage on a successful critical is not actually a simple multiplication. It's actually rolled multiple times with the results added together. As an example, if your weapon does 1-8 damage with a 3x critical multiplier and you score a critical hit, let's say you roll a 6 for damage. This does not mean the critical is 18 damage (3 times 6). Rather, the random number from 1 to 8 that your weapon does is rolled three times and the results added together. This is the reason you can get an odd number value when your multiplier is an even number.

No big deal, but I thought I'd just point that out.
Post edited November 27, 2012 by Coelocanth
Posted December 09, 2012
That's also good to know, and explains why criticals are not always the same each time they are executed.

I have another question that anyone is welcome to answer. I've had my character equipped for quite some time now with the "Armor of Comfort", mainly because it is lightweight, yet protects like heavy armor. I noticed with it, and all armors, something called an "Armor Check Penalty". What exactly is this, and how does it affect your character in battle?
Posted December 09, 2012
The armor check penalty applies many dexterity-based skills (hide, move silently, parry, pick pocket, set trap, and tumble), and imparts the listed penalty to the skill check for any of these skills.
Posted December 13, 2012
I'm assuming it applies the penalty to which ever skill is being used at the time?
Posted December 13, 2012
The penalty is applied whenever a skill roll is made. However, I think the penalty is also reflected in your character sheet as well.
Posted December 14, 2012
Oh okay, that's good to know.
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Neverwinter Nights seriesQuestion on Armor Class/ Criticals(11 posts)solved(11 posts)solved
(11 posts)solved