What do critical hits ignore?

What Do Critical Hits Ignore?

Do Critical Hits Ignore Ability Score Changes?

Stat Changes: Critical Hits only ignore stat changes that reduce the damage done by an attack. This includes defensive boosts and abilities that reduce damage. However, any stat changes that enhance the damage done by an attack are not ignored, meaning that critical hits are unaffected by offensive boosts or abilities that increase damage.

Critical Hits, Physical Damage Reduction, and Special Damage Reduction

For the most part, when dealing with critical hits in D&D, it helps to understand the difference between physical damage reduction and special damage reduction. Physical damage reduction is applied before critting, whereas special damage reduction is applied after a crit. Physical Damage Reduction is applied based on the attacker’s statistics and the defender’s armour, while Special Damage Reduction is applied specifically by certain abilities or actions (like Reflect or a Paladin’s Lay on Hands ability).

Critical Hits Ignore Physical Damage Reduction
As mentioned earlier, when calculating damage, physical damage reduction is applied before applying a critical hit. Any stat changes that reduce or alter physical damage are applicable here. For example:

• Reflect: Halves physical damage taken while activated.
• Bolt of Divine Justice (5th-level Paladin Channel Divinity): Converts incoming damage to force.

Critical hits will still proceed after applying physical damage reduction, as the damage value may still be high or unpredictable.

Critical Hits and Special Damage Reduction: Exceptions and Clarifications
Here are some exceptions, specific cases, and guidelines on how critical hits fare when dealing with special damage reduction:

• Smogon Damage Formula and Critical Hits: In battles against Pokémon, critical hits follow the Smogon Damage Formula. This does not halve the crit’d damage. Instead, burn ( halves physical damage taken due to a specific ability called ‘burn’) is also calculated after applying the formula.

Do Critical Hits Go Through Burn? (Revised)
Recent studies suggest that Burn doesn’t halve critical hit damage. Even after applying the Smogon Damage Formula, additional reductions (like burn halving) do not prevent crits from dealing twice as much damage.

Keep an eye out for unique game mechanics and special attacks with specific rules for special damage reduction, as mentioned below:

• Other Games and Editions: Review and understand the specific settings you’re playing in: Editions, games (TTRPG, computer-based, or boardgames). Each may have modified critical hit rules or have differences in damage reduction.

As mentioned earlier, critical hits always deal double damage due to the roll. Now you know that they follow this rule even when halving damage is applied elsewhere!

Conclusion
Recapping the key points regarding what critical hits ignore and apply:

• Abilities and Stat Changes that Boost Damage: Critical Hits apply to and ignore.
• Physical Damage Reduction: Critical Hits ignore all damage reduction before applying themselves, but Special Damage Reduction can still block crits.

Remaining Exceptions and Considerations: There may be game-specific exceptions or rules not mentioned herein, so consult your own resources or the game material in question.

More questions?

• When do saving throws in D&D occur?
  Answer: A saving throw, also called a ‘save’, represents an attempt to resist a spell, trap, poison, or a similar threat. How often do critical hits occur in D&D and what is the probability for such an event?

Probability: 4%
Damage: Double the default value, with 40% more knockback if 40% of weapon speed is not spent within one second of the creature entering the battle.

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