Critical Hits
Natural 20 on an attack roll is an automatic hit that doubles all damage dice. Natural 1 always misses.
A critical hit occurs when an attack roll results in a natural 20 on the d20.
Effect: Roll all of the attack's damage dice twice and add them together, then add relevant modifiers once. For example, if a longsword attack normally deals 1d8 + 3, a critical hit deals 2d8 + 3.
Applies to:
- Melee weapon attacks
- Ranged weapon attacks
- Spell attack rolls (not saving throw spells)
- Sneak Attack dice, smite dice, and other bonus damage dice are all doubled on a critical hit
Automatic hit: A natural 20 on an attack roll always hits, regardless of AC.
Natural 1: A natural 1 on an attack roll always misses, regardless of bonuses.
Expanded critical range: Some features expand the critical range:
- Champion Fighter (Improved Critical): crits on 19-20 at level 3, 18-20 at level 15
- Certain magic weapons or effects may expand the range
Critical hits against unconscious/paralyzed creatures: Any melee attack that hits an unconscious or paralyzed creature within 5 feet automatically counts as a critical hit.