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The Sword of Sharpness states:

When you attack an object with this magic sword and hit, maximize your weapon damage dice against the target.

It also has a secondary feature:

When you attack a creature with this weapon and roll a 20 on the attack roll, that target takes an extra 4d6 slashing damage.

1) Would these extra 4d6 damage dice also be maximized in damage (ie just add 24 damage)?

I also play as a level 20 half orc Barbarian, meaning that when I land a critical:

  • Thanks to Brutal Critical I am able to add 3 additional damage dice.
  • Thanks to the Savage Attacks class feature, I can add an additional damage die.

2) Would these 4 additional critical dice also be maximized in damage?

While I'm not sure about question 1, I think question 2 would be yes. Since critical hits use the damage dice of the weapon, and since on a hit the weapon's damage dice are maximized, I don't see why critical dice would not also be maximized.

But some clarification on both of these questions would definitely be appreciated.

B. S. Morganstein
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1 Answers1

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No, these 2 abilities can never work together.

When you attack an object...

vs

When you attack a creature...

The DMG defines objects on page 246 as:

...an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone...

Miniman
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  • Interesting, is there a common time when a PC would be attacking an object (as opposed to a creature)? I'm not sure I've ever encountered that, or at least nothing comes to mind – B. S. Morganstein Jul 06 '17 at 14:25
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    @B.S.Morganstein I'll quote the DMG here: "When characters need to saw through ropes, shatter a window, or smash a vampire's coffin..." – Miniman Jul 06 '17 at 14:26
  • I see. Do you have any explanation then for why this is a very rare item requiring attunement? Seems wayyy less good if the maximum damage does not apply to attacking creatures. (I'm happy to move this to chat if that's more appropriate, but I myself don't know how) – B. S. Morganstein Jul 06 '17 at 14:27
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    There's one additional wrinkle; Sword of Sharpness, by the books, doesn't add 4d6 slashing damage. It adds 14 slashing damage. For some reason many (all?) of the weapons that do additional damage on a 20 add dice in the SRD. No official explanation has been given for this, but the DMG is an official rulebook and the SRD isn't, so the DMG wins. The SRD is primarily a thing for 3rd parties to build their own worlds/settings/products on top of. It's also debatable whether those dice are weapon damage dice. – Doval Jul 06 '17 at 14:27
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    @B.S.Morganstein That's a question that well and truly merits its own question for anyone to even attempt to answer. – Miniman Jul 06 '17 at 14:32
  • @Miniman Understood, I'll post it imminently! – B. S. Morganstein Jul 06 '17 at 14:33
  • @B.S.Morganstein Awesome, I'll look forward to seeing how people answer it. – Miniman Jul 06 '17 at 14:36
  • @Miniman, do constructs in 5e count as both creatures and objects? Wording was different in 3.5, but Constructs were a niche-case for some things in 3.5. – godskook Jul 06 '17 at 15:48
  • @doval the SRD is official. it is just an alternative, watered down version. And of course, it all boils down to what sourcebooks your DM is using. – Mindwin Remember Monica Jul 06 '17 at 21:23
  • @B.S.Morganstein magic item rarity is not a strict this is better than that therefore more rare - it is just a guideline for rarity. Take the boots of flying and the potion of flying: the potion is way more rare than the permanent item that does the same effect. Makes sense from an economic point of view? no. But I bet people make more boots than potions for flying. So the potion is more rare because availability. Don't dwell too much on it. – Mindwin Remember Monica Jul 06 '17 at 21:25
  • @Mindwin It's not an official rulebook. The official 5e rules are in the PH, DMG and MM; the stripped down version is the Basic Rules. This is stated explicitly in Sage Advice Compendium. Regardless of how convenient the SRD is for players, its purpose is to give 3rd parties a legal way to produce 5e content. You can speculate that the SRD's changes are RAI or forgotten errata, but it's not RAW (and could just as well be an earlier version of the item.) – Doval Jul 06 '17 at 21:43