Vorpal vs Fortification

[Jaerofthelake]

Voici un petit article provenant du sage sur le site de WOTC. Je le poste puisque la situation c'est deja produit en game sur greyhawk. Nestor et son shield of fortification vs un assasin et son ninjato of vorpal...


07/25/2007

Q: Dear Sage

Since a vorpal weapons needs a successful confirmation roll to confirm a critical before its attack lops off someone’s head, can the successful use of the fortification armor ability stop a vorpal weapon critical from taking off a head?
--Erkki

A: (This answer replaces an earlier, incorrect answer. What can we say: vorpal is a tricky weapon property, and the Sage spoke a little too quickly when he said that fortification trumps the snicker-snack of a vorpal weapon. The Sage apologizes for the confusion and hopes this sets the record straight.)

No.

A vorpal weapon’s trademark effect is triggered on a special kind of critical—on the roll of a 20 (and a confirmed critical) it cuts off a head. Creatures without a head are, of course, immune to this effect, but the description calls out a number of creatures immune to critical hits, but that have heads, as subject to the weapon’s effect. Furthermore, it states that while these creatures may be subject to a vorpal weapon’s decapitation ability, the decapitation may not kill or destroy them. These statements create an exception to the normal critical hit rules in a way similar to (though not as clear as) some of the weapon burst powers featured in Magic Item Compendium.

Because of these exceptions, being immune to a critical or having an ability that negates a critical has no effect on the vorpal’s head-taking properties. Only the lack of a head makes you immune to the vorpal’s decapitation, and only in the cases where a head is not necessary for the creature to be alive (or it does not destroy creatures that are not alive) can a creature survive its decapitation effect.