Does telegraphic Attack help to avoid critical failure?

[Maz]

It doesn't help you get a Critical HIT, but it doesn't say it does not help prevent a critical miss. Is this correct?

[gjc8]

That seems to pass a reality check (at least in the thought experiment phase).

[MattStriker]

Hmm. Looks reasonable, I'd allow it.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Maz

It doesn't help you get a Critical HIT, but it doesn't say it does not help prevent a critical miss. Is this correct?

Depends on what you mean by prevent a critical miss. Are you talking about a "my skill is 4, but I roll 15" situation, "my skill is 12 and I roll 17," or something else? I'd personally convert either of the above to a regular failure instead of a critical failure if they had the +4 from Telegraphing because you're less likely to stab yourself if you're lining up your shot meticulously.

[Gollum]

"Does telegraphic Attack help to avoid critical failure?"

It does... a bit.

• If the character has a skill level of 5 or less (since a critical failure occurs when the player's roll is 10 or more greater than such a level)
• or if the bonus is sufficient to raise the effective skill to 16 or plus (in which case a roll of 17 is not anymore a critical failure but an ordinary failure; the chance of scoring a critical failure are divided by 4!)

Now, of course, for an average character (skill level of 10), it doesn't. But it helps him avoid a ordinary failure, which is something good, isn't it!

[Gollum]

Originally Posted by Maz

It doesn't help you get a Critical HIT, but it doesn't say it does not help prevent a critical miss. Is this correct?

Likewise, it doesn't help you to get a critical hit... Except if the bonus raise your effective skill to 15 or above, in which case a roll of 5 or even a roll of 6 become a critical success.

Your chance to score a critical success may be multiplied by 2 or even by 5 (effective skill level of 16 or +).

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Gollum

Likewise, it doesn't help you to get a critical hit... Except if the bonus raise your effective skill to 15 or above, in which case a roll of 5 or even a roll of 6 become a critical success.

No it doesn't. I'm fairly sure that "the +4 to hit doesn't affect your chance of a critical hit" (Martial Arts page 113) exactly means that a roll of 5 or 6 isn't a critical hit unless your skill was already 15+. The example following that sentence is very explicit in that.

I don't see any reason to think that the +4 doesn't reduce your chances of a critical failure. So that if your skill is 3-6, the bonus will ensure that you only critically fail on a 17 or 18. I don't see any reason that it should prevent critical failures altogether though.

[Xilodel]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

I don't see any reason that it should prevent critical failures altogether though.

Agreed. You can still screw up your technique and strain a muscle, miss and be thrown off balance, etc. Though I also agree with the brain trust that reducing your odds of critical failure is not unreasonable.

[Johnny Angel]

It is my understanding that telegraphic attack does not help you to avoid critical failure; however, I am extrapolating that from the idea that it does not help you to achieve a critical success.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Johnny Angel

It is my understanding that telegraphic attack does not help you to avoid critical failure; however, I am extrapolating that from the idea that it does not help you to achieve a critical success.

It's explicitly stated that it doesn't affect your chance of a critical success. Nowhere does it state that does not affect your chance of a critical failure, therefore there is no reason to assume that it does not.

Presumably the intent of the rule is to keep a Telegraphic Attack from being perversely harder to defend against, since critical hits allow no defense. This is irrelevant in regards to critical misses.

Furthermore it only has an effect on critical misses if your effective skill before the bonus is 6 or less. In these situations a Telegraphic attack is a good option, penalizing it by making critical misses more likely seems like a bad deal. A character with effective skill of 3 gets a critical miss on a 13+. If he makes a telegraphic attack and if Telegraphic Attack doesn't affect critical miss chances, he only "just" misses on a 8-12. If it does affect critical misses that improves to 8-16, and therefore worth the attempt.

Logically "carefully lining up the shot" ought to make it less likely that something disastrous should happen.