I assume it's to prevent you from one-shotting boss fights and ruining your DM's plans

Since a dead creature is now an object they would be a valid target for the mending cantrip, so you can reattach their head and then cast raise dead to bring them back.

Fools see this merely as a powerful weapon. But I, a scholar and learned individual, recognize it for its true form; the castration knife of the gods.

no, legendary actions means legendary actions

yes

Quote from Venenarius >>

Quote from Dudhhr >>

Quote from Tiarok >>

It says an "extra" 6d8 so I think those would be rolled normally. 

 

 

 

Beyond 20

 

 

 

 

 

 Nope. The extra damage is on a nat20, not a crit. Adamantine armor, etc. would mean you still take the damage, and a critical would double the dice to 12d8.

 And I think that doubling the 6d8 is dumb as hell and way too overpowered, even for a joke sword, so that's not how I'm ruling it. I will instead read into the "EXTRA" part of the definition. It seems ridiculous to add a bunch of damage on the condition of a 20, even though a 20 is always going to be crit in almost every circumstance, and then consider the additional damage also affected by the crit. It seems more like this is very poorly written. Like "20" is being used synonymously to "crit" even though it shouldn't be, since the head chopping is conditional to a 20, rather than to a crit. Or perhaps saying "a crit on a 20."

It's saying "roll a 20" because that's what it means. Just because it says what it means to say and you want it to say something it doesn't say doesn't mean it's written poorly. Crit on an 18-20 and you roll an 18 or 19? The effect doesn't happen. The target is immune to crits (e.g. it's wearing adamantine armor) and you roll a 20? The effect still happens. Whether or not you decide to play it as intended and instead only add 6d8 to the damage after doubling the other damage dice doesn't matter. A 20 and a crit are not synonymous, and the wording was deliberate.

Regarding whether or not the dice should be doubled, I will re-link the official ruling that was shared in one of the first responses to the thread: https://www.sageadvice.eu/vorpal-sword-does-the-6d8-get-doubled/?fbclid=IwAR0kcOry_am6UBvZYE0GzXTrLb-BrEjSMpXzh_sFpF1Jq4FKevkPFoecPlE

You say an extra 12d8 on a nat 20 is "dumb as hell and way too overpowered," and that the 20 will almost always be a crit... But you will almost never roll it by design. The normal effect of the sword is that on a 20, the opponent's head gets chopped off and it dies if it can't survive without a head. Dead. Don't roll damage. No save. It doesn't matter how much health it has. It's dead. If it's massive, doesn't need a head, or is a high level boss, it has a chance to survive.

If rolling 12d8 damage on a 20 when the conditions are juuuuuuuuust right breaks your campaign, so will the instant death on every other 20. It's a legendary magic item. If you're worried about breaking your game with some extra dice, you shouldn't be giving out legendary magic items.

For instance if you get natural 20s on both attacks you make, you would deal 12d8 extra damage.

Quote from RhoharDaardendrian >>

For instance if you get natural 20s on both attacks you make, you would deal 12d8 extra damage.

No, RAW and RAI, you would more often than not decapitate the first opponent (most likely instant death) on your first attack without rolling any damage, then move to do the same on your second attack. However, if the opponent "doesn't have or need a head, has legendary actions, or the GM decides that the creature is too big for its head to be cut off with this weapon," then you deal the normal crit damage plus an additional 12d8 damage, then you would take your second attack, deal the weapon's normal crit damage, and deal another 12d8 on top of that. Using a longsword one-handed, that would be a total of 28d8 plus twice (because of the two attacks) your strength modifier. When you crit, you double all of the damage dice you roll for the attack.

The crit is the 6d8. That is what I'm trying to say.

Quote from RhoharDaardendrian >>

The crit is the 6d8. That is what I'm trying to say.

 But it's not. If you roll a natural 20, it does an extra 6d8. If the natural 20 is also a crit (most of the time), the dice double. RAW, that is how it works. Incidentally, RAI, that is also how it works. It has been linked at least twice already, but I will link the clarification by the designers again. https://www.sageadvice.eu/vorpal-sword-does-the-6d8-get-doubled/?fbclid=IwAR0kcOry_am6UBvZYE0GzXTrLb-BrEjSMpXzh_sFpF1Jq4FKevkPFoecPlE

The wording is important. The extra damage is not intrinsically tied to a critical hit. If you crit on a 19, you double your dice, but the extra damage (and decapacitation effect) is not applied. If you roll a natural 20 but the enemy is immune to crits (e.g. adamantine armor), you still deal an extra 6d8 damage (or kill it outright if it is not one of the few creatures that are included in the exceptions listed in the item description). If you roll a natural 20 and it crits, you double the dice you roll, INCLUDING the 6d8, bringing that up to 12d8 plus double the normal weapon dice (4d6 if it's a greatsword), plus double any other dice applied to the roll (sneak attack, flourishes, poisons, hunter's mark, hex, etc.)

does a grave clerics ability counter the nat 20

It stays as 6d8, but you would double the initial damage dice

What happen you get moren than 20 enroll to the hit attack but is not critical?

6 d8

I'm guessing its so you don't one shot the dragon or other powerful boss like creatures.

It says a creature with a head. shouldn't is specify a head attached by a neck or something similar. because a beholder has a head but it is its head so you can't really cut it off. I know this could technically be covered by the 'gm decides' bit (also beholders have legendary actions) and its also just common sense but I'm still surprised there isn't a mention of needing something to chop the head off from.

Imagine this as an ikakalaka or executioner sword, and its being wielded by an executioner-style Oath of Vengeance Paladin

For those that don't know, the ikakalaka was a type of sword originating from African tribes that was used for executions, but could still be held like a short sword

Perfect sword for Thundaar The Barbarian.

wait so this thing only does 1d8 unless your really lucky