Everytimeyou do a finishing move, a fairy dies of sadness

remember they took out the "rolling dice' thats in most rpgs that governs miss/hit/crit/dodge/glace/etc, now like the Op has stated everything is stated at beginning of swing if when in range.

I haven't had a finisher done on me in like...a month? For I'm not sure how long, after having not seen any such thing happen to me the first couple of weeks, I started getting ANNIHILATED. First one that I can recall was getting stuck in Fort Neugrad while some Bandit Chief broad took me out in 2 hits I believe with a warhammer. Drove my face into the ground like a freakin' railroad spike. The last I got picked up by a Dragon like some sort of, of, of guard!

HOWEVER. Since I started boosting the crap out of my health, I haven't seen them happening. So I think its random, and based on the damage done to you. Like some have said, maybe a critical hit that removed the rest of your health. It would explain why most of the throat cuts on there show an animation (even if its the crappy one where its in 1st person).
There should've been an option for animations in 3rd person only! Anyway, my two cent rant is over.
Wheeeee!