[scot]

You've all been at the table and seen the dreaded '1' come up on that to hit roll - how does your group handle it?

Now I know that not all GM's use critical misses but for those that do I would like to hear your opinions.

Our group had been using the typical DEX check and we've recently started taking a look at that method and there are some that for some reason don't like the variant - go figure! According to both 3.0 and 3.5 (which we now play) the DC is 10 but for some reason the folks in my campaign have always thought it was a DC of 15 (I'm still researching that one as I don't remember making that ruling) and they are asking for that reduction since the characters are now entering mid-level and will start gaining extra attacks.

Rather than using a set number I'm thinking of using a 'sliding DC' of 20 minus character level which would take into account characters getting more experienced as time goes on. Once a character hits 20th level or above they'll need to roll a '1' twice in a row to score a critical miss.

Thoughts? And again I would be interested in how other groups handle this.

Thanks.

[sparxmith]

In my campaign, I borrow from the White Wolf system. A critical miss isn't just a miss: it's a botched attempt, and something truly bad happens. In RL combat mistakes cause more casualties than the enemy does on nearly every battlefield. So, if it's a roll of 1, they make a second roll with the DC being the same as the AC of the person they just tried to strike. If they fail the roll, they hit their comrade, break their sword on the ground, or something as equally disastrous. If they succed, they just miss.

Of course, if the players roll a 20, I reward them in similar fashion. And multiple rollings of 20's or 1's stack.

[Nytmare]

Yeah I do sort of the same thing as Sparxmith, where you reroll 1s just as you would a crit. If you miss again you critically fumble.

We also use a crit/fumble table that I dug up from somewhere online.

*searches*

It was tucked away somewhere on www.dndadventure.com.

[Celarnor]

I don't use critical misses. My thought on the matter is that 'how can you miss critically, a miss is still a miss', and when there is someone in between the target and the shooter (with ranged weapons) I have them do the trajectory rolls to find out where it goes, and roll damage if it hits anything. A 1st level PC has just as much chance at rolling a 1 as a level 20 rogue. But how likely is it that a 20th level rogue (IC) is going to go and stab himself accidently? Not very.

[KHAYMAN0724]

i think critical misses are a must. You have to take into consideration that there is a wide range of types of missing. More so than hitting. First you have the simplest basically a blow that doesn't penetrate the armor. then you have the blow that is parried, the blow that is feinted, the wild swing , and the failure of the weapon itself. Critical misses help to make battle more realistic. Not to use critical misses you may as well be playinga video game.

Also can anyone let me know of where I can get my hands on a random encounter chart?

sam

you can email me at khayman0724@yahoo.com

[Darius]

One thing Ive used is when you roll a 1 with a bow , the Bowstring breaks.It was automatic with AD&D but Im thinking of useing it like criticals in 3E , roll another miss and "Twang"

R

[ladyofdragons]

we use these critical hit and fumble charts in our group. I think fumbles are a must, if you're going to use critical hits. Critical fumbles using these charts are more than just "hit self", there's the possibility of tripping or sliding on terrain, weapon breakage, or losing your grip on your weapon.

[Darius]

ladyofdragons, on Dec 8 2003, 10:22 PM, said:

we use these critical hit and fumble charts in our group.  I think fumbles are a must, if you're going to use critical hits.  Critical fumbles using these charts are more than just "hit self", there's the possibility of tripping or sliding on terrain, weapon breakage, or losing your grip on your weapon.

"Hit self" reminds me of a traveller game I was in where the DM was useing the I.C.E rules for fumbles etc , friend of mine criticaly fumbles with his laser pistol and shot himself in the head with a 10 point inteligence loss(Permanently)

R

[BrotherMouran]

Ahh... Traveller. Only game I've ever played where it's possible to die during the character generation process.

[invisibleadam]

I've been playing an "Early Renaissance" scenario as a pistol-wielding rogue. Well, a long stretch of bad rolling left me with my masterworked pistol (obtained by a first-level character through some very generous decisions on the part of our DM) blowing up in my hand. My character stood in shock as four orcs bore down on the now unarmed rogue.

Two points:
- Realism demands penalties for critical failures. And (though I was understandably perturbed) I agree with my DM's call in the example.
- But D&D is a fantasy world, and the PC's are (at least in theory) rather heroic figures, and a tenth-level fighter should not, through two dice rolls, fall on his own sword and die in the midst of battle. Although he might, in the same circumstance, have his sword knocked out of his hand and be unable to attack effectively in the following round.

Here's my theory:
If you roll 1: You miss; roll again. If roll number two fails, you miss and are delayed (as in dropped sword); roll again. If roll number three fails, you miss, are delayed, and the weapon or equipment in question is damaged/destroyed.