During the past three years, J have, as 2 gamemasicr, used several different tables for critical hits and critical fur bles. Asa player, I have scen my char- acters subjected to different tables 0s well. All the uses (and misuses) of any of these tables have been the result of four gaming. group trying 10 find the ideal critical hit table, The choice has finally come down to a simplified sye tem using D100: to figure out just what happened on that roll of "20" or “1 on the “to hit” roll, By Roy Pitta Mlustrated by Rick Becker 22 AD&D Variant Critical Hits Fumbles The UltimateTables for CriticalRolls ast off, lets look at the system for ‘determining a critical hit. On any natural roll of @ 20-09 2 B20, the at tacking character is considered to have made a strike which will produce more than the normal amount of damage. Perhaps the most frightening of the critical hit tables I have ever seen nsed war the one using a D6 to determine schat happened. A roll of “B" meant instant death, period, AIL well and {good when you have hit an opponent, ‘but not s0 great if your character is on the receiving end, The problem is, no matter what level the character is, he has the exact same chance (3%) of a critical strike as does 9 character many levels above, oF many levels below, him. So. it was quite conceivable for the twelfth-level Fighter to receive 4 critical it fram firstlevel character, and be killed in stantly, Which, no one can argue, is the way things happen sometimes in real life, However, the percentage chance in real life that a skilled Fighter ccould be struck thusly by an unskilled fighter is far lee tan the chance that the moze seasoned warrior will hit the inexperienced opponent in sich a manger. How then, do we aecount for the greater experience and learned skills a higherlevel character has over a lower-level character? The method our group finally le cided on was the following: On any natural roll of 20, the number necrled for a hit is subtracted Irom the actual bit roll total (this may be more than 20, due te pluses to hit. of Tess than 20, duc to minuses). The difference is then multiplied by 5%, and the result Js the percentage chance that the char acter has, indeed, struck his opponent critically For example: Taurus the Fighter is fighting Diek the Assassin, Taking into consideration armor class and levels, Jet's say that Taurus needs a 15 to hit Dirk, while Dirk, new in a face-to-face fight he did not want, needs, noncthe less, only 12 to hit Taurus. Dirk rolls 220 on his to-hit roll: with 9 bonus of 1 for proficiency, the strike comes out to 21. The ditferenec, 8, when multi plied by 6%, comes to a 15% chance of Dirk Naving struck Taurus critically Percentage die are rolled, and Dick's roll of 48% is close, but not good enough. Damage would be figured it the normal manner, Two rounds liter, it is Taurus who rolls 1 20. His chance to actually rite cally injure Dirk is a mere 25%. Lo and behold, the zods must be with him, for © rolls 4 15 on the D100! Ditk has been critically injured Now we xo 10 the Critical Its able to ee exactly what has happer ed ti Dirk. If he still tives afterwards, the Tight goes on until one of them drops, gives in. or runs. The Critieal it Cable you use is, of course, up to you. But 1 have taken the Tiverty of showing yews the table I Feel comes closest to what might hap. pea in real life (sce Table 1). OF course, you ean adapt it to what you DIFFERENT WORLDStenant eee [Tad ones you dislike. Like the Players CRITICAL HIT TABLE. Guide, these are not strict rules; they ‘D100 Effect: Serer to Bil you own nee 06:10 Badly wounded, cannot continue fighting; if wounds are not at- rae ee ome ty halls | 445. stl uaa ele oH oi Ft oe chance to fumble as does a second: rounds, after which he will collapse. Pork 1020 Taee dose re Im the case of s fumble roll of a 1 21-25 Leg badly wounded, cannot run or maneuver; armor class in- sic ecient fom eyo ae ne oe es hit his opponent. The lower the level 26-35 Opponent’s weapon arm injured; drops weapon, cannot use arm Of the attacking character, the higher a in combat until bandaged and healed. ofa scehingemene enor | aa ee Which makes sense, since tower levele_ 1 51.65 Breastplate of opponant split, armor clas increases by four, ine eee ee ee jing a 7 to strike his opponent rolls a 1, from out-of-place armor. re (erga tegreen atl: | pacman eee eed fambled. On the other hand, a charac Forehead cut causes torrent of blood over eyes; impeded vision termeeding aol of 16 co hit has, on 3 oy fot ee 1 75% chance of fumbh eee a He peo mene Inexperience in being unable to recov. er from possible disastrous errors, you ‘Takes normal damage, plus tio hit points per round damage until know. ‘wound is attended to, By the way. if this all seems to0 un Takes maximum danage. {ai to lower level characters who may Talat double ieee neat aaa have. accidentally found themselves Hu ~ fighting a superior opponent, the gamemaster can make it up to them (if fey sane) by throwing ina few [Tables bonus experience poins for he ite | GREFIGAL FUMBLE TABLE Shen” they manage not to. fumble | D100 Efece ga they coud fave, A second! [cet | 01-05 Trips and falls, loses woapon, is tunned for one round, level fighter ought to receive more 06-10 and falls, loses weapon, but is not stunned. Crpercace points for ths act than he | (1718. Sen for oe ound Hino weno fwcftievel iter would get for do | rome ela ear see et Setisce ik | 2030 Drops shield if character has no shield, helmet has fallen off. man, Wich ail bis op Next stack by opponent wil strike atthe unprotected heed, and ut geting back to fumbles agai, damage of 8+ knocks character unconscious. in the early days of my role-playing: 31-40 Helmet falls over eyes, cannot see for one round, cannot ettack Creer, a1 ona B20 meant “you dope fle teacharina the eines ped your weapon” or "your oppaneat | 41-69 Lunge at opponent eauses armor stap to snp, ermor ces is in- tripped,” or whatever, Just ay all crit eased by 2. cal strikes are not equal, all critical 51-60 Weapon is cracked, Can be used once more, then breaks.” fumbles (read that “blunders") should | 61.70 Weapon breaks, can still be used, but dows one-quarter damaye also have varying consequences. There : fore, | have included Table 2, a Critical TE Sepia eee Bate Fumble Table I feel cakes a more eal- | 81-85 Hit nearest ally. Roll normal demage.t iste attitude towards mistakes ‘made | 9660 Hit nearest lly, do maximum denage.t Lace com sa a muten, | 91.98. Trib nto near ally, beth fall othe ground, both stunned fr what has taken my group three years next round.t to come up with, Feel free to use them 96-99 Knocks weapon out of nearest ally’s hand, do half damage to 3 you like, ot not. Personally, [am aliy.t confident chat our group wil change | 99 Kills neorest ally, Stunned for two rounds. If characteris slone, the tables every now and again in our fe dlls treaieshVemecks end dls: on-going effort to improve our enjoy: ment of Advanced Dungeons & Drag. fons, so do not use them as gospel tuuths. Unless you want to. After all, you are the gamemaster. a Magical weapons got saving threw, but at 4. 1 ehareter i alone, apoly damage to c MAY/JUN 1984 23