From: agrimm@slate.mines.colorado.edu (Snarf)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Critical Hits and Misses
Date: 8 Oct 92 18:03:50 GMT
Organization: Colorado School of Mines

Well, since the thread has popped up again, I thought I'd finally post my
critical hit charts.  They aren't based on an in-depth study of human
anatomy, neither are they as gross as most you'll see.  They are based on
the critical hit charts published in Dragon, as well as the critical hits for
other systems.  Of course, a good deal of the system is original.

I've been using these in my campaigns for about three years now, and they
work great!  I've never had a negative response, and I feel that they add
excitement to the combat system without being grossly unfair.  You'll
notice that the specific hit charts are largely identical for different
classes of weapons.  I don't want players choosing weapons just for the
critical hit possibilities...  Again, it also serves to keep the system
fair for all involved. 

The tables also adapt themselves well to other methods of determining when
a critical hit or miss occurs.  For instance, a previous poster gave the
following method:  A critical hit occurs if the attacker rolls a 20 and
then rolls another hit on d20.  A critical miss occurs if the attacker
rolls a 1 and then rolls under his/her THAC0 on d20.  Use whatever method
you feel best for realism and game balance.

I'm also posting this because it was my first successful test for the
stupid text scanner we've got here.  I'm having problems scanning in the
Great Net Spell Index, so it may take a while longer than planned...

So, without any further adieu, the critical hit system!

                        Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
                                2nd Edition
                     Critical Hits and Critical Misses
                     
           A critical hit occurs when a natural 20 is rolled to hit.
           A critical miss occurs when a natural 1 1s rolled to hit.
           Any character needing a 15 or higher roll to hit his/her
         target does not automatically score a critical hit on a 20.
         If a hit occurs, roll d20.  A natural 20 on this die means
         that this hit is a critical hit.
           A specific injury is not healed until all of the damage
         done to cause it is healed.  Curing magic wlll not replace
         severed members; they must be regenerated or restored
         through resurrection.
           A character who takes a potentially lethal wound or
         undergoes extreme pain must roll a system shock check or
         fall unconscious due to pain for d10 rounds.  Characters
         passing the check may continue to fight, but suffer d2
         additional hit points damage each round until the wound is
         bandaged or healed.

         Critical hit table
         
         d%     Result
         01-40  Double damage
         41-49  Trlple damage
         50     Quadruple damage
         51-90  Double damage and specific injury
         91-99  Triple damage and specific injury
         00     Quadruple damage and speciflc injury
         
	 Critical miss table
         
         d%     Result
         01-40  Thrown off balance
                   (lose initiative next round)
         41-70  Lose grip on weapon
                   (no attack next round)
         71-80  Attack friend
                   (hit to inflict half damage)
         81-90  Hit self
                   (take half damage)
         91-94  Attack friend
                   (hit to inflict full damage)
         95-98  Hit self
                   (take full damage)
         99     Attack friend
                   (hit to inflict critical hit)
         00     Hit self
                   (take critical hit)

         Specific hit table for slashing weapons
         
         d%     Result
         01-10  Shield/secondary weapon arm injured
                   (no shield use or -2 to hit until healed)
         11-20  Shield/secondary weapon arm severely injured
                   (no shield use or -4 to hit until healed)
         21-24  Shield/secondary weapon arm incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         25     Shield arm severed
                   (system shock check)
         26-35  Weapon arm injured
                   (-2 to hit untll healed)
         36-45  Weapon arm severely injured
                   (-4 to hit until healed)
         46-49  Weapon arm incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         50     Weapon arm severed
                   (system shock check)
         51-55  Hand incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         56     Hand severed
                   (system shock check)
         57     Fingers severed
                   (d5 are lost)
         58-73  Leg incapacitated
                   (movement halved until healed)
         74     Leg severed
                   (no movement)
         75-79  Foot incapacitated
                   (movement halved until healed)
         80     Foot severed
                   (no movement)
         81     Toes severed
                   (d5 are lost)
         82-83  Sensory organ injured
                   (nose, ear, or eye incapacitated)
         84     Sensory organ removed
                   (nose, ear, or eye removed)
         85-89  Artery cut
                   (d2 hit points damage per round until stopped)
         90-91  Abdominal injuries
                   (death in d10 days unless healed)
         92     Abdominal injuries, massive
                   (death in d10 hours unless healed)
         93-94  Chest injuries
                   (death in d8 days unless healed)
         95     Chest injuries, massive
                   (death in d8 hours unless healed)
         96-97  Head injuries
                   (death in d6 days unless healed)
         98     Head injuries, massive
                   (death in d6 hours unless healed)
         99     Throat cut
                   (death in d4 turns unless healed)
         00     Fatal injury (near decapitation, belly slit, etc.)
                   (death in d4 rounds unless healed)
                 
         Specific hit table for piercing weapons
         
         d%     Result
         01-10  Shield/secondary weapon arm injured
                   (no shield use or -2 to hit until healed)
         11-20  Shield/secondary weapon arm severely injured
                   (no shield use or -4 to hlt until healed)
         21-24  Shield/secondary weapon arm incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         25     Shield arm skewered
                   (system shock check)
         26-35  Weapon arm injured
                   (-2 to hit until healed)
         36-45  Weapon arm severely injured
                   (-4 to hit until healed)
         46-49  Weapon arm incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         50     Weapon arm skewered
                   (system shock check)
         51-55  Hand incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         56     Hand punctured
                   (system shock check)
         57     Fingers severed
                   (d5 are lost)
         58-73  Leg incapacitated
                   (movement halved until healed)
         74     Leg skewered
                   (no movement)
         75-79  Foot incapacitated
                   (movement halved until healed)
         80     Foot punctured
                   (no movement)
         81     Toes severed
                   (d5 are lost)
         82-83  Sensory organ injured
                   (nose, ear, or eye incapacitated)
         84     Sensory organ removed
                   (nose, ear, or eye removed)
         85-89  Artery cut
                   (d2 hit points damage per round until stopped)
         90-91  Abdominal injuries
                   (death in d10 days unless healed)
         92     Abdominal injuries, massive
                   (death in d10 hours unless healed)
         93-94  Chest injuries
                   (death in d8 days unless healed)
         95     Chest injuries, massive
                   (death in d8 hours unless healed)
         96-97  Head injuries
                   (death in d6 days unless healed)
         98     Head injuries, massive
                   (death in d6 hours unless healed)
         99     Larynx punctured
                   (voice lost and death in d6 hours unless healed)
         00     Fatal injury (run through, heart pierced, etc.)
                   (death in d4 rounds unless healed)

         Specific hit table for bludgeoning weapons
         
         d%     Result
         01-10  Shield/secondary weapon arm injured
                   (no shield use or -2 to hit until healed)
         11-20  Shield/secondary weapon arm severely injured
                   (no shield use or -4 to hit until healed)
         21-24  Shield/secondary weapon arm incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         25     Shield arm broken
                   (system shock check)
         26-35  Weapon arm injured
                   (-2 to hit untll healed)
         36-45  Weapon arm severely injured
                   (-4 to hit until healed)
         46-49  Weapon arm incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         50     Weapon arm broken
                   (system shock check)
         51-55  Hand incapacitated
                   (no use until healed)
         56     Hand fractured
                   (system shock check)
         57     Fingers smashed
                   (d5 are crushed)
         58-73  Leg incapacitated
                   (movement halved until healed)
         74     Leg broken
                   (no movement)
         75-79  Foot incapacitated
                   (movement halved until healed)
         80     Foot fractured
                   (no movement)
         81     Toes smashed
                   (d5 are crushed)
         82-83  Sensory organ injured
                   (nose, ear, or eye incapacitated)
         84     Sensory organ flattened
                   (nose, ear, or eye crushed)
         85-89  Stunning blow
                   (stunned for d4 rounds)
         90-91  Abdominal injuries
                   (death in d10 days unless healed)
         92     Abdominal injuries, massive
                   (death in d10 hours unless healed)
         93-94  Chest injuries
                   (death in d8 days unless healed)
         95     Chest injuries, massive
                   (death in d8 hours unless healed)
         96-97  Head injuries
                   (death in d6 days unless healed)
         98     Head injuries, massive
                   (death in d6 hours unless healed)
         99     Neck injured
                   (death in d4 turns unless healed)
         00     Fatal injury (skull crushed, hip shattered, etc.)
                   (death in d4 rounds unless healed)
-- 
Snarf (alias Andy Grimm) agrimm@mines.colorado.edu  |      Cheery thought
"And if I refuse?"                                  |       for the day:
"If you refuse, you die, she dies, EVERYBODY dies." | Jump off a cliff, 20,000
Sounded reasonable to me!              -Heavy Metal | lemmings can't be wrong!
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd